Two Burton Lake-Record Smallmouth

On Oct. 15, Jeff Blair of Gainesville caught a 4-lb. smallmouth to break the Burton lake record.

Six months after the first smallmouth bass ever documented in Lake Burton was caught, that lake record has been broken twice by some impressive bronzebacks.

On July 7, 2008, David Roane, of Atlanta, was fishing at Burton with a blue-and-chrome colored Krocodile spoon. At about 11 a.m. a hefty fish hit — an unusual fish. The fish was identified and weighed by WRD Fisheries Biologist Anthony Rabern. The 3-lb., 12-oz. bass was a smallmouth bass, a fish that has never been officially stocked in Lake Burton. The fish topped a 2-lb., 12-oz. smallmouth caught in May and established a lake record.

Then, on Oct. 15, Jeff Blair, of Gainesville, was fishing on Burton with fishing guide Wes Carlton and downlining bluebacks when he caught a smallmouth that weighed 4 pounds even. Jeff’s fish breaks the newly established record again.

According to Anthony, the smallmouths in Lake Burton are likely the result of a private stocking.

On July 7, David Roane of Atlanta was fishing a Krocodile spoon at Lake Burton when he caught a 20-inch-long, 3-lb., 12-oz. smallmouth, which topped the lake record in a category that was just established in May of 2008.