An official website of the State of Georgia.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has certified a new women’s state saltwater game fish record for Graysby grouper (Cephalopholis cruentata).
Mackenzie L. Hendricks, 20, of Savannah, established the record Sept. 7 with a 1 pound, 5.8 ounce Graysby caught while fishing at the Snapper Banks offshore of Chatham County. She is the first woman to hold this record; no previous record existed in the women’s category.
Hendricks was fishing aboard a charter captained by Zach Holick of Savannah when she landed the fish using a Daiwa Saltist rod with an Avet reel, spooled with 80-pound braided line. The rig was a chicken rig baited with squid. The Graysby measured 12 7/8 inches in total length with a girth of 10 1/4 inches.
For comparison, the men’s state record for Graysby is 2 pounds, 2.24 ounces, set by A. Justin Bythwood of Waycross in May 2024.
To commemorate her achievement, Hendricks will receive a state record certificate signed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Walter Rabon, and Coastal Resources Division Director Doug Haymans. Her name will also appear in the next Georgia Hunting and Fishing Regulations Guide and on the CRD’s state saltwater records webpage at CoastalGaDNR.org/SaltwaterRecords for as long as the record stands.
The Coastal Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources verifies saltwater fish records using certified scales and species identification. For more information about Georgia’s saltwater fishing records or how to submit a potential record, visit the website listed above.
About the Coastal Resources Division
The mission of the Coastal Resources Division is to balance coastal development and protection of the coast's natural assets, socio-cultural heritage and recreational resources for the benefit of present and future generations.
Media Contact
Tyler Jones
Public Information Officer
Coastal Resources Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
tyler.jones@dnr.ga.gov
(912) 262-3140
