'Oh my God, that's a monster!': Alligator gar caught in Texas could set new world records

Kentucky fisherman Art Weston won't ever have to lie about the size of fish he has caught. It's because he may have landed one of the biggest ever!

Weston, 52, of Kentucky caught a 283-pound alligator gar on 6-pound fishing line in the Sam Rayburn Reservoir in southeast Texas on September 2. He was on board the boat of International Game Fish Association guide and renowned gar fishing expert Kirk Kirkland.

The duo are a fishing dream team. Weston has held 56 IGFA records, 30 currently, and Kirkland is a world record guide, Weston said in a recent interview with the IGFA.

The IGFA is currently reviewing the catch and it could soon hold new records.

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Potentially record-breaking catch

This catch – approaching the weight of an average college or NFL lineman – is being reviewed by the organization for two potential records: the first is the current All-Tackle world record for alligator gar currently at 279 pounds, a record set December 2, 1951, when Bill Valverde caught an alligator gar in Rio Grande, Texas.

Additionally, the fish, which measured more than 8 feet in length and 4 feet in girth, could also set a record for largest gar caught with 6-pound test line, the IGFA says.

Weston said he wasn't expecting to hook any fish that size. "We had absolutely no intention of targeting an All-Tackle record when we were using the 6-pound setup," he told the IGFA. "I don't know if I'll ever experience the same level of astonishment as when the 283-pound gar appeared by the side of the boat, allowing us to get a close look at her. I remember my eyes widening in amazement!"

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"Oh my God, that's a monster!"

"I remember yelling, ‘Oh my God, that’s a monster!’" Weston told Fox News.

Kirkland called the catch "the culmination of my guiding career ... quite the accomplishment for both angler and guide" in a post on Facebook. "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."

By the time they caught the fish, "I had a very tired angler (Art ) he was shaking and visibly fatigued. He commented 'Kirk, it looks bigger than the 251 lb alligator gar we caught in April,'" Kirkland posted.

Located about 140 miles northeast of Houston, Sam Rayburn Reservoir is known to be a home to very large alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula), a distinctive-looking freshwater fish with a long snout and large, pointy teeth, Smithsonian magazine reported. Alligator gars have snouts that resemble American alligators, razor-sharp teeth and can grow beyond 10 feet long and weigh up to 350 pounds, according to NationalGeographic.com.

After weighing the fish, they released it back into the reservoir.

Weston already has plans to return to Texas in 2024, but he also told IGFA, "I've become intrigued by the idea of record hunting for musky in Wisconsin and might plan a trip for that in 2024."

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider &mikegsnider.

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