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A fishing guide in Georgia just landed a new state fishing record for the ages. Silas Turner of Perry, Georgia recently caught a 31 pound, 14 ounce Longnose Gar and set the first new state fishing record in Georgia of the year.
The Longnose Gar is considered a ‘living fossil’ as this fish species has existed in its current form for over 100 million years, according to the fossil record.
Georgia Fishing Guide Sets State Record For Longnose Gar
Longnose Gar are one of the seven surviving/existing subspecies of gar. The others include the popular alligator gar, Florida gar, Cuban gar, tropical gar, shortnose gar, and the spotted gar. Of the existing species, only the Tropical Gar and the Cuban gar are not found throughout the Southeast or Mississippi River system.
Most outdoorsmen targeting gar typically do so with a crossbow or compound bow of some sort. These long and skinny fish often tend to sit near the surface in freshwater and can be ‘shot’ with a bow, making it a unique ‘fishing‘ experience. But that’s not always the case!
In this instance, Silas Turner was bass fishing when he hooked up with the new Georgia state fishing record longnose gar. But when he hooked up with his record-setting fish he knew right away it wasn’t a largemouth bass.
On Facebook, Turner announced he is the “New and Current State record holder for a longnose gar caught in Lake Blackshear!”
Showing off his prized catch, he says it weighed 31 pounds and 14 ounces, measuring 58-7/8″ long. He caught this fish in Cedar Creek. Notable, the record-setting gar was landed *after* a guided trip so he was able to catch it himself and not the clients.
Silas spoke with Field&Stream about it, saying “My jig was about seven feet below the surface when something slammed into it. I knew right away it was a lot bigger than any bass I’d seen that day.” He added “gar don’t roll like catfish, and they don’t jump like bass. This one wagged its tail like a dog the whole time I was fighting it.”
Interestingly, the state of Georgia only maintains a fishing record for Longnose Gar. That makes this the largest gar of any species that’s ever been caught or shot in the Peach State.