[quote]Whether Brent Crawford has captured the world's largest alligator gar will never be known -- his scale bottomed out emphatically at 300 pounds and he filleted the prehistoric-looking fish after attempting to obtain its weight.
But this much is clear: The gar Crawford landed while bow-fishing recently in Texas' Lake Corpus Christi is among the largest specimens ever captured -- and it was captured in a manner like no other gar captured beforehand.
(The largest-known alligator gar caught while bow-fishing weighed 365 pounds. The largest caught on rod and reel weighed 279 pounds.)
Crawford, who has lived on the lake for 20 years, was alerted to the presence of several giant gar in a wide canal feeding into the lake: an enormous female swimming with about five smaller males.
His reaction, according to the Corpus Christi Caller Times, was simply: "Oh goodness. That fish right there was worth chasing."
The newspaper's outdoors columnist, David Sikes, produced a detailed account of what transpired next. The following is a condensed version:
Crawford, with his fishing bow, stalked the great fish carefully, knowing he might only get one shot.
When he finally fired, he scored a direct hit, unleashing the fury of the 8-foot, 2-inch beast, which created an explosion of mud and water before it ran toward the lake.
Big problem, because the nylon cord had become tangled at Crawford's feet, and when he grabbed the line, as it began to tighten, it became wrapped around his hand.
The line went taut and the fish yanked the fisherman into the water headfirst. That's when Crawford's dog, Bleux, grabbed him by the cuff of the jeans, creating a bizarre riverbank tug-of-war.
Crawford ultimately was able to free his hand from the cord and stand knee-deep in the shallow canal, gripping his fishing bow, the cord still attached to the mighty fish. "There was no doubt who was in control and it wasn't me," the fisherman recalled.
The gar stole 200 feet of cord in a battle that lasted 45 minutes, before Crawford reeled it to the bank. Soaked and exhausted, the fisherman straddled the fish, reached for his cellphone -- which he had kept in a waterproof case -- and dialed a friend.
The friend arrived with a pistol, which resoundingly ended the struggle, and the two men used a rope and an ATV to drag the quarry to Crawford's house.
It wasn't until after Crawford had carved up his catch that he learned the Texas bow-fishing record for alligator gar is 290 pounds, and the overall state record is 302 pounds.
Record or no record, it was a monstrous gar and one of the wildest angling feats in Texas history. It's a shame that there isn't a category for that.
[/quote]
[img]http://static.grindtv.com/images/1/00/39/72/06/397206.jpg[/img]
Now is he going to eat it, or did he just kill it because it's big and interesting?
just another day in my crazy state
Alligator Gar are pretty awesome and old. I love living fossils.
[QUOTE=The Castro;36436595]Alligator Gar are pretty awesome and old. I love living fossils.[/QUOTE]
[I]dead[/I] fossils
[QUOTE=The Castro;36436595]Alligator Gar are pretty awesome and old. I love living fossils.[/QUOTE]
They make good eating. They scare me though.
I would mount that on my wall, way more badass than a trout or bass or whatever.
I remember seeing an episode of River Monsters about that fish. I thought it was pretty damn cool.
Though I thought in the episode they said that it was an endangered species.
im never going in water ever again
[QUOTE=ShadowSocks8;36436676]im never going in water ever again[/QUOTE]
If you ever watch River Monsters, this fish is a teddy bear compared to things swimming in Africa and Asia
[QUOTE=N-12_Aden;36436618]They make good eating. They scare me though.[/QUOTE]
I can't see why you would be scared
doesn't that 8 foot long toothy monstrosity just look so cute and cuddly
What the fuck, nature. What the fuck.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;36436709]If you ever watch River Monsters, this fish is a teddy bear compared to things swimming in Africa and Asia[/QUOTE]
That thing is still massive compared to some of the "monsters" he's caught.
[QUOTE=valkery;36436795]That thing is still massive compared to some of the "monsters" he's caught.[/QUOTE]
He personally has never caught a record breaker on the show, but that doesn't mean the things he's caught are as big as they only can get.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;36436861]He personally has never caught a record breaker on the show, but that doesn't mean the things he's caught are as big as they only can get.[/QUOTE]
True.
We are in agreement however, that his weather-beaten look and white hair are badass, correct?
[QUOTE=valkery;36436929]True.
We are in agreement however, that his weather-beaten look and white hair are badass, correct?[/QUOTE]
It is indeed
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;36436652]I remember seeing an episode of River Monsters about that fish. I thought it was pretty damn cool.
Though I thought in the episode they said that it was an endangered species.[/QUOTE]
they're not endangered, I catch these things occasionally.
they don't get near that big here. biggest I've seen personally was only about 2 feet long, though I don't use a boat often so I'm generally catching them in shallow water
I kind of wish he hadn't killed it. Still cool, though.
[QUOTE=ButtsexV3;36437058]they're not endangered, I catch these things occasionally.
they don't get near that big here. biggest I've seen personally was only about 2 feet long, though I don't use a boat often so I'm generally catching them in shallow water[/QUOTE]
Just because you can catch them doesn't mean they are endangered.
Go to the bottom of the link to see if it is endangered near you!
[url]http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/Descript/AlligatorGar/AlligatorGar.html[/url]
[QUOTE=NoDachi;36436508]Now is he going to eat it, or did he just kill it because it's big and interesting?[/QUOTE]
Seeing as he fileted it I'd assume he ate it. One doesn't mount fish filets on their wall, after all.
I wouldn't be surprised if he took the head to a taxidermist though.
[QUOTE=valkery;36437116]Just because you can catch them doesn't mean they are endangered.
Go to the bottom of the link to see if it is endangered near you!
[url]http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/Descript/AlligatorGar/AlligatorGar.html[/url][/QUOTE]
as in I catch them more often than I catch the fish that I'm trying to catch
This is in my city. I've been there. I've seen those monsters.
Killing a fish with a gun just seems wrong. Not morally wrong but wrong as in it seems like one should be using something else
[QUOTE=Dr.C;36437386]Killing a fish with a gun just seems wrong. Not morally wrong but wrong as in it seems like one should be using something else[/QUOTE]
From what the article implies it was either shoot it or let it go. Not sure which option is better :v:
Stuff like this is still alive up here, imagine what kinds of living things are at the very bottom of the Marina trench.
[QUOTE=l l;36437528]Stuff like this is still alive up here, imagine what kinds of living things are at the very bottom of the Marina trench.[/QUOTE]
Small, pressurized things perhaps.
Now, if you could find a wolf fish that size...
Everything's bigger in Texas
Gar damn!
Wasn't there a Darius boss that was one of those?
[QUOTE=Mr_Razzums;36437268]This is in my city. I've been there. I've seen those monsters.[/QUOTE]
You live in Corpus? Hey, so do I. Didn't know we have Facepunchers down here.
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