GA Fisherman Sets New Redbreast Record on Savannah River

There’s a new record-book redbreast sunfish for the Savannah River, reports Georgia Outdoor News (GON). Danny Vann caught the 10-inch-long 17-ouncer on a cricket while fishing for shellcrackers,

Danny Vann, of Hephzibah, was fishing below the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam in Augusta on May 13 when he caught the redbreast, known locally as redbellies.

Jay Payne, a WRD fisheries biologist, verified the species and the weight of the fish.

Danny was fishing with a cricket… from a boat with his sister and brother-in-law.

“My brother-in-law Mike Gooding has fished that river for 50 years. He’s the only one I’d get in a boat with down there, he knows that river,” Danny said.

“We were fishing for shellcracker, but we only caught one. Mike was fishing with worms, and me and my sister were fishing with crickets. We caught 72 fish, a couple of bream and that one shellcracker, majority were redbellies.

“As soon as we caught it, Mike said that was a record fish. He keeps up with all the records.”

The one pound, one ounce bream blew away the previous Savannah River record of 12.8 ounces (2016), but doesn’t touch the Georgia state record of 1 pound, 11 ounces (1998).

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.