Lake Lanier Carp Record Broken By Young Lady Angler

Taylor Cronan, 10, with her Lake Lanier record common carp.

Taylor Cronan, 10, of Pendergrass, is the new Lake Lanier record holder for the common carp. She caught a 22-lb., 0.2-oz. fish on April 26 and had it weighed on certified scales and verified by a WRD biologist. She was fishing from the bank in the Gainesville area with her dad, mom, sister and a few other family members when the fish bit.

“All of a sudden the beeper on her pole started going off, and she grabbed the rod out of its holder,” said her dad, Jonathon. “I knew it was a good fish because the end of the rod was bowing down as she struggled to get it in. I was standing by with the dip net in hand.”

When the fish finally surfaced, the reality of a big fish on the bank was looking more like a reality.

“The fish finally came to the surface, and she screamed with excitement, ‘Daddy, it’s a big one!’ She was beside herself with excitement. Finally after 20 minutes, she got the carp in. My wife looked up the lake record, and we knew it was bigger, so we dumped it in a cooler out and put lake water in it. We took it to Shirley’s Bait & BBQ on Highway 53 to have it weighed and found out she indeed beat the record.”

It’s a wonderful thing when a child sets a lake record in GON’s Lake & River Records program. We also like to see a child with a vision for future fishing plans.

“The pure joy in her face was indescribable,” said Jonathon “We were so proud of her. It is definitely a day to remember. Now she says she wants to beat at the state record.”

Alright Taylor, the state-record common carp weighs 35 lbs., 12 ozs. and was caught on Lake Jackson in 1972.

Lake Lanier 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.