Record-setting catch: Fisherman hooks nearly 2-pound sunfish

FOLKSTON, Ga. (Gray News) - An angler in Georgia is setting records in the state and possibly the world with his latest catch.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources reports Lester Roberts caught a redbreast sunfish that came in as over 11 inches long and weighing 1 pound, 12 ounces.

Georgia officials said that Roberts hooked the fish on May 7 in the Satilla River near Folkston.

Native sunfish species in the Satilla River benefit from an ongoing control program that helps reduce the number of invasive flathead catfish in the area, according to the wildlife resources division.

State officials report Lester’s catch is pending a world-record tie and replaces Georgia’s previous record set back in 1998 for a fish that weighed 1 pound, 11 ounces.