Gar ... gantuan! 245 lbs. Gar caught at Sam Rayburn Lake

[BlueEye]

Don't know how many of you got a chance to see this but its worth the read! OH MY GOSH!

This day was a day that is beyond what I ever imagined possible. After sitting a while on some rolling gator gar, we decided to move to a different spot for longnose. Just after we switched our Retriever reels for spincasts, a big one rolled out behind us, like it was sticking his tongue at us for giving up. So...I said, "Let's make one more pass thru there, and then we can get out of here." Halfway thru that pass, we looked down and seen an absolute monster right in front of the boat, only about 1 foot deep! We both said "Oh my God!" at the same time and both shot the fish at exactly the same time. Both were perfect hits right behind the gill and the fight was on!

I was very nervous trying to fight the fish due to not having our Retrievers on. I did my best to stay on the trolling motor to follow the fish on 3 different runs. The power those fish have is awesome! Just as we began to worry that one of our lines was wrapped up, the fish floundered to the top, about 15 yards out. Keith jumped down and grabbed a 3rd bow that did have a slotted Retriever on it and put a 3rd arrow into the fish. With that line, he hauled her right to the boatside while I put bows 1 and 2 on the deck and scrambled to get the gaff ready. Soon, the gaff was in the fish and we could actually take a look at the fish. WOW, I couldn't believe the size of the head. I knew the fish was a giant before we shot, but man, this was just breathtaking!

It took a while to get her into the boat. We literally could not drag her over the side. I was just about to concede to the fact that we would have to tow her to shore when it came to me to try the very back of the boat where the freeboard was less. Finally, both of us managed to grunt and strain enough to get her in.

Unbelievable, at least to us!

Here are a couple of pix. We got the fish certified at 244.5 lbs, a pending Rayburn record! She was 8'2" and had a 44.75" girth. This kept us busy for the rest of the day, so we will be heading home a day early. This day just can't be beat!

[Guest ReelDiel]

thats amazing..to bad it had to be killed it must take forever to get that big!

[BlueEye]

I hear ya Reel. I guess the fish is being mounted and they captured the entire fight on video which is going to be released sometime in the future on DVD.

[Mick]

I think that just like some sturgeon they can live around 100 years. That thing is a monster. I believe it's hard to get a gar hooked but it can be done. Those older prehistoric looking fish are an awesome sight. The oak has lots of longnose gar in the creek across from the marinas all summer long. I never got one but my mom did when I was younger. That fish lived out of water for hours. Thank's for sharing the story.

[RogueAngler]

geez, nice fish.

Rogue

[ray koziatek]

rogue dont hold back how do ya really feel?

[Big Dave]

http://www.roughfish.com/ Its amazing what people fish for :shock: At somuch an inch it would cost a years pay to mount that puppy

[muskybob]

I don't believe it. Looks photochopped to me.

[borderline 350]

Dear Musky Bob,

No, the fish and pictures are real. Saw these photos at least two years ago in a magazine. Please remember that these are a warm water fish and grow fairly quickly. I am going to guess that this one is 25 years old or less compared to a 6' 120# Sturgeon (cold water species) which will be close to 100 years old. A 50 # Lake trout out of Lake Superior was aged @ 49.....So water temps. are a big factor in a species growth. They also need a tremendous appetite and a large food source.

Respectfully,

Jet Boat Bill

P.S. The 65 lb. Musky (Ontario Provinical Record) was taken by a walleye fisherman in the French River on 8# test. I believe that one was approx. 35 years of age (cold water growth). You usually can see this fish at the toronto sportsmen's show in the Provincial Government booth.

[muskybob]

Thanks JBB, the hand positions just don't look right to me for the size of the fish. I'll take your word for it though. It's the first time I've seen these pics.

Thanks for the musky info too.

[nateps]

record, smallest gar ever taken in tourney

http://www.picable.com/nature/animals/f ... gar.112531