Caught on 6# test line.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/fishing/texas-alligator-gar-world-record/



It’s not easy to land a giant fish on ultralight tackle, especially when that fish is a toothy dinosaur like an alligator gar. But a skilled angler and a veteran guide teamed up to do just that on Sept. 2. While fishing a large reservoir in eastern Texas with Capt. Kirk Kirkland, Art Weston caught and released a massive, 283-pound alligator gar on 6-pound test. Weston’s gar is now a pending world record, and his record application is awaiting official certification from the International Game Fish Association.

Kirkland and Weston caught the fish from Sam Rayburn Reservoir, northeast of Houston. Weston had booked a trip with Capt. Kirkland with the intention of catching another record fish. The angler from Kentucky has already broken 53 IGFA records—23 of which are still current. Eight of those are line-class records for alligator gar that were all pulled from Texas waterways.

Weston told Fox News that he was hoping to set a new 12-pound-test record when he booked Kirkland for a week of fishing. They accomplished that feat on Weston’s first day aboard Kirkland’s boat, the Garship Enterprise. The 169-pounder they caught should easily top the current IGFA record of 129 pounds, 13 ounces.

With that record theoretically in hand, Weston sized down to 6-pound test. Kirkland took them to a spot with a sandy bottom and few snags, where Weston’s carp bait was inhaled by yet another giant gator gar. He battled the fish for nearly three hours, letting it run as much as possible and doing everything he could to keep the 6-pound line from breaking. He said he started to get worried around the two-hour mark.

“I was dreading it at this point, as I have fought other fish past the two-hour mark and have had the line just randomly break,” Weston told Fox News, adding that he was fully prepared to lose the fish.

Roughly 45 minutes later, however, he was able to get the giant gar close enough to the boat to land it. This was an even more stressful process, one that involved Kirkland roping the fish to subdue it. He was able to get one rope around the fish right away. But then it dove and made another run as the rope burned through Kirkland’s hands.

“He yelled out, and was clearly in pain, but still got her secured at the side of the boat, [which took] over 10 minutes and multiple ropes,” Weston explained.

Back on shore, the duo used a large tripod and a certified scale to weigh the gar, which measured 8 feet, 4 inches long, with a 48-inch girth. The scale registered 283 pounds.

Big bastard.

Glad they released it.

Holy fuck they let that thing back into the water?

Hell nah thats what nightmares are made of

They're becoming a species of concern due to loss of habitat (navigable waterways).

A lake near my old AO is known for producing big ones, as are other satellite lakes in the vicinity.

Plenty to eat in the Rio Grand.

Double plus good for Capt/Boat name.

6 lb test line?

Not sure I believe that unless a typo and was meant to say 60.  

A beast like thus could just lay and the bottom and wouldn’t even know someone was gently tugging on him with line that light.

Cool job by a seasoned record holder.

Kudos aside, I'm not a fan of targeting fish way outside my gear class, It stresses the fish and in MOST cases like these where a fish is battling for hours, usually dies shortly after. This has been documented by F&W across many species.

Seems right.  He fought it for three hours.  Eventually pulling out a four pound drag will tire anything out.

6lb is correct. You would be surprised the size of fish you can catch with 6lb.

I’ll be at the IGFA office later today turning in two record applications for my daughter.

Skinny dipping is not recommended.

Holy sheat!!!

That’s cool. I wonder how old that sucker is.

Pretty sure we had them in KY at a lake (um, golf pond) that we lived by.  Could see their shadows from our house when the sun was right, but I never went to find out.  Creepy looking fish.

Go put your big girl panties on.  Fish is probably 80+ years old. When was the last time you heard of someone getting bit by a gar?

Lotta choupique balls could be made out of that one.  You could feed quite a few folks with it.

Seen some big ones here in FL but none that big. They claim when cleaned properly, the gar have a flavor much like lobster. Bastards have scales like your thumbnails. Glad they released it as well.

I've never known them to do much of anything.  Practically have to push them out of the way while swimming in some places.  It's like they're just out there operating in some parallel universe.

Clean them like bull reds with a sawzall.

Eastern Texas.  Who the heck says that?

Garship Enterprise

+1

Big snapping turtles are far more a problem to swimmers than gar.

They're harmless. Just a hold over of a bygone millennia. Never have ever had an issue with one in my life. I grew up swimming in rice field canals full of them. Not that big of course. That we saw anyway.

Not to mention moccasins.

Never heard of a snapper biting somebody that wasn't fucking with it first.

Easterners.