J Todd Tucker travels 38,000 miles each year and never leaves home without his boat.

"I go all over," the professional angler from Moultrie, Ga., said. "From west Texas and Mexico to New York and into Canada."

This year, he hopes to turn all that mileage into some visibility for his favorite fishing lake by turning his bass boat into a mobile billboard for Columbia County and the Clarks Hill Partnership.

On one side, the logo is "Fish Clarks Hill Lake," and on the other side, "Fish Columbia County, Ga.," complete with colorful maps and landmarks.

"Either way, any direction he's going on the highway, we'll be covered," said Beda Johnson, the director of Columbia County's Convention & Visitors Bureau, which helped organize the sponsorship.

Tucker, who competes in Bassmaster and FLW tournaments, also plans to distribute brochures touting Columbia County's marinas, parks and other outdoor recreation venues.

"I'll be doing a lot of talking about Clarks Hill Lake," he said. "And I'll be telling people about the Clarks Hill Partnership -- we'll be promoting the whole Georgia side of Clarks Hill."

The Clarks Hill Partnership of Georgia was formed from Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie, Warren and Wilkes counties, which surround the lake, to foster economic development and boost tourism.

RECORD CATFISH: Georgia has a new state-record blue catfish, but it took a six-month investigation to get it certified.

Last week, the Wildlife Resources Division certified a 75-pound fish landed by 15-year-old Tyler Dodson, of Carrollton, Ga., as the new record.

The fish, caught Dec. 24 in an 18-acre neighborhood pond, eclipsed the previous record of 67 pounds, 8 ounces, that was caught in the Chattahoochee River by Jim Tyus.

Dodson's catch was unusual because blue catfish are typically found in large rivers.

Why the delay in certifying the new record?

Biologists thought someone might have transplanted the fish into the lake as an adult, making it ineligible for the state record.

"We investigated this fish carefully before declaring it the record because we wanted to be fair not only to Tyler, but also to the catfish angling community that targets exceptionally large fish," chief of fisheries John Biagi said.

The lake where the fish was caught was built 19 years ago and stocked with juvenile catfish. A sample from the record fish was aged by a lab that determined it was 19 years old.

FISH MERCURY: Anglers can use a new Web site to access updated information on fish consumption advisories for all South Carolina waterways, including the Savannah River above and below Augusta, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

"DHEC's Web site at www.scdhec.gov/fish has a state map with the latest advisories, information, a booklet and other materials that can be downloaded," said David Wilson, chief of DHEC's Bureau of Water.

Fish consumption advisories exist on 60 state bodies of water, including the Savannah, and the Atlantic Ocean because of mercury contamination. There are indications that levels of mercury in fish tissue might be declining slightly, he said, noting that no new waters were added to the list this year and several were removed.

MORE EAGLES: Bald eagle populations continued to rise during 2007, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

The agency's mid-winter surveys, and follow-up visits to active nesting sites, showed 497 adults, 67 immature birds and two golden eagles, with most adult birds in nesting pairs.

DNR first began monitoring eagle populations in 1977, when just 13 nesting sites were found. More than three decades later, there are 228 occupied nests producing an annual average of 1.25 chicks apiece.

In the Augusta area, bald eagles are found along the Savannah River near Silver Bluff and Jackson; near Stevens Creek and the Augusta shoals; and in several sites along Thurmond Lake.

ARCHERY RESULTS: Fort Gordon Sportsman's Club held the Georgia Bowhunter & Archery Association's State Field Archery Tournament last weekend at the Tactical Advantage Complex.

First place winners were: Ansleigh Wilk, Cubs 8-11; James Campbell, traditional wood; Phillip Baldowski, traditional modern; Lynwood Bunn, senior with release; Jake Veit, senior with fingers; Steve Williamson, make freestyle; Ricky Diedrich, male bowhunter freestyle; Ted Lynn, guest class; Raleigh Boots, youth make freestyle; and Anthony Millsap, freestyle limited.