According to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, this was the largest alligator gar ever caught, beating a 302-pound gar caught in 1963. Where to catch Alligator Gar. Oklahoma angler Paul Easley found out on April 23 when he landed a massive 254-pound, 12-ounce alligator gar that is not only a state record for the species, but the largest fish ever caught in Sooner State waters, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation announced on April 28. That is what many people believe alligator gars are. Size and age - This massive species can grow to an impressive 3 meters in length and can live for over 26 years. Are alligator gars in Texas? As the common name suggests, they have a short and broad snout similar to an alligator. What is the biggest fish in Tennessee? The Oklahoma Game. Alligator -human conflicts are rare in Texas. According to the International Game Fish Association web site, the current all-tackle world record alligator gar weighed 279 . 5 inches long. The alligator gar is our largest gar and has a distinctively short, broad snout: the least width of the snout goes only about 3-5 times into its length. Their uniqueness is also dubbed by their interlocking and diamond-shaped ganoid scales. . Travis Bearden said he, his father . Gar, shortnose, 7, 33 1/2 ; Plus the story of a state record gar from oklahoma. The largest reported size of an Alligator Gar is 9 feet, 8 inches. Alligator gar, spotted gar, longnose gar, shortnose gar, and Florida gar are the five species of gar that still exist in the Southeast United States. Alligator gar reach an enormous 13 feet long and fatten to a plump 300 pounds. The alligator gar fish, aka Atractosteus spatula, is often found in Texas and weighs up to 350 pounds while measuring up to 10 feet long. . The world record for a catch was set at 327 pounds in 2011. They are dark olive green in color, with a white underside, and dark spots on their dorsal, caudal, and anal fins. Alligator gar are the largest growing animal within their species, growing up to 8ft long and weighing up to 300lbs. By KELLY BOSTIAN World Outdoors Writer Apr 30, 2015 Updated Jul 5, 2018 0. Alligator gar earned its name because of its crocodilian-shaped head and numerous large teeth. Paul Easley snagged the. Mature alligator gar commonly measure 6 ft (1.8 m) in length, and weigh over 100 lb (45 kg). It is the largest species in the gar family, and among the largest freshwater fish in North America. The gar was 8.5 feet long, weighed 327 pounds and was believed to be the world's largest. 112 pound rod & reel Tennessee state record . Alligator Gar Texas' largest and most misunderstood freshwater fish Conservation with Teeth Most people remember their first encounter with an alligator gar. The oldest recorded alligator gar was almost 95 years old. However, anecdotal reports suggest they can grow up to 10 ft (3 m) in length, and weigh as much as 350 lb (159 kg). The massive alligator caught by Scott Evans, of Center Point, and his friends, Jeff and Justin Gregg, on Aug. 14 has officially weighed in at 920 pounds. In this video you can see some of the Giant Gar Alligator caught in the last years. 8-foot-long alligator gar is Oklahoma's biggest catch ever The 254-pounder is Oklahoma's biggest rod-and-reel catch. 'The holy fish' Alligator gar have, over the past 20 years or so,. Add To Favorites. In the Infraclass Holostei, these species are related to bowfin. A 327-pound alligator gar caught by rod-and-reel angler Kenny Williams from Chotard Lake in Issaquena County, MS on Monday may surpass the standing IGFA record for the species--by nearly 50 pounds! Any potentially dangerous alligator should be reported to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department so that proper handling can be initiated. Goodyear, C.P. Paul Easley of Mead snagged the beast . Currently, the state record alligator gar measures out to eight feet long and weighed in at 254 pounds. Gar. Our guide service been featured on over 20 tv shows including River Monsters. What is the world record lake trout? The beast easily beat the old state record of 192 pounds. Although some gar, when fully mature, can reach lengths of over 9 feet and weights of over 350 pounds. Texas is king, followed by Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Florida. Derrick Snelson and his daughter, Shelby, were on Lake Eufaula with Lethal Guide Service, a hunting . The Gar was over eight feet long and weighed 327 pounds. Distribution - Alligator gar fish can be found in the Gulf coastal plain from the Econfina River to Veracruz in Mexico. The 300-plus pounder was caught in a commercial fisherman's net. Here are 10 of the biggest alligator gar ever caught. Despite being one of the world's oldest living species, the alligator gar spent much of the 20th century . Officially, the largest alligator gar ever caught in Texas weighed in at 302 pounds (137 kg), according to Texas Parks and Wildlife. The habitat of alligator gars varies by season. Currently, the state record alligator gar measures out to eight feet long and weighed in at 254 pounds. What is the biggest gar ever caught? This fish was the true river monster we came down to Texas to catch and we happened to get it on our second day of the trip, just unreal. Recent surveys suggest populations are far below historic levels and could be declining further. 1. It was captured in 1953 on a trotline a heavy line with . It is the largest species in the gar family, and among the largest freshwater fish in North America. The fish (the whopper) weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces. Gar remains have been found at 15 locations in Tennessee, including Eva Springs Resort and Castalian Springs. The alligator gar is the largest freshwater fish in Texas, second in size in the United States to the white sturgeon along the West Coast, and among the largest in the world. Sparky's Guide Service, on Lake Texoma, Oklahoma, produced a prehistoric fish of incredible proportions very recently. This specimen weighed approximately 302 lbs. Field & Stream Online Editors The largest. Estuaries along the Gulf of Mexico for coast states are prime locations. A Georgia man may have just broken a state record after bagging a massive 14-foot alligator . The Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spathula) is the largest of the living gars and one of the largest freshwater fishes in North America. This family consists of seven extant species in two genera. The text inset into the photographs (and reproduced in some of the e-mail forwards) identifies the fish as an 8'10", 327-lb. An oklahoma angler has landed the largest fish ever caught in the state: Gar, shortnose, 7, 33 1/2 ; The biggest alligator gar ever recorded was tangled in a net and hauled in by a. 25 from the red river in love county . Gars are often referred to as "living . The alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) is a ray-finned euryhaline fish related to the bowfin. Alligator gar get big really big and they look like something that should be swimming around with dinosaurs, not bass and crappie. Alligator, the largest of all gar, get their name from their distinctive, reptilian head. Today, the fish still holds both of those records. The Alligator gar is an inhabitant of large rivers, bays, and coastal marine waters from the western Florida panhandle west along the Gulf of Veracruz, Mexico, and north in the Mississippi River drainage as far as the lower reaches of the Ohio and Missouri rivers. April 23 (UPI) -- Advertisement Wildlife officials in Oklahoma shared a photo of a fisherman's "prehistoric" catch -- a giant alligator gar weighing in at 170 pounds. The alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) is a ray-finned euryhaline fish related to the bowfin in the infraclass Holostei /holstia/. The fish, which was released back into the lake, was thought to be between 40 and 50 years old. This record fish was found at Mississippi's Lake Chotard. Last Thursday, an Oklahoma angler crushed the record for the largest fish ever caught in the state with an alligator gar that weighed a staggering 254 pounds. The gator was weighed today at Dixon. Young-of-year alligator gar in Lake Texoma, Oklahoma. Williams' fish measured 8-feet, 5.25 inches, with a 47.95-inch girth. The largest recorded alligator gar comes from the St. Francis River, Arkansas in the 1930's, and weighed 350 lbs. The alligator gar is the largest fish species in the family of gars. 226 ft Center console. They are primarily river dwellers and, like Texas rivers, they are suffering from human-induced changes. [8] They can also be found in saltwater, usually further out. . The alligator gar is among the largest species of freshwater fish found in North America. The Largest Alligator - The Stokes Alligator - 15'9" The largest verified American alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis) ever caught was the Stokes Alligator. Paul Easley of Mead landed the biggest fish ever caught in Oklahoma last Thursday when he snagged an 8-foot alligator gar from Lake Texoma that weighed 254 pounds. After many years of hunting boars and deer, Mandy Stokes went out on her very first alligator hunting trip, where she caught this record-breaking giant. James Tucker of Ardmore pulled in a 192-pound, 1-ounce alligator gar Jan. 27 from the Red River in Love County, establishing a new state record. It's a long-lived leviathan with some of the eldest individuals swimming this very moment, having hatched when Apollo 10 navigated around the Moon in May of 1969. On average they measure 5-6 feet in length and often weigh over 100 pounds. The biggest alligator gar on record was caught in the net of a commercial fisherman in Mississippi's Chotard Lake in 2011. It measured 8 feet, 5 inches and weighed 327 pounds. Even though this fish wasn't their intended target, being able to land this fish and get the picture just might be worth more than . 327 pounds The largest alligator gar ever . According to the Oklahoma Game Wardens, angler Zachary Sutterfield of Durant, Oklahoma, harvested the 6'9 gar. 9 Alligator gar reproduction 10 Recently Asked Questions 11 Conclusion Alligator gar average lengths are 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m), but the largest alligator gar ever caught was 8 feet and 5 1/4 inches (2.572 meters) long, weighing 327 pounds (148 kg). The record-breaking fish measured seven feet,. Contact your local game warden or call 1-800-792-1112. Garzilla Alligator Gar Guide Service. We fish the Trinity River and all of Texas for monster gar. Ever. Habitat - Alligator gar is usually found in lakes and reservoirs in backwaters of lowland rivers. The distance from the tip of the snout to the corner of the mouth is shorter than the rest of the head. Valverde's 279-pound alligator gar was certified as the world record. What's the biggest alligator gar in the world? Members of this species have long, slender, and cylindrical/torpedo-shaped bodies. Snagged from Lake Texoma, this 8 ft. alligator gar weighed 254 pounds with a girth of 44 inches and is the largest fish Posted by Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) on Tuesday, April 28, 2015 News, Oklahoma, Whoppers alligator gar caught in Spring 2005 at Broken Bow Lake in. What states have alligator gar? The International Game Fish Association lists a 279-pound gar caught in Texas in 1951 by Bill Valverde . Capt. A 170 pound alligator gar was caught in Lake Texoma. The biggest alligator gar ever recorded was tangled in a net and hauled in by a. Biggest. They can be distinguished from all other gars species by the 2 rows of teeth in the upper jaw, their short-broader snout and their size when fully grown. The largest freshwater fish of Eastern North America, Alligator Gars reach 12 feet in length! Range and habitat Today alligator gars are known only to live in the lower Mississippi River Valley, from Oklahoma to the west, Arkansas to the north, Texas and portions of Mexico to the south, and east to Florida.. Where are alligator gars located? This . This monster gar was caught while bowfishing the backwaters of Sam Rayburn Reservoir near Lufkin, Texas by Keith Riehn and Robin Parks of Missouri on August 4, 2005. Copeia, 1968(3), 629-630. (KATV) A group of Arkansas men broke a state record Friday night after harvesting an alligator that measured 13 feet, 11. The alligator gar was a prehistoric fish, according to game wardens. RANGE: Alligator gar range from southwestern Ohio and southern Illinois to the Mississippi River drainage basin. Elkhart, TX. It was one of the biggest ever caught and was recorded in the United States. Alligator gar are the largest species in the gar family, and among the largest freshwater fishes found in North America. Alligator gar are huge fish, with quite a distinct appearance. An Oklahoma angler has landed the largest fish ever caught in the state: a 254-pound alligator gar that measured 8 feet and boasted a 44-inch girth. Their most distinctive characteristics include a torpedo-shaped body, short broad snout, and rows of sharp teeth with a double row on their upper jaw. Wikimedia Commons The alligator gar is one of the largest freshwater fish species in North America. World renowned Alligator gar guide service with 18 IGFA world records. . I talked to Brent Crawford, the bowfisherman pictured here, to get the full story behind a gar that could have gone over 400 pounds and easily broken the Texas state record. World Record In 2011, a commercial fisherman accidentally caught the largest alligator gar on record in Mississippi's Lake Chotard. The fossil record traces its group's existence back to the Early Cretaceous over 100 million years ago. Based on an observation of young gar in Lake Texoma, Oklahoma, in July, and larval . The biggest Alligator Gar ever caught was actually caught by accident when the giant fish got caught up in Kenny Williams' fishing net in Mississippi Lake. One human fatality has been attributed to an alligator attack in Texas. Gar, Alligator : 254 lbs 12.00 ozs : 97 3/4 : 44 : Texoma: 04/23/2015 . Feeding habits of three species of gars, Lepisosteus, along . These fish are capable of reaching lengths of over 9 feet and weights of over 300 lbs. Meet Oklahoma's largest fish, the king of our rivers, the alligator gar. The gar was 8.5 feet long, weighed 327 pounds and was believed to be 94 years old. In the world of fishes, their appearance is striking. What is the state record for gar? The alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) is a ray-finned euryhaline species of fish of the family Lepisosteidae. The fish was believed to be a female aged around 70 - 90 years old. The heaviest alligator gar ever recorded weighed 301 pounds. State wildlife officials estimate the fish, which Easley released alive back into the lake, is between 40 and 50 years old. What was the biggest alligator gar ever caught? These giant fish have a growing, almost cult-like following of anglers, and for good reason. Zachary Sutterfield, of Durant, was bowfishing on Lake Texoma when he. On Memorial Day, a single homemade arrow fired from a decades old 45-pound recurve bow took down what is undoubtedly one of the largest alligator gar on record. Fishing. Bubba Bedre. The buffalo carp is really good. Paul Easley of Mead landed the biggest fish ever caught in Oklahoma when he snagged an 8-foot alligator gar that weighed 254 pounds in April 2015 from Lake Texoma. A man in Oklahoma caught a huge alligator gar in a lake over the weekend, the Oklahoma Game Wardens announced Monday. Mature alligator gar commonly measure 6 feet in length, and weigh over 100 pounds. A seven foot, near 200 pound alligator was caught by a group of buddies fishing for striper. Individual gar can live more than 50 years. Does alligator gar taste good? Although there were bigger ones, this one from Oklahoma was a record holder in the state. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Alligator gars commonly grow to a size of 6 1/2ft and over 100 lbs. This is the largest of the gar species, with the state record weighing 254lbs and 12oz (June 2017) and over 7 feet long. All totaled, the monster Texas alligator gar was slightly more than 8 feet, 2 inches in length, weighed 244.5 pounds, and measured 44.75 inches in girth - NOT the 327 pounds as . But have been reported to grow up to 350 lbs. The fish MUST be preserved in a live-weight condition until approved by an Oklahoma Wildlife Fisheries biologist or technician, and an official letter of verification from the Director of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has been received by the angler. . Unfortunately, it didn't survive the experience but its . The alligator gar is the giant heavyweight fish of its native environment. It has a light and delicate flavour. Today alligator gars are known only to live in the lower Mississippi River Valley, from Oklahoma to the west, Arkansas to the north, Texas and portions of Mexico to the south, . The Alligator Gar above will easily break the State of Texas Trinity River water body record. Although the fish was certainly a large specimen, it is by no means the biggest confirmed alligator gar catch in Oklahoma. Chotard, a commercial fisherman accidentally caught the largest alligator gar on record. From this story on the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation website: James Tucker of Ardmore pulled in a 192-pound, 1-ounce alligator gar Jan. 27 from the Red River in Love County, establishing a new state record. Measuring up to 10 feet and 350 pounds, it is the largest of all the gar species and one of the biggest freshwater fishes anywhere in North America. That title goes to a 254-pound behemoth caught in the Red River. Description They are one of the most distinctive freshwater fish species. In 2011, an alligator gar was caught that tipped the scales at an astounding 327 pounds! The largest alligator gar ever caught weighed 327 pounds and was captured in 2001. 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