Wanna Catch a 7-Foot Alligator Gar? A World-Record Salmon?

'Gar-kansas' Has Some Huge Gar

Arkansas has seen its share of cold weather, snow and ice in recent weeks. While that can be good for duck hunters at the end of the Natural State's quacker seasons, as well as big trophy hunters throwing big streamer flies at wintertime brown trout, it's also good for another creature that the state should be better known for.

And that is the alligator gar, which likes to gather up in deep river holes during cold weather. For biologists with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), that's great news and helps them to capture, measure, tag and release the big prehistoric-looking creatures that are quite at home in the state.

A few days ago, AGFC biologists worked their nets in a six-hour long window on the Red River in the southwestern part of the state and captured some 67 alligator gar along with a few paddlefish. Using a new capture method that proved very successful, they ended up catching more than twice as many gar in those few hours as they formerly caught over a several daytime period with previous methods.

All told, the biggest alligator gar captured from the Red River measured 7.5 feet in length. And with plenty of other big ones captured, the agency sent out a social media post proclaiming that their state might be better known as "GARkansas!"

If you dream of catching one of these dinosaurs of a fish, visit the AGFC website to learn about applying for a free alligator gar trophy tag, rules and regulations, and the AGFC's ongoing research into understanding and better managing these rare fish.

Jumbo Perch in Maryland

Thomas Dembeck Jr. of Hydes, Md., broke the state Chesapeake Division record on February 7 in the tidal waters of the lower Susquehanna River. The jumbo fish weighed 2.3 pounds and measured 16 inches, breaking the previous record (2.2 pounds) set in 1979. Click to see the fish.

• More Fishing Records

He was deep-jigging in 50 feet of water, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources said in a news release. He used a double-jig rig, with two small 1-inch plastic paddletails on ⅛-ounce leadheads rigged on dropper loops above a 1-ounce sinker.

The fish was weighed on a certified scale at Gibby’s Seafood in Lutherville, and the species was confirmed by DNR recreational fisheries coordinator Erik Zlokovitz.

• Read more here

KVD Lure Catches Record Alaska Salmon

For the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) to mention pro bass fishing legend KVD (Kevin VanDam), a Strike King lure and a record fish in the same news release sentence might not seem all that unusual.

But to mention all of those along with an Alaska sockeye salmon might not be on the bingo card. But that's exactly what happened last year on Aug. 4, 2024, when angler William Kneer IV found himself deep in the heart of Alaska while fishing on the Kisaralik River. 

As the angler tossed about a KVD swim jig—it's also worth noting that according to a Sports Illustrated report, he also used a Shimano Vanford Reel, a Daiwa rod and 16-pound braided—the lure was suddenly smashed by a whopper sockeye salmon all dressed up in spawning red, leading to a short but intense battle. 

When the fish was landed, Kneer IV used an International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Measuring Device to record the salmon's length at 70 centimeters (27.56 inches) prior to its safe release back into the river.

That mark is good enough to tie Kneer IV's catch with another August 2024 catch, this one a 70-centimeter sockeye salmon catch. Angler Dennis Triana caught and released that fish, which is tied with Kneer IV's catch as the current IGFA All-Tackle Length benchmark for the species.

For the record, the All-Tackle Length Fly Rod mark for a sockeye salmon is a bit longer at 74 centimeter—an August 2011 catch on the Kenai River by Bob Gaines. And for the record part II, you might want to consider an August trip to Alaska this upcoming August becausse the eighth month of the year in 2024 also produced the All-Tackle Length Junior world record, a 66-centimeter Kenai River specimen caught on Aug. 13, 2024, by Mia Triana.

Record Chasing in Florida

Year 2024 was a banner year for breaking state saltwater fishing records, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Buoyed by three newly established categories (Adult and Youth Length and Youth All Tackle), multiple records fell.

The new records included three Adult Length records: Joseph Ingold (red drum); Josh Hulslander (snook, approved in November); Tucker Robertson (snook, approved in December); one Fly record: Chris Schultz (red snapper); and three Adult All Tackle records: D. Albrey Arrington (schoolmaster); Thomas Schendera (blueline tilefish, approved in August); and Alek Williams (blueline tilefish, approved in November).

While the adult qualifiers were definitely noteworthy, the youth anglers were the real record breakers this year. Using spring break to his full advantage, Krieger Brasseale landed five records, two Youth Length records (red drum and snook) and three Youth All Tackle (sheepshead, spotted seatrout and Spanish mackerel).

Not to be outdone, avid angler Julia Bernstein also earned two Youth Length records (permit and bonefish) and four Youth All Tackle records (cobia, gray [mangrove] snapper and yellowtail snapper), breaking her own gray (mangrove) snapper record later this year. Finally in an exciting end to the year, Luke Ormston broke Brasseale’s Youth Length record with a monster snook he landed late in the fall.

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Bowfin in Jersey

A New Jersey kayak angler broke the state record for bowfin for an early Christmas gift. Frank Hubert caught the record in Mantua Creek on Dec. 17, 2024. The fish weighed 12 pounds, 10 ounces, breaking the old record (11-8.5) caught in the same creek in 2017. A Snakehead Outlawz Dragon Destroyer was the lure, according to New Jersey Fish and Wildlife.

• Read more here

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