I got an email today from Warren Turner of the NSBA(or what ever it is now) that a new state record striper was caught on lake Russell
Striped Bass?
Looks like there may be a new SC and GA state record for Striped Bass
See: http://www.stripedbasscc.org/
It appears that Terry McConnell has done twice what very few people have done just once in their lifetime. McConnell is just waiting for it to become official in both states
DETAILS:
On April 3, 2009 while fishing with his son-in-law Daniel Moore, 57 year old Georgia resident Terry McConnell from Eastonolle, GA., caught what appears will be the new state record striped bass for both SC and GA. His catch has already been weighed on a certified scale at 63-pounds 4-ounces. Once certified by SC and GA DNR biologists as a striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) it will be official. McConnell’s fish is poised to break his one record set just 7-years, 2-months, and 1-day ago when he caught a 59-pound 8-ounce striped bass on Lake Hartwell.
“We were fishing on Lake Russell and at approximately 6:30 PM we had a rod with a blue back herring on a planer-board take off and Daniel got it. Then two more rods took off and I grabbed one”, stated McConnell. “I knew I had a monster because it took out over 45-yards before I even got to the rod, and because Daniel was able to catch both of the other fish which were in the 20-plus pound range. After about 10-minutes I looked at the reel and the spool was beginning to show. I knew I had to stop the fish so I cranked down on the drag and was able to get about 10 or so yards back on the spool.” McConnell reported that the fight lasted about 35-minutes. And, after they got the monster securely in the boat they continued to fish into the evening because they knew they could not get to a certified scale.
As stated above, McConnell’s striped bass is poised to break both the GA and SC state records. The GA record has lasted almost 42 years and was set by Kelly Ward with a 63-pound striped bass from the Oconee River o