Brown Trout State Record Caught on Chattahoochee

Chad Doughty of Winder was below the Buford Dam on the Hooch and had just started to fish from his kayak when he hooked th monster. Since he had a Rooster Tail with a six pound line on a small spinning reel, he had a major fight on his hands. In fact, he had to get out of the kayak and run down his prize for some 45 minutes before he land it.

The Georgia Department of Wildlife confirmed that it was indeed a state record weighing in at 20 lbs. 14 oz and was 31 1/2" long. thic eclipsed the previous record for browns by a whopping 2 lbs 8  oz!

To quote the GDNR: "You can catch good numbers of browns on small lures and flies, but for the big ones it is best to use larger lures or streamers. Research by DNR biologists show that brown trout in the Chattahoochee grow rapidly after they become large enough to eat other fish. The big ones are usually found in deep holes near rocks or downed trees. Use 6-10 pound test monofilament on spinning gear or 3-5x tippet on fly rods."