Angler Targets Crappie, Breaks 25-Year-Old Shad Record The record hickory shad is the first record of 2021 in Georgia. Photo courtesy of Georgia DNR February 09, 2021 By Game & Fish Staff Perhaps there will be more significant Georgia-record fish caught in the future than the one caught last weekend. But, of course, any day that includes a state record is a great day. Just ask Georgia angler Christian Blake, who was seeking a crappie bite Feb. 7 on the Ogeechee River when he broke a 25-year-old record for a different species. The record fish was not a crappie, but rather a 2-pound, 3-ounce hickory shad. The surprise fish beat the previous record (1-15, 1995) by a quarter-pound, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).