Discover the Official State Fish of Georgia

When it comes to the official state fish of Georgia, there is more than one on the list. Georgia also has an official state saltwater fish, coldwater game fish, marine mammal, and a state seashell. Georgia has 1,912 square miles of water, including fresh and saltwater environments.

The official state fish of Georgia is the largemouth bass. Georgia is one of the top states in the country for largemouth bass and it’s also the state with the biggest largemouth bass record at 22 pounds and 4 ounces. Georgia just edged out California for the record catch.

Largemouth bass became the official state fish of Georgia thanks to that record catch, which took place in 1932. George Perry holds the record, though anglers across the United States are constantly trying to one-up his legendary catch.

History of the Official State Fish of Georgia

On June 2, 1932, George Perry made history on Lake Montgomery, which owes its existence to the Ocmulgee River. His lure was a Creek Chub Fintail Shiner, and the only one he had throughout the Great Depression, where fishing was far more of a livelihood than it was a recreation.

Bass fishing is enormously popular in Georgia and, despite the record set nearly a century before, owes much of its popularity to the healthy abundance of largemouth bass in Georgia’s lakes, rivers, and streams. Georgia Gov. Lester Maddox (1967 to 1971) is responsible for largemouth bass being the state fish.

Thanks to a joint resolution in the General Assembly, Georgia now stands with Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama as states with Largemouth Bass as the official fish. Why it took 38 years to become the state fish is unknown, as is the life of George Perry after the record catch.

Largemouth Bass

When it comes to freshwater environments, largemouth bass is one of the top predators in the food chain. Their diets consist of other, smaller fish, zooplankton, invertebrates, and insect larvae. While fry largemouth typically feeds on zooplankton and insect larvae, adults target much larger invertebrates and other fish.

Crawfish and even smaller bass are a part of the adult largemouth’s diet. Though spawning takes place at different times in different climates, it usually takes place in the springtime, when the water is approaching 60°F. The males are responsible for constructing the nests in shallow waters.

Once the nest is built, the female largemouth bass is capable of laying anywhere between 2,000 to 43,000 eggs. There’s a huge disparity there but it just depends on when the male largemouth runs the female off, remaining to guard the eggs himself.

Largemouth bass are also known as bigmouth bass, black bass, and green trout. However, the term “largemouth bass” is instantly recognizable just about anywhere on the planet.

Official Saltwater Fish of Georgia

The official saltwater state fish of Georgia is the red drum (ciaenops ocellatus), otherwise known as redfish. These large saltwater fish, recognizable thanks to the large black spot near the tail, became the state saltwater fish in 2006.

Red drum aren’t exclusive to saltwater either. They are frequently in brackish water, in bays and channels feeding in from the Atlantic or a river into the ocean. Georgia, like many states, heavily regulates red drum fishing in the state.

The size limitations are subject to change on an annual basis. However, as of right now, the daily limit on red drum is 5 per season, with a minimum length of 14″ and a maximum length of 23″. The number limit only applies to each person and the length limitations apply to total length, rather than fork length.

Red Drum

Red drum are also known as redfish, channel bass, spot tail bass, and puppy drum. They are mostly known for the one or two shiny black spots near the tail and are fairly sizeable fish. The largest red drum ever caught was 94 lbs, though the most common weights today are between 6 and 8 lbs.

Since it has a downturned mouth, it prefers to feed from the seabed, sifting through the substrate to find food. It essentially uses its mouth as a vacuum, pulling everything into its mouth and rejecting all but the morsels it seeks to consume.

For that reason, red drum are typically a “bottom of the water column” fish, though they move to the central and upper water columns from time to time.

All Things Considered

Though red drum are hugely popular fish, the official state fish of Georgia remains the largemouth bass. This is largely because of George Perry’s record catch and, nearly four decades later, Georgia Governor Lester Maddox.

Like most southern states, red drum and largemouth bass are highly popular in Georgia and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. Thanks to the fishing industry, both professional and private, largemouth bass and redfish will remain indelible to the identity of Georgia and southern states in general.