Carters Lake Slab Crushes White Crappie Record

Twelve-year-old Chandler Watkins, of Ellijay, knocked the old Carters Lake white crappie record clear out of the water with a 3-lb., 4.9-oz. slab he caught on Feb. 28. The old record was a 2-lb. crappie caught in 2019 by Joshua Higgins.

Chandler isn’t exactly a stranger when it comes to catching big fish.

“We are on the lake every weekend striper fishing,” said Chandler. “Me, my dad and my grandpa normally go around 2 in the morning, which gives us time to catch shad.”

On Saturday, Feb. 28, the trio of anglers had located some fish in the Stanley Creek area about daylight.

“The fish were in about 50 feet of water,” said Chandler. “We caught one walleye, then I saw a small school of fish about 40 feet down. I took the smallest shad I had and put it down about 40 feet and about two minutes later the pole went down. I set the hook and the fight was on.”

Chandler reported that the fight lasted 15 minutes before the fish was in the boat.

“My dad and grandpa could not believe it!” said Chandler. “It was a huge crappie! They had never seen one that big. Then we started looking at the records, and then I knew I had a once-in-a-lifetime fish. Who would have ever thought a striper fishing trip would turn out with a lake-record white crappie.”

That day will be memorialized for years.

“It’s already at the taxidermist,” said Chandler.

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.

The Carters Lake Page: Fishing Reports, Archived Articles