44 New Georgia Record Fish Confirmed In 2023

James King with his 3-lb., 11-oz. black crappie record from the Coosa River.

Since last February’s printing of GON’s Georgia Lake and River Records list, we’ve added 44 fish, the exact number of new fish we added in February 2023 and up from 33 fish that were added in February 2022. The exclusive list of official record fish for all major Georgia lakes and rivers is always available at gon.com/fishing/georgia-lake-river-records. You never need to wonder if you have a possible record fish or not. From the boat or bank, you can simply visit the GON.com website to see if your fish is in the ballpark. From there, you’ll need to follow the steps in the tan box below.

Catch A Lake or River Record? 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.

Koob Moua, from Monroe, with the new Lake Oconee blue catfish record. The 70-lb., 2-oz. fish bit a Rooster Tail and was boated on 8-lb. test.

James Rowland (left) holds the Lake Sinclair record blue catfish with his longtime fishing buddy and best friend Freddie Cagle, who helped with netting the cat that weighed 60-lbs., 7.8-ozs.

The new lake record longnose gar for Lake Allatoona weighed 27.25 pounds and was 5 feet long. Caleb McClure caught the toothy beast on June 24.