Dick Neubert (left) shown here with Louie Bartenfield (right) with the new Carter's Lake record

Going into the Memorial Day weekend couldn’t have been better this morning when Dick Neubert found himself on the on the receiving end of a fish fight with a new Carter’s Lake record hybrid. Dick was fishing with professional guide Louie Bartenfield when the 13.34 lb hybrid crushed a top-water Zara Spook.

The fish was one of several large schoolers that have been hitting top-water consistently in the mornings along main lake points and humps. “The fish hit the Spook and missed it once. Then about 30 yards from the boat it absolutely crushed it, and the fight was on” says Louie.

“We could tell by the head pump that it was a good fish. I knew it was a hybrid because the striper just haven’t been on top lately. We’ve had huge hybrids all over these points just about every morning since the shad spawn started. When I saw it, I nearly flipped. I told Dick ‘You’re fighting a new record right now’. I knew it immediately.” The fish actually broke one of the treble hooks on the Spook. See image at right.

The previous Carter’s lake record was a 11 .14 lb hybrid caught earlier this year. After Louie and Dick boated the fish, they immediately got on the phone and ran down Buddy Callahan of Bart’s Bait and Tackle to meet them at the boat ramp with a certified scale.

Fisheries biologist Jim Hakala speculated that the fish was from one of the original stockings in 2003. Several lakes in north Georgia were stocked with hybrids for the first time in 2003, and it is believed that these fish are now reaching record-breaking size. One of these fish broke the lake record on Lake Burton at 12.15lbs just last month by Maggie Harrison with guide Tyler Clore.  Considering the state record hybrid is a 25 lb monster from Lake Chatuge in 1995, and the world record of an Arkansas beast at over 27 lbs, there is still growing room for these fish and we could see more records broken as these fish continue to age.

The gear Dick was using when he caught the fish:

7’ medium action St. Croix Mojo rod

Sunline’s new  FX2 Frogging and Flipping braid, 50 lb

Zara Super Spook in Foxy Shad

Here is another shot of the fish: