CHARLTON COUNTY, Ga. — When Lester Roberts stepped up to the Satilla River near Folkston, he likely never expected to walk away with a record catch.

Roberts now holds the Georgia record for a redbreast sunfish and the catch is a pending world record tie.

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The redbreast sunfish weighed 1 lb., 12 oz. and was 11 3/8 inches long, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Roberts caught the fish on May 7. Redbreast Sunfish are common throughout Georgia. They have orange-red or crimson red bellies and the gill flap is black in color. Most are less than 1 lb., according to the DNR.

The previous Georgia record from 1998 stood for nearly 25 years.

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Four new state records have been broken since December, according to the DNR.

Channel 2 Action News reported in March a woman from Adairsville caught a record longnose gar that weighed a whopping 31 lbs., 2 oz.

“Georgia waters are producing some great fish right now and news of these records being broken really should give all anglers an extra sense of excitement to get out there and give it a shot,” said Chief of Fisheries for the Wildlife Resources Division Scott Robinson.

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