Another Lake Allatoona Crappie Record Broken

When it comes to crappie, lakes have up cycles and down cycles. Lake Allatoona, the 12,000-acre U.S. Corps of Engineers reservoir located just 30 miles north of Atlanta, is definitely on an up cycle.

For the second time in less than a month, an angler has broken an Allatoona lake record for crappie.

Corey Harmon with the new black crappie lake record on Lake Allatoona. The slab weighed 3-lbs., 7.36-ozs. and was caught on March 5.

On Feb. 10, Canton’s Cody Hopkins broke the lake’s 42-year-old record for white crappie with his 3-lb., 4.24-oz. slab. Then, on March 5, Powder Springs’ Corey Harmon broke the black crappie lake record with a 3-lb. 7.36-oz. fish.

The black crappie record was also broken last year on April 6, 2021 after a 54-year run from the previous record. Yes, Allatoona is on fire!

Corey, 51, is by no means a Lake Allatoona rookie.

“I started fishing the lake about 40 years ago when I was 10 or 11,” he said. “I know the lake so well I could probably run up and down the lake in the dark with no lights.”

Load The Boat With Allatoona Crappie In March

On Saturday March 5, Corey went crappie fishing with Jesse Morley and Darren Morley, who is the brother of his girlfriend.

“We started fishing across from Victoria Landing,” he said. “I was jigging a Bobby Garland Baby Shad in monkey milk with a pink head on a Shimano Sensilite spinning rod. I was jigging some structure in about 8 feet of water when the fish hit. It was just the second fish of the day.

“It felt like a good fish, and when it got to the top of the water, I just reached down and grabbed her. I didn’t even use a net. I immediately knew there was something different about this fish. I’ve caught a lot of big fish on the lake, but she was more massive. I’ve caught numerous 16-inch fish that were close to 3-pounds, but this one was 17 1/2 inches long.

“When you fish the lake as much as I have and seen so many crappie, I just knew she was special.”

Lake Allatoona Records

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.