Texas Alligator Gar: (6/27-28/2016)

[JDTuna]

I decided to take a trip to cross off a species that has long been on my bucket list: the alligator gar. I went ahead and booked two days fishing on the Trinity River in Texas, one of the best spots to target this prehistoric giant. My good friend Scott from Florida decided to join me on the adventure.

We got our start early Monday morning on a flooded, muddy Trinity River. We ran a bit downriver and set up on the first spot. After about 15 minutes, one of the bait runners began to go off and I picked up the rod. After letting the fish eat for a while, the guide told me to set up on the fish. I could feel immediately that this fish had weight to it, but we had yet to see the fish. The water was so muddy that you couldn't see even inches below the surface. The fish settled right below the boat. Then, all of a sudden, the gar decided it had enough and exploded through the surface with a series of head shaking jumps and thrashing on the surface. At this point, we saw the size of this fish and I knew this was the one I was looking for. The gar continued short runs coupled with jumps and thrashing before we landed her. This giant alligator gar was a true living dinosaur, with armor-like scales and huge teeth in its bony head. The fish was 87.5 inches long and estimated to be 170lbs. After a few pictures, she was released back into the river where she strongly swam off into the muddy water.








We continued to fish backwater areas for the rest of the day and had plenty of action with 30 to 50b fish, though I caught one more around 80lbs. These smaller fish proved to be difficult to handle at times, and I even had one swim nose-first into my leg (mouth closed, luckily) and almost knock me over while I was trying to grab it for a picture. Around 2pm, the intense heat coupled with no breeze got to me and I became really sick really fast and we decided to call it a day.








Scott was also aiming to break the 100b mark as well. I still wasn't 100% from the day before, I wanted Scott to have a shot at his goal so I sat out day 2. The ended up picking through small fish most of the day. Then, at the very end of the day Scott scored a 150b fish.



The trip was an absolute blast and it was great to finally cross alligator gar off the bucket list.

[23cardinal]

That's amazing JD . Glad you and Ur buddy had such a great trip fishing wise. And yea man, I lived in San Antonio the heat is a killer. Hope Ur home and recovered. Worth saying again, that's a once in a lifetime fish.congrats

[MattK]

Wow, those are some amazing fish.

Too bad we cant get a few of them stocked in jersey waters.

[Lard Almighty]

Fish of a lifetime! Congrats to you and your buddy. White sturgeon next?

[ScowardNJ]

Great trip JD! Those pictures are sick!

[Delawareriver]

Awesome pictures. Havnt been to the trinity yet but definitely on the bucket list. an 87" fish is definitely a good one. My largest was right at 72" from louisiana. They don't have the big ones that Texas does but they have the numbers. Last night of the trip we passed up on probably 30 gator gar from 2ft to 5ft. Which guide did you go with?

[Esox Luciano]

AWESOME JD!! Just AWESOME!!!!

GREAT report & congrats dude!

[FASTEDDIE29]

Dreams can come true...... It can happen to you......

EPIC AWESOMENESS!!! That is a sick looking serpent! Congrats on accomplishing your mission!!!

[icebadger]

now those are toothy beasts must have been a hell of a fight.well done jd glad to hear you had a great trip.what did you use for bait?

JD great trip. Any gators in them there waters. That fourth picture of you waist deep with all the commotion a thrashing gar would have caused would certainly have made me think twice about wading waist deep in those waters. Incredible pictures and an incredible trip! Glad to hear the family jewels survived a close encounter with that gar, if the mouth was open you might have ended up like Caitlyn Jenner!