3-lb. Shellcracker Sets Savannah River Record, Three New Big-Fish Records Established

William M. Owens IV of Martinez was fishing the Savannah River in Columbia County on June 24 when this huge shellcracker hit the Beetle Spin he was casting. The 15-inch-long fish weighed 3-pounds on WRD Fisheries certified scales. The fish replaces the former Savannah River record ’cracker of 2-lbs., 9.12-ozs.

Sandy Sanders of Canton caught this 44-inch-long flathead catfish from Lake Allatoona on June 20. The catfish, weighed on certified scales at Bart’s Bait & Tackle, weighed 35.68 pounds, and fills a vacant lake-record slot for Allatoona.

Sandy Springs angler Chris Cote’s 21-inch-long rainbow trout sets the mark for ’bows at Lake Burton. The fish, caught May 31, weighed 3- lbs., 12.8-ozs. Chris said he caught it on a Lucky Craft Pointer 78 fished 28 feet deep on a downrigger near the dam.

Austin Smith, 13, of Blue Ridge and his dad Justin Murphy hold the new Toccoa River record for brown trout with this 11-lb., 7.2-oz. fish that hit Austin’s jerkbait. It took both anglers about 30 minutes to get the bulging trout to the bank near Curtis Switch.