Advertisement
New Satilla Bowfin Record Less Than 2 Pounds Off State Record
Brandon Corbitt is knocking on the door of his uncle’s state-record mudfish.
Craig James | May 7, 2023
Brandon Corbitt’s new Satilla River record bowfin weighed 14-lbs., 10-ozs.
On April 1, Brandon Corbitt, of Homerville, along with his son Levi, decided to make a late-morning trip to the Satilla River to try their luck at bass fishing.
After making the drive to the Atkinson boat ramp and launching their boat, the pair of anglers headed down river with the midday sun directly overhead.
“When we put in, we decided to run down to the first slough. It’s only about a mile from the ramp, and we didn’t have a bunch of time to fish,” said Brandon.
The anglers fished hard, but after a couple of hours of fishing, they had very little to show for their efforts. Then at approximately 2 p.m., Brandon saw movement in some willows that draped heavily in the water.
Instinctively, Brandon fired his Texas-rigged black Trick Worm toward the large disturbance in the water.
“When I threw it in there, I felt a thump and set the hook hard. When I couldn’t turn the fish immediately, I felt like I had a good bass on the line,” said Brandon.
After 60 seconds or so of tug of war, the giant fish surfaced, and though it wasn’t a bass, Brandon had never seen a fish quite like it. Brandon reached for his lip grippers to try and wrestle the behemoth in the boat.
“I’m glad I brought the lip grippers, because I didn’t have a net with me in the boat. Finally, I was able to swing the giant mudfish in,” said Brandon.
Some other anglers that had witnessed Brandon fight the fish idled over to take a look. One of them told Brandon the giant bowfin had to be a GON river record, so he decided to call the WRD Waycross Fisheries Office. After discussing the size of the fish with someone from the office, he was able to schedule a time to bring the fish in the following day to be certified.
The massive bowfin rocked the scales to the tune of 14-lbs., 10-ozs. and measured a whopping 32 inches long, beating the old Satilla River record by 5 pounds. The previous bowfin record weighed 9-lbs., 10-ozs. and was caught by Layne Williams on May 1, 2022.
Interestingly enough, Brandon’s uncle Jimmy Tucker currently holds the state-record bowfin record with a 16-lb., 3-oz. fish he caught from the Suwannee River.
“When I posted it on social media, my Uncle Jimmy told me, ‘you’re getting close but you ain’t there yet,’” Brandon laughed.
| Largemouth Bass | 12-lbs. | Kevin Mullis | 03/27/2015 |
| Striped Bass | 11-lbs., 9.76-ozs. | John Geiger | 03/15/2006 |
| Channel Catfish | 32-lbs., 3-ozs. | James Lentz | 10/30/1977 |
| Flathead Catfish | 45-lbs. 15-ozs. | Larry Linker | 10/10/2018 |
| Shellcracker | 1-lb.,10-ozs. | Joseph Boyett | 05/03/1987 |
| Chain Pickerel | 4-lbs., 14-ozs. | Virgil Chaney | 1996 |
| Redbreast | 1-lb., 12.32-ozs. | Lester Roberts | 05/07/2022 |
| Warmouth | 1-lb., 4.64-ozs. | Michael Lott | 05/10/2022 |
| Bluegill | 1-lb, 6.88-ozs. | Gunter Thrift | 04/07/23 |
| Spotted Sunfish | 10.08-ozs. | Ron Adams | 05/30/2021 |
| Black Crappie | 2-lbs., 1-ozs. | Steven Todd | 02/06/24 |
| Bowfin | 14-lbs., 10-ozs. | Brandon Corbitt | 04/01/23 |
| Longnose Gar | 18-lbs., 6.56-ozs. | Larry Linker | 05/20/2021 |
| White Catfish | 2-lbs., 15.52-ozs. | Chris Royer | 12/21/15 |
See all of GON’s official Georgia Lake & River Records here.
Requirements For Record Fish
• Fish must be caught legally by rod and reel in a manner consistent with state game and fish regulations.
• Catch must be weighed on accurate Georgia DOA certified scales with at least two witnesses present, who must be willing to provide their names and phone numbers so they can be contacted to verify the weighing of the fish.
• 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’s records are compiled and maintained by GON, to be awarded at GON’s discretion. Additional steps may be required for record consideration.
Become a GON subscriber and enjoy full access to ALL of our content.
New monthly payment option available!
Advertisement
Other Articles You Might Enjoy
Advertisement