Texas Angler Snags Record-Breaking 153-Pound Monster on Whisper-Thin Line
Because the line was so light, Weston and Kirkland couldn’t simply reel the fish in or it would snap. Instead, they had to follow the gar around the lake in Kirkland’s boat, the Garship Enterprise, as it tired itself out, hoping it would rise to the surface to gulp air so they could throw a rope around it.
Gulping air is common for alligator gar, but this fish seemed determined not to get caught. Eventually, however, it started to tire and popped up for air more frequently. That’s when Kirkland was able to gain some control with a steel leader.
Even then, it wasn’t a sure thing.
“We should have lost her,” Weston told Outdoor Life. “Because the second time, when Kirk was able to grab the leader, I had dipped my rod tip down, and the line twisted all the way around the tip in multiple coils. And he’s like, ‘I can’t hold her!’ and so I had to drop the rod between my legs, and I just barely got the last coil off the tip at the last millisecond.”
Art WestonCaptain Kirk Kirkland weighing the record-breaking catch before releasing it.
By that point, they’d been trying for three and a half hours to snag the fish. About 20 minutes later, and with a few more leader grabs, they were finally able to get a rope around the gar’s tail. When they brought it back to shore, they set up a weighing sling and scale, took measurements and photos, and released the alligator gar alive back into Lake Livingston.
The fish measured seven feet and three inches in length and weighed a whopping 153 pounds. The IGFA confirmed that once the record is official, the gar will be the heaviest freshwater fish in the world caught on a two-pound test line, and the sixth largest if saltwater species are included.
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