Skip to main content

Angler Targets Crappie, Breaks 25-Year-Old Shad Record

The record hickory shad is the first record of 2021 in Georgia.

Angler Targets Crappie, Breaks 25-Year-Old Shad Record

Photo courtesy of Georgia DNR

Perhaps there will be more significant Georgia-record fish caught in the future than the one caught last weekend. But, of course, any day that includes a state record is a great day.

Just ask Georgia angler Christian Blake, who was seeking a crappie bite Feb. 7 on the Ogeechee River when he broke a 25-year-old record for a different species.

The record fish was not a crappie, but rather a 2-pound, 3-ounce hickory shad. The surprise fish beat the previous record (1-15, 1995) by a quarter-pound, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).

Hickory shad (Alosa mediocris), most similar to American shad and blueback herring, is an anadromous species that spends most of its life in the Atlantic Ocean, then returns to coastal rivers to spawn. In Georgia, American and hickory shad are commercially harvested in the Altamaha and Savannah rivers. The shad spawning run usually begins in January in southern rivers and fish can be found until May below the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam near Augusta.

Recreational anglers target hickory shad with artificial lures, such as a curly tail grub.

"It is beyond exciting to hear about a new state record, and it emphasizes the fantastic fishing opportunities found in Georgia," said Scott Robinson, Assistant Chief of Fisheries for the Georgia WRD. "Who will catch the next one? It might be you, but you have to get outdoors and Go Fish Georgia."

Georgia fishing resources


GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

Improving deer habitat on private hunting land comes down to three basic needs: 1. Cover (for bedding and places to find...
Hunting

'Drury's Thirteen' Strategies Through the Late Rut

Improving deer habitat on private hunting land comes down to three basic needs: 1. Cover (for bedding and places to find...
Hunting

MyOutdoorTV: 'Realtree Roadtrip' to Kansas

Improving deer habitat on private hunting land comes down to three basic needs: 1. Cover (for bedding and places to find...
Hunting

MyOutdoorTV: 'Bone Collector' Rut Hunt in Illinois

Improving deer habitat on private hunting land comes down to three basic needs: 1. Cover (for bedding and places to find...
Learn

DIY Rod Building: Step-By-Step with Mud Hole

Improving deer habitat on private hunting land comes down to three basic needs: 1. Cover (for bedding and places to find...
Hunting

David Blanton Texas Deer

Improving deer habitat on private hunting land comes down to three basic needs: 1. Cover (for bedding and places to find...
Hunting

Monsters of Pre-lock

Improving deer habitat on private hunting land comes down to three basic needs: 1. Cover (for bedding and places to find...
Guns

Kimber KDS9c

Improving deer habitat on private hunting land comes down to three basic needs: 1. Cover (for bedding and places to find...
Hunting

Whitetail Watch, Brought to You by MyOutdoorTV

Improving deer habitat on private hunting land comes down to three basic needs: 1. Cover (for bedding and places to find...
Hunting

Taking to the Skies: Helicopter Hog Hunt in Texas

Improving deer habitat on private hunting land comes down to three basic needs: 1. Cover (for bedding and places to find...
Fishing

Let There Be Light … For Anglers

Improving deer habitat on private hunting land comes down to three basic needs: 1. Cover (for bedding and places to find...
Hunting

Scout & Adjust: Keys to Successful Hunting on Public Land

Improving deer habitat on private hunting land comes down to three basic needs: 1. Cover (for bedding and places to find...
Hunting

Tips to Improve Deer Habitat on Your Hunting Land

Game & Fish Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

PREVIEW THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Buy Single Digital Issue on the Game & Fish App

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top Game & Fish stories delivered right to your inbox every week.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All Game & Fish subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now