Liberty County angler sets new record with 88-inch alligator gar - Beaumont Enterprise


Ugly as it is..... That is one big inedible (unless you are pure Cajun) fish!!



DANG! Tried to post the pic. Sumting went rong!!

 

Thats one ugly BIG fish!!!

 

btw, do you think we can make sushi out of that gar?? lol!

 

Ever seen that show River Monsters? I think it's on Discovery Channel, they were tracking the gar's in Texas on one episode to see how dangerous they were.

 

:hellno:
I've seen pictures of gar (not as big as this one). I've seen them skim the surface. But. I never caught one. Never seen one in person, out of the water. I hear that if you do catch one, just cut the line. I would like to pull one out, just so I can say I've caught one. :whistle:

Congrats on the gar angler for making a new record.

 

Yeah, cut the line unless you want it to cut you up when you land it. Their scales are like razors as a defense mechanism. Around humans they appear to be rather docile though they have been claimed to be behind a number of attacks on humans. The River Monster guy went swimming with them and had no problems at all, they largely ignored him being in the water with them. They bring big money in Japan, up to $40K.

 

We go down to the Red River every once in a while and "snag" these things. I have a brother-in-law who has an air boat so we can get to a lot of places other folks can't, especially when the river is low. His son has the record for his age group,(he was 14 at the time), on rod and reel. They got the thing mounted and it's in their house on the wall. 6'9" long and I think it was close to 200lbs and about 800 bucks to get mounted.

I snagged one once and got it to the bank. We "thought" it was close to a couple hundred lbs. He got off just as we were about to grab him and get him up on shore. We have caught numerous at 100 plus lbs. It's a blast when there is nothing else to do. Mr.Ford is right about the scales. Sometimes you'll have one hooked and it will get off and all you have to show for it is a scale or two on your hook. You gotta watch their gill plates also, they'll cut the bajeebers out of you too.

 

Actually....the regular ole standard "Gar" fish is regular fare along a lot of the rivers in east Texas. They catch them on a wire rigged up like a trout line.
You can find "Gar-balls" on a lot of Cajun buffets. It's an aquired taste though....cuz I think they are pretty nasty tasting myself......but Alligator Gar are harder to catch....and a whole lot bigger. Gar are a real close cousin to the Sturgeon.......and there isn't anything tastes better than some smoked Sturgeon!!

 

oh yes, the rod and reel record out of Choke Canyon Res. where I used to bass fish and play with the gar when the bite slowed down. The small ones would be right under the surface and I would sight cast in front of them watching them shred a plastic worm with those teeth. There used to be a guide out of San Antonio that specialized on big gar at that lake. He didn't even use a hook, just a jig with a piece of frayed nylon rope that would get tangled in the fishes many teeth. The "trout" line orangetxguy is refering to is a wire loop thread thru a live bluegill and a float all tied to a tree branch on the bank. The gar grab the bait and swim off cinching the loop around their snout.