Lady Angler Chauffeured To Ohoopee River Redbreast Record

Jackie Dyess with the new Ohoopee River redbreast record.

When Jackie Dyess, of Lyons, set out on a leisurely float trip with fiancé Scott Mulling and some friends on the Ohoopee River, she had no idea that it would soon be a trip for the record books… literally.

“We all got down there around 9 or so and started floating and fishing. The plan was to go from Jarriels Bridge to the Highway 292 bridge. Honestly, the action was kind of slow for the first few hours, and we weren’t catching many,”said Jackie.

Though everyone else was throwing crickets and worms, Jackie opted to throw a tiny spinnerbait known as a Satilla Spin.

“I was using a gold-headed one with a purple and black skirt that morning. I like to use artificials, I don’t care much for using live bait,” said Jackie.

Around 12:15, Jackie fired her spinnerbait to a laydown log, and before she could give the handle of the reel a crank, her rod doubled.

“He hit it the time it hit the water. I honestly thought it was a bass he was pulling so hard. Finally I was able to wear him out and get him to the boat,” said Jackie.

Scott took one look at Jackie’s fish and knew it was of record caliber.

“He’s been fishing the river for a long time, and he told me he’s never seen one like that,” Jackie added.

The anglers finished their float trip and ended up keeping 31 nice fish on the day. Once they got home, they cleaned the other fish and decided to hold off on cleaning Jackie’s redbreast until they could get it weighed on certified scales.

The following Monday they took the fish to Evans County PFA where it was officially weighed at 13.76 ounces and measured 10 inches.

“I still can’t believe I caught one that big. There’s no way I could have done it without my fiancé. He paddles me to them, and I catch them. I tell everybody he’s my chauffeur, and he’s a really good one,” said Jackie.

Ohoopee River Record Fish

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Requirements For Record Fish

• Fish must be caught legally by rod and reel in a manner consistent with WRD fish regulations.

• Catch must be weighed on accurate Georgia DOA certified scales with at least two witnesses present.

• Witnesses to the weighing must be at least 18 years old, and they must not be members of the angler’s immediate family nor have a close personal relationship with the angler.

• Catch must be positively identified by qualified DNR personnel. GON can correspond with DNR when high-quality, multiple photos are taken of the fish and emailed to GON. All record submissions and photos must be sent to [email protected].

GON’s records are compiled and maintained by GON, to be awarded at GON’s discretion. Additional steps may be required for record consideration.