A Texas man reeled in the catch of his life after he felt a massive alligator gar take his bait in Lake Sam Rayburn in East Texas. Captain Kirk Kirkland is a fishing guide and avid fisherman who spends most of his days out on the water looking for behemoth alligator gars.
Kirkland is so invested in catching the species that he even gave his boat the hilarious name “Garship Enterprise,” mixing his favorite fish with his love for Star Trek. Kirkland spoke in an interview about the amazing catch that fell aboard his vessel and the lifelong search that has finally yielded success. Art Weston, who had contracted Kirkland and his boat for the day, reeled in the amazing catch.
The International Game Fish Association spotlighted the historic catch, giving Kirkland a post on Facebook to commemorate the tremendous catch. It read, “PENDING WORLD RECORD ALERT:
On September 2, 2023, Art Weston was fishing in Sam Rayburn Lake, Texas, when he landed this massive 128.37-kilogram (283-pound) alligator gar. With this fish, Art can potentially set both the IGFA All-Tackle and IGFA Men’s 3-kg (6 lb) Line Class World Records for the species.”
The post continued, “Art was fishing with Captian Kirk Kirkland aboard the “Garship Enterprise” when this potential record gar struck a cut bait. Art was able to land the gar following an incredible 2-hour and 45-minute battle. After recording the weight on a certified scale, Art was able to release the fish safely. This record is currently pending and under review.”
Kirkland got sentimental about the catch on his own Facebook page when he revealed the catch to his family and friends. He wrote, “Well … Here it is the culmination of my guiding career… I have guided my client Art Weston to a anglers dream fish.We weighed measured and released the largest alligator gar ever caught with rod and reel and did it on 6 lb line, quite the accomplishment for both angler and guide , as it takes both to do everything right with lots of shifting forward and reverse, spinning the boat around, the angler putting just the right amount of drag ,not letting the line touch the boat and 2 hrs and 45 long minutes later I was able to get a rope on a very tired alligator gar.”
The catch has been taking the internet by storm, and with the catch of such a jaw-dropping gar, many others are heading down to Lake Sam Rayburn to see if they, too, can catch the behemoth.
Massive catches like this are always followed by huge increases in fishing in the locale where the fish was dragged to shore. So now, Kirkland is bound to see an increase in business in the coming months as he has become the Captain Ahab of alligator gar fishing. He reeled in the white whale of the gar family and now he is sure to reap the financial rewards in the coming months.
The featured image come from an embedded Facebook post.
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