A Kentucky fisherman caught a massive, 283-pound alligator gar fish that is likely to set records.Photo:Kirk Kirkland/Facebook
Kirk Kirkland/Facebook
A Kentucky fisherman reeled in a big one — a really big one.
Kirkland recounted the once-in-a-lifetime catch in aFacebook post, calling it an “angler’s dream.”
The fisherman poses with the alligator gar.Kirk Kirkland/Facebook
“We weighed, measured and released the largest alligator gar ever caught with rod and reel — and did it on a 6-lb. line — quite the accomplishment for both angler and guide,” he wrote, before describing just how difficult the catch was to pull off.
“It takes both [of us] to do everything right with lots of shifting forward and reverse, spinning the boat around, the angler putting just the right amount of drag, not letting the line touch the boat, and 2 hrs and 45 long minutes later I was able to get a rope on a very tired alligator gar,” Kirkland continued.
The alligator gar fish is measured and weighed.Kirk Kirkland/Facebook
Weston, he said, was “shaking and visibly fatigued” after the tremendous effort of tussling with and reeling in the huge catch, despite being a seasoned fisherman who holds 56 International Game Fish Association (IGFA) records.
When the pair began taking measurements of the fish and put it on the scale, they were astounded.
“When I put the tape on her, she was an amazing 100 inches long with an impressive 48-inch girth,” Kirkland recalled. “We quickly set up our tripod system to get the weight of our 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.'”
A scale shows that the alligator gar weighs 283 pounds.Kirk Kirkland/Facebook
“I won’t lie — we both jumped up and down as Art shouted we just beat a 72 yr old record,” Kirkland wrote of the incredible feat.
Weston’s fish is also a contender for the record for the largest gar caught with a 6-pound test line. The proud fisherman reflected on the experience, saying he had “absolutely no intention” of setting records when he went out to fish that day, especially while using a light line.
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Alligator gar fish can live more than 100 years.Kirk Kirkland/Facebook
Solomon David, an aquatic ecologist at the University of Minnesota who studies alligator gars, toldLive Sciencethat alligator gars that are more than 8 feet long are actually quite rare. He said the species can grow so large because they have an expansive habitat with an abundance of food.
Solomon said he’s glad to hear Weston and Kirkland released the fish back into the water, as it safeguards the species’ future.
“Alligator gars of this size are a true rarity, and if we want to continue to see large alligator gars, we need to conserve them, especially the giants,” he told Live Science. “If we continually remove the largest individuals of a population or species, we remove the genes for large growth, which can eventually result in smaller-sized individuals in a population.”
While Weston awaits the results of the IGFA’s review, he’s already turning his thoughts to chasing another new record.
source: people.com
