Fisherman Recalls Catching Huge 190-Pound 'Prehistoric' Alligator Gar

A man from Pennsylvania has told Newsweek about the incredible moment he caught a huge alligator gar in Texas' Trinity River.

Avid fisherman Dave, who only gave his first name, recently shared a picture of the catch he and his friend—a fishing guide from Garzilla Guide Service—made in April 2018 on Reddit's popular r/fishing subreddit, where it has received more than 150 comments.

They were fishing the Trinity River, at 710 miles, the longest river in Texas with a watershed entirely in the state. It contains a variety of game fish, including freshwater drum, striped bass, white bass, yellow bass, flathead catfish, channel catfish and blue catfish. But the "prehistoric" allegator gar was a truly incredible catch.

Dave, who only gave his first name, told Newsweek: "The method used was a cut up piece of carp sitting at the bottom."

On the edge of their seats, the pair worked to subdue the fish and bring it into the boat. From there they removed the hook and snapped a picture before returning it to the water.

Dave worked to estimate the fish's weight and size, and explained: "I'm usually very good at guessing a fish's weight when it's in my hands.

"But I haven't held many fish this size so I had no clue what to expect. I'm 6'4 and the fish was quite a bit taller than me, so I think we weighed the same," he laughed.

Dave estimated that the fish, which he subsequently released, weighed around 193 pounds and measured about seven-and-a-half feet long.

"The fish swam away like nothing had happened," said Dave. "The catch is only half of it to me, the release is the other half."

Alligator gars are among the largest freshwater fish in North America and fossil records trace their existence back more than 100 million years.

The biggest alligator gar ever caught was recorded in 2011 in Mississippi. Weighing 375 pounds and measuring eight-and-a-half feet, the record-breaking gar was actually caught by accident when it got caught up in Kenny Williams' fishing net in Mississippi's Chotard Lake.

Sadly, the female fish—estimated to be around 70-90 years old—did not survive the catch, but its huge body was put on display at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science.

"[They are] very prehistoric," said Dave of alligator gars. "They look scary but there has never been a documented attack on a person. There are a lot of cool fish in the U.S. that a lot of people aren't aware of."

"Some critters just forgot to evolve," joked one commenter on Dave's Reddit post, while another said: "Wow, what a beautiful beast."

CORRECTION 05/23/23 11:15 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to reflect that the fisherman, Dave, is from Pennsylvania, not Texas as previously stated.