A Kentucky man and a professional guide caught a “monster” alligator gar in Texas, that could set new world records.
Art Weston requested the help of expert guide and fisherman Kirk Kirkland to catch the alligator gar. He joined Kirkland on his boat and went to Lake Sam Rayburn on Sept 2.
The two men successfully reeled in two gars before encountering the monster.
“All of a sudden, one of the reels started to scream — the fish just grabbed the bait and absolutely just took off in a straight line,” Weston told Fox News.
Kirkland wrote on a Facebook post that the two men fought 2 hrs. and 45 minutes against the fish before being able to get a rope on it. Then they proceeded to take it to the beach.
“I remember yelling, ‘Oh my God, that’s a monster!’” Weston recalled.
The anglers were surprised when they weighted their catch:
“We both had a look of shock when the scale just kept going higher and higher…when I got her tail off the ground we both said OMG this is a new all tackle world record…283 lbs this record has stood since 1951” Kirkland wrote.
The catch could potentially set the International Game Fishing All-Tackle & IGFA Men’s 3-kg (6 lb) Line Class World Records for the species, but the record is currently pending.
The Texas record was set on Jan 1, 1951, taken by Bill Valverde thanks to his 279 lb catch.
Alligator gars are a species that have existed for over 100 million years, tracing them to the dinosaurs’ periods. They can grow up to 10 feet in length. They are currently cataloged as a species at very low risk of conservation.
