World record spotted gar
Angler’s rare catch of primitive gar a pending world record
A Missouri angler recently landed a 10-pound, 9-ounce spotted gar, which gives him a state record and a pending world record.
Devlin Rich’s Feb. 25 catch at Wappapello Lake was approved as a state record this week by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
The current International Game Fish Assn. world record stands at 9 pounds, 12 ounces, for a 1994 catch at Lake Mexia in Texas. But the IGFA sometimes takes months to approve new records.
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The MDC stated in a news release that the gar caught by Rich was weighed on a certified scale in Williamsville and that catch details were carefully vetted.
While spotted gar are widely distributed in the Bootheel lowlands of southeastern Missouri (and throughout the Mississippi River drainage system), they’re not commonly caught on rod and reel because of their hard, bony jaws.
“Special techniques are required to capture them consistently with rod and reel, but they do provide a ready target for the bow hunter because they often bask near the surface of the water,” the MDC stated.
Spotted
This Pending World-Record Gar Is the Heaviest Freshwater Fish Ever Caught on 2-Pound Test
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A pair of seasoned, world-record-chasing anglers just left another mark on the record books. On Tuesday traveling angler Art Weston and Texas fishing guide Capt. Kirk Kirkland caught a giant, 153-pound alligator gar on ultra-light line. The gar is a new pending world record. It’s also the heaviest freshwater fish ever landed on 2-pound test, according to the International Game Fish Association.
Weston tells
Outdoor Life
that if his 153-pound gar is approved as a new line-class record, it’ll be his 81st world-record entry. The only angler in IGFA history to accomplish a clean sweep of a single species, Weston already has every men’s line-class record as well as the all-tackle world record for alligator gar. (He’s caught every one of those records in Texas with Kirkland.)
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Weston says he is now focused on breaking his own records. The 153-pound fish they caught earlier this month would
Arkansas State Record Fish
Bass, Hybrid Striped*
27 lbs., 5 oz.
Greers Ferry Lake
04/24/1997
Jerald C. Shaum, Shirley, AR
Bass, Largemouth
16 lbs., 4 oz.
Mallard Lake
03/02/1976
Aaron Mardis, Memphis, TN
Bass, Ozark
1 lb., 1 oz.
Norfork Lake
05/12/2014
Dan Biery, Clinton, AR
Bass, Rock
1 lb., 8 oz.
Norfork Lake (Clear Creek)
08/02/1982
Jerry Heard, Everton, AR
Bass, Shadow*
1 lb., 12 oz.
Spring River
07/05/1999
James E. Baker, W. Monroe, LA
Bass, Smallmouth
7 lbs., 5 oz.
Bull Shoals Lake
04/01/1969
Acie Dickerson, Lakeview, AR
Bass, Spotted
7 lbs., 15 oz.
Bull Shoals Lake
03/26/1983
Mike Heilich, St. Louis, MO
Bass, Striped
64 lbs., 8 oz.
Beaver Lake Tailwater
04/28/2000
Jeff Fletcher, Golden, MO
Bass, White
5 lbs., 6 oz.
Mississippi River
10/27/2005
Bill Nelson, Memphis, TN
Bass, Yellow
2 lbs., 4 oz.
Lake Ouachita
01/26/2022
Craig Viscardis, Hot Springs, AR
Bluegill
3 lbs., 4 oz.
Fulton County
08/07/1998
Albert Sharp, Elizabeth, AR
Bowfin
17 lbs., 5 oz.
Desha County
02/21/1977
Doug Smith, McGehee, AR
Buffalo, Bigmouth
50 lbs., 0 oz.
Craig D. Campbell Lake
There are two divisions of state record fish. The Rod and Line Record Fish Division is for fish caught on rod and line and must be hooked and played by only one person and the fish must weigh more than the current record. The second division, the Unrestricted Record Fish Division, is for fish caught other than rod and line or played by more than one person.
Rules
Fish MUST be caught on rod and line and MUST be hooked and played by only one person. (Except for unrestricted division).
Fish MUST be caught in accordance with Oklahoma Fishing Regulations.
No fish caught from any hatchery or commercial put-and-take lake is eligible.
Accredited or certified weight scales MUST be used to weigh the fish. Accredited steel measuring tapes MUST be used to measure the fish. The fish should be measured over the side from tip of nose to tip of tail (tail lobes pressed together) giving length of fish in inches. Measure the girth of the fish in inches around its widest point. Three witnesses, one of which must be an employee of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, must witness the weighing and measuring of the fish and sign the affidavit.
The fish MUST be preserved in a live-weight co