CLAYTON — Angler Wes Carlton knows his walleye, and is awfully glad that he took time to go fish last week.

Carlton, 42, of Gainesville, hooked the new state record walleye Friday at Lake Rabun.
According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division, this 14-pound, 2-ounce, 31½-inch catch beat the existing state record, established in 1995, by almost 3 pounds. A new state record has to be at least 1 ounce greater.

“Based on sampling efforts by fisheries staff, we have just been waiting on the day that a new state-record walleye was pulled from Lake Rabun,” said John Biagi, chief of fisheries for the Wildlife Resources Division. “Hearing about a new state record is a great start to 2016, and I hope it encourages all new and experienced anglers to get outdoors and go fish Georgia.”

Walleye fishing information can be found at www.gofishgeorgia.com/Fisheries/Walleye and lake information can be found at www.gofish
georgia.com/Fishing/Reser
voirs.