8-pound, 5-ounce shoal bass breaks 45-year-old state record in Georgia

Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Wildlife officials in Georgia confirmed an angler broke a 45-year-old state record when he reeled in an 8-pound, 5-ounce shoal bass from the Chattahoochee River.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said Joseph Matthew McWhorter of Lanett, Ala., was fishing in the river near Columbus when he reeled in the unusually big bass.

The department said McWhorter's bass broke the state record of 8 pounds, 3 ounces, which has stood since 1977.

Shoal bass are designated as the official state riverine sportfish species in Georgia. They are native to the Chattahoochee and Flint River basins, and they were introduced in the Ocmulgee and Oconee rivers.