When stock-car driver Tiny Lund pulled a 55-pound striped bass from Lake Moultrie in 1963, he had no idea his state-record catch would stay in the record book for more than 30 years.
Lund’s record was one of the oldest standards on the list when it was finally broken in 1993 by Six Mile’s Sam Porter, who caught a 55-pound, 12-ounce striper out of Lake Thurmond.
Porter’s record has since been broken three times, the latest in 2009 when Terry McConnell reeled in a 63-pound, 4-ounce fish at Lake Russell.
McConnell’s catch broke his own record: a 59-8 fish he caught at Lake Hartwell in 2002.
“I can’t believe Terry McConnell has held the record twice,” said Rich King, an avid Lake Russell striper fisherman. “That’s pretty crazy. Obviously, that guy can fish and knows what he’s doing.”
Since Lake Russell straddles the South Carolina/Georgia border along the Savannah River chain of lakes, McConnell’s record is recognized by both states, which is fitting since he lives in Eastanollee, Ga.
“There are still big fish in Thurmond and Hartwell, but what’s going on at Russell is a real unique thing for the state,” said Dan Rankin, a fisheries biologist for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. “We don’t really know how big they can get there. Obviously, quite an impressive striped bass fishery has developed.”
And McConnell is replanting the “seeds.” He’s kept only a few of the big fish he’s pulled from Russell in recent years.
“If you let them grow, maybe somebody else will get a chance at one,” McConnell said.
SOUTH CAROLINA’S STATE-RECORD STRIPERS
Weight Angler Lake Date
63-4 Terry McConnell Russell 4/3/2009
59-8 Terry McConnell Hartwell 2/2/2002
56-0 James Robinson Russell 3/24/001
55-12 Sam Porter Thurmond 1993
55-0 Tiny Lund Moultrie 1963
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