Bowfisher Reels In Monster Louisiana Alligator Gar

A bowfisher in northeastern Louisiana reeled in a record alligator gar Sunday.

Brad Doughty, a Downsville, La., native, reeled in a 7-foot, 150-pound alligator gar while bowfishing on the Ouachita River, according to The (Monroe, La.) News-Star.

Doughty, who has been bowfishing for 20 years, told reporters he shot the fish in the air bladder after tracking it near Lazarre Point, after which the gar put up a 25-minute fight, thrashing and pulling Doughty's boat around the river.

It's not the biggest of his lifetime, Doughty said, adding that he's caught fish weighing over 200 pounds in Texas, but the big gar is certainly a local record.

After landing the monster fish, Doughty and a friend cleaned the fish and kept the meat.

According to the International Game Fish Association, the world record alligator gar was a 279-pounder caught by Bill Valverde on Dec. 2, 1951, near Rio Grande, Texas.

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