March 22nd, 2022 – 11:08 AM

Georgia Department of National Resources –

Georgia anglers are on a roll. Within the last four months, three new state records have been caught! The latest state record fish is a longnose gar, caught by Rachel Harrison of Adairsville.

Her catch caught on March 19 on the Coosa River near Rome, weighed 31 lb, 2 oz, and replaces the 2013 record (30 lb, 13 oz), according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).

“Congrats to Rachel Harrison! State records do not get broken every day, so for Georgia to have three new records in this short time span just shows you that our waters are producing great fish right now,” said Scott Robinson, Chief of Fisheries for the Wildlife Resources Division. “Who will catch the next one? It might be you – but you have to get outdoors and Go Fish Georgia!”

Longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) are members of the gar family and are considered relics from a large group of primitive fishes.  Longnose gar have an elongated body, are greenish-black on top and yellow toward the belly.  They have black spots along their sides and fins.  A long, narrow snout contains many sharp needle-like teeth.  They prefer weedy areas of deep or shallow lakes and streams.  Gar feed primarily on other fish.  

Information about state-record fish, including an application and rules, can be found at https://georgiawildlife.com/fishing/recordprogram/rules or in the current Sport Fishing Regulations Guidebook.