The Largest Bass Ever Caught in Georgia Was a Swimming Hulk

Georgia is a top fishing spot in the United States. This lovely southern state has plenty of lakes, rivers, and ponds, perfect for spending the day fishing. There are multiple species of bass in the state too! You aren’t limited to just largemouth or smallmouth bass. Can you guess the size of the largest bass ever caught in Georgia? To give you a hint, the record is a tie!

What is the Largest Bass Ever Caught in Georgia?

The largest bass ever caught in Georgia weighed 63 pounds, although two different anglers hold this record. Kelly A. Ward first caught this massive striped bass on May 30, 1967, in the Oconee River. A little over four decades later a different angler, Terry McConnell, caught another 63-pounder, but in Lake Richard B. Russell. Although impressive, it doesn’t beat the world record. Instead, the largest striped bass ever caught was 81.88 pounds.

About Striped Bass

Striped bass are shimmering silvery-green and white fish with a wide range. They are favorites for many anglers to catch. Striped bass fishing is a popular hobby and sport in the United States. They’ve been introduced to many non-native lakes and rivers for recreational purposes. While striped bass are generally anadromous, some populations are landlocked because of the formation of dams.

Appearance and Size

Striped bass are known for their distinctive, and bold horizontal lines on their bodies. They are silvery-green, to light brown fish with seven to eight longitudinal dark long lines on each side of their bodies. Striped bass also have white bellies. Young juvenile striped bass looks slightly different as they don’t have dark stripes. Sometimes the stripes are absent. On average, striped bass are between 2 to 3 feet long. They also weigh between 10 to 30 pounds, but can weigh a lot more!

Distribution and Habitat

Striped bass have a wide range. They are native to the Atlantic coastline of North America from the St. Lawrence River into the Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana. Striped bass migrate between freshwater and saltwater to spawn. They’ve been introduced to other states. Apart from recreational purposes, striped bass is sometimes also used as a predator to control populations of gizzard shad. A few lakes you can find striped bass include Elephant Butte Lake, Beaver Lake, Lake Powell, Castaic Lake, Pyramid Lake, Lake Whitney, and Leesville Reservoir.

Diet

Striped bass eats a variety of different prey. Juvenile striped bass consume larvae, small crustaceans, larval fish, zooplankton, and small insects. As striped bass mature, their diet widens. Adult striped bass eat fish, squids, crabs, sand dollars, water fleas, shrimp, and fish eggs. Common fish that striped bass eat include herring, shad, smelt, and alewives.

Predators

Striped bass are vulnerable to many predators, however, the larger they get, the fewer predators they have. Common striped bass predators include weakfish, cod, silver hake, bluefish, ospreys, sharks, and seals. Humans though are the main predators of striped bass.

Other Fish in Georgia

Striped bass are just one species of fish you can find in Georgia. In the state of Georgia, there are over 300 species of freshwater fish. Some of the best fishing lakes in the state include Lake Allatoona, Lake Seminole, Lake Oconee, High Falls Lake, and Lake Lanier. Within these lakes are several different fish species. Listed below are a few that you can find in Georgia and their state records.

Largemouth Bass

One of the most common bass in Georgia is the largemouth bass. This large green-silver fish is native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada, and northern Mexico. Because of its wide range and distribution, on the IUCN Red List, it’s ‘Least Concern’. Largemouth bass vary a lot in size. Did you know that Georgia’s largemouth bass state record, is also a world record? The angler has held this record for nearly a century! On June 2, 1932, George Perry caught a 22-pound and 4-ounce world record largemouth bass in Montgomery Lake.

Hybrid Bass

You can also find hybrid bass, also known as hybrid striped bass, in Georgia. Hybrid bass are hybrids between the striped bass and the white bass. They are unique fish often stocked in lakes and reservoirs throughout the United States. Hybrid striped bass likely originated in the 1970s when they were stocked in Cherokee Lake in Tennessee. They have a similar appearance to striped bass but have broken horizontal stripes on their body. In Georgia, the state record for the largest hybrid bass ever caught weighed 25 pounds and 8 ounces. David Hobby caught this large fish in 1995 in Lake Chatuge.

Blue Catfish

Another rather large fish species found in Georgia is the blue catfish. This catfish species is native to parts of North America including the Mississippi River and Louisiana drainage systems. Blue catfish can live up to about 20 years. They are long and heavy, weighing anywhere from 30 to 70 pounds. However, although most only weigh up to 70 pounds, the largest blue catfish ever caught weighed 143 pounds. It was 57 inches long with a girth of 47 inches! How does the Georgia state record compare? Recently, on October 17, 2020, Tim Trone caught a 110-pound and 6-ounce blue catfish in the Chattahoochee River. This once-in-a-lifetime catch is quite impressive!

Flathead Catfish

Next on our list of fish in Georgia is another catfish species, the flathead catfish. It’s easy to identify from its flat, but broad head. Flathead catfish are generally dark green or brown with yellow undersides. Although not as large as blue catfish, flathead catfish are still quite large. They can reach up to 61 inches long (over 5 feet long). The largest flathead catfish ever recorded, although not the world record for the angler’s catching method, was 139 pounds and 14 ounces. In Georgia, the largest flathead catfish ever caught. like the bass record, was also a tie! On June 22, 2006, Carl Sawyer excitedly caught an 83-pound flathead in the Altamaha River. Four years later, on July 11, 2010, Jim Dieveney also caught a hefty 83-pound flathead in the same river! What are the chances?

Longnose Gar

Also in Georgia are many longnose gars. These old, prehistoric fish, live along the east coasts of North and Central America. Currently, they are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. They are long, cylindrical fish armored with ganoid scales and a distinct needle-like snout. Although longnose gars can reach massive lengths, they are harmless to humans, like alligator gars. These large fish can weigh as much as 50 pounds. The largest longnose gar ever caught in Georgia was 31 pounds and 2 ounces. On March 19, 2022, Rachel Harrison caught this nearly 60-inch-long fish in the Coosa River.

Brown Trout

Brown trout aren’t native to the United States, but you can still find them throughout Georgia. They are native to parts of Europe and West Asia. Brown trout are long and slender with narrow heads. Although most brown trout have brown coloration, they vary. Sometimes, they are almost entirely silver with spots. They also range a lot in size. The largest brown trout ever caught in Georgia weighed 20 pounds and 14 ounces. On July 27, 2014, Chad Doughty caught this large trout in the Chattahoochee River.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © PaulDaniel5010/Shutterstock.com