Houston Angler Catches Gargantuan 8-Foot Alligator Gar, Releases It To Grow Even Bigger

iStockphoto / serajace

A Houston-based angler named Paul Myers has captured the attention of the fishing community with a stunning photograph of his friend laying next to an 8-foot alligator gar he recently caught and released.

Believe it or not, he says this isn’t even the largest alligator gar that he has caught! Paul also went viral last year after helping his 10-year-old daughter reel in an 8-footer of her own, a Texas state fishing record for junior anglers.

Myers shared the downright epic photos of his 8 foot, 2 inch ‘queen’ alligator gar on Facebook. In the pictures you can see his 5’10” friend laying next to the gar as a size comparison. He also has a photograph of his hand on the fish’s head to show just how wide the skull is.

The pictures went viral on social media. Gar specialist Dr. Solomon David shared the image of the person laying next to the fish:

Dr. Solomon David spoke with Ryan Nickerson at the Houston Chronicle about the importance of catch-and-release fishing with large alligator gar. He noted “By removing them from the population, you might be removing the genes for growing very large or living to a very old age.”

Sadly, alligator gar is a species that tends to be ignored when it comes to catch-and-release practices. They are commonly targeted by bow fisherman. And sadly, the fish are rarely harvested to eat after they’ve been shot with an arrow, but are instead held pup for photographs.

Case in point, New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr went on a team bonding fishing excursion where they went bowfishing for alligator gar. Pictures were taken, and as far as we know, no gar were eaten.

Just down the I-10 highway, an angler in Louisiana juts caught a state record spotted gar. That fish wasn’t released as it needed to be measured on a certified scale. But it is a fish that’s definitely worth seeing if you’re interested in gar!