The Largest Striped Bass Ever Caught in Georgia Was a Behemoth

Striped bass are a popular game fish along the Atlantic coast of the United States. These fish are very popular as trophy fish for their size, but some people catch them to eat. Georgia is a great place to catch these fish because of its coastal location and its numerous rivers that contain the fish. Today, we’re going to look at the largest striped bass ever caught in Georgia and reveal how large it was, when it was caught, and more!

About the Striped Bass Species

Before we look at the record-setting member of the species, let’s get to know the striped bass. The striped bass (Morone saxatilis) is known by a few other names. People colloquially call this species “striper”, but they can also be called rockfish or the Atlantic striped bass.

When these fish reach maturity, they can grow to weights of 20 to 40 pounds. Also, they measure about 2 to 3 feet in length as adults. However, they can get much larger in both respects.

The striped bass can appear in many colors. On the dorsal side, the fish can be shades of green, silvery blue, or darker colors like brown and black. The fish appear silvery on the side, and they have light ventral sides that can be whitish or silver.

As their name implies, these fish are known for the stripes on their sides. They can have 7 or 8 dark horizontal stripes on their sides.

Habitat and Diet

Stripers are anadromous fish, meaning they spend a part of their life in freshwater and another part in saltwater. These fish will grow up in their freshwater areas and then move into the saltwater as adults. When the time comes to spawn, they move back to the rivers from which they spawned.

In Georgia, these fish turn up in lakes and rivers throughout the state. People can also catch them off the state’s coast.

Striped bass consume many foods, but they differ throughout the fish’s life cycle. When they are young, they will feed on an assortment of insects, zooplankton, and tiny crustaceans. However, adult stripers prefer to eat other fish. They’ll go after food like:

• Alewives
• Mussels
• Fish eggs
• Squid
• Clams
• Crabs
• Sea herring
• Shrimp

Clearly, these fish are not very picky about their food. People have even reported using Slim Jims as bait when they’re trying to catch these fish! Overall, striped bass eat many different foods, but they’re usually found consuming some sort of fish.

The Largest Striped Bass Ever Caught in Georgia

The largest striped bass ever caught in Georgia weighed 63 pounds. However, two different anglers caught two fish with the same weight. Kelly A. Ward caught the first record-setting striped bass on May 30, 1967. He captured this fish in the Oconee River.

Meanwhile, the second record was set more recently. Terry McConnell caught a 63-pound striped bass on Lake Richard B. Russell. He made this record-tying catch on April 3, 2009. However, when McConnell initially weighed the fish, it weighed 63 ¼ pounds. Yet, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources rounded down the weight to 63 pounds because the scale did not measure in 1-ounce increments.

So, the record is tied, but the newer one may have been heavier. Also, Terry McConnell set the record in South Carolina and Georgia because Richard B. Russell Lake is located in both states.

Where Is the Oconee River and What Else Lives There?

The Oconee River runs for 220 miles in Georgia. Generally, the river travels southeast from its source to its mouth. The river passes through several counties before eventually ending at its confluence with Ocmulgee River, forming the Altamaha River.  

The river has a wide assortment of fish living in the body of water. They are:

• Bream
• Catfish
• Largemouth bass
• Crappie
• Striped bass
• Sunfish

People target many different fish when they travel to this river. Striped bass are certainly among the fish people seek in the lower sections of the river. Some anglers may be especially excited to target stripers since the record-setting fish was pulled from the river.

The Location of Lake Richard B. Russell and Its Wildlife

Lake Richard B. Russell is a body of water on the border between Georgia and South Carolina. The lake is found in the northeastern part of Georgia and the western portion of South Carolina. Since both states have a claim to the lake, the record set by Terry McConnell was logged in both states.

Of course, Lake Richard B. Russell has much more to offer than just the largest striped bass ever caught in Georgia. Other fish live in these waters as well. Some of the other types of fish that people may catch when they travel to this lake are:

• Redbreast sunfish
• Bluegill
• Black crappie
• Trout
• Perch
• Largemouth bass
• Longnose gar

Anglers that fish at this lake can try to catch all these different fish and more. Best of all, fishers may even land a very large striped bass, perhaps even a new record.

All in all, the record for the largest striped bass ever caught in Georgia is interesting in that it’s a two-way tie. Both fish weighed 63 pounds, and they were very large specimens. However, one can’t help but wonder what would have happened if a more precise scale had been used to weigh the newer record-setting fish. For now, the tie stands as the state record.  

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