Hey Golem, when you go fishing Alligator Gar make sure to bring a dog
 

Helped this guy out: http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/w...nstrous-catch/

http://l.yimg.com/ea/img/-/120622/br...jgnAKZMb2krQ--

Whether Brent Crawford has captured the world's largest alligator gar will never be known -- his scale bottomed out emphatically at 300 pounds (136kg) and he filleted the prehistoric-looking fish after attempting to obtain its weight.

But this much is clear: The gar Crawford landed while bow-fishing recently in Texas' Lake Corpus Christie is among the largest specimens ever captured -- and it was captured in a manner like no other gar captured beforehand.

(The largest-known alligator gar caught while bow-fishing weighed 365 pounds (165kg). The largest caught on rod and reel weighed 279 pounds.)

Crawford, who has lived on the lake for 20 years, was alerted to the presence of several giant gar in a wide canal feeding into the lake: an enormous female swimming with about five smaller males.

His reaction, according to the Corpus Christie Caller Times, was simply: "Oh goodness. That fish right there was worth chasing."

The newspaper's outdoors columnist, David Sikes, produced a detailed account of what transpired next. The following is a condensed version:

Crawford, with his fishing bow, stalked the great fish carefully, knowing he might only get one shot.

When he finally fired, he scored a direct hit, unleashing the fury of the 8-foot, 2-inch beast, which created an explosion of mud and water before it ran toward the lake.

Big problem, because the nylon cord had become tangled at Crawford's feet, and when he grabbed the line, as it began to tighten, it became wrapped around his hand.

The line went taut and the fish yanked the fisherman into the water headfirst. That's when Crawford's dog, Bleux, grabbed him by the cuff of the jeans, creating a bizarre riverbank tug-of-war.

Crawford ultimately was able to free his hand from the cord and stand knee-deep in the shallow canal, gripping his fishing bow, the cord still attached to the mighty fish. "There was no doubt who was in control and it wasn't me," the fisherman recalled... That is one good dog!

The dog should be in the picture.

I hate stuff like this.

This female which probably would have still been able to birth many other offspring was killed by this guy just because he wanted a Trophy.

So by killing this fish he's stopped one line of future generations of the same fish, crazy!

Not only that, but what a splendid specimen and he decided to cut its life short.

And no flames cos of "its a sport" and all that crap, cos I used to hunt rabbits myself many, many years ago, But I would have been utterly disgusted with myself if I'd shot a doe and not a buck.

I guess the fact he filleted it, and I'm assuming this, means that he intends to eat it, which isn't too bad I guess, But still, what a waste.

I know many people who used to shoot with a gun for sport, now they shoot with a camera for the memories.

Saw that pic on Reddit earlier, ffs that´s one giant Gar.
But tbh, i´m not a friend of Bowfishing and i also believe fish of that size should be left alone merely for the sake of keeping a healthy population. (small fish few eggs, large fish a sh!t load of eggs)

btw my buddy and me are actually considering Gar fishing next year in Tx, that or Mekong catfish in Thailand.

From a Hunter/Fisherman's POV its keeping the future generations going so that they can enjoy their sport in years to come.
Most proper Hunters/Fishermen want to conserve the stocks for future years rather than decimate everything around and make a species extinct.

When I first came across this a few days ago, the write-up I read stated he cut it up for eating purpose before getting an offifial weight. Yes he took a photo because it was an awesome creature but I believe his intention was to feed him and/or his family afterwards.

EDIT: Nevermind, I see you already knew this. Having said that I agree with you to a point. I simply would not ever kill anything of nature for simple sporting pleasure, but at the very least he did eat it.

I wonder how long it takes for them to get that big, i wouldnt say if i would hunt one or not as i dont have a clue how well populated they are.

I air rifle hunt mainly rabbits but i dont shoot babies or juviniles on my permission, but if given permission somewhere that there classed as vermin and owner wants them gone id shoot the babies even though its not very sporting.
Got wood pigeon today its breast meat was fantastic.

I don't know how many there are, but there are plenty of them, at least in Texas. Maybe not that size, they really have no natural predator but man in lakes in Texas. I imagine real alligators are about all that would mess with them. Gars mess with everything else. If you see a gar you will not catch fish. Fish have left the area.

I will say this. If I were to try an catch a gar, that or similar sized one is what I would try for. They are much like feral pigs. Plenty of them, no predators, no competition, and plenty of 7-8 footers swimming around.

They look quite menacing.

His reaction, according to the Corpus Christie Caller Times, was simply: "Oh goodness. That fish right there was worth chasing." http://www.siliconhomebroker.com/blo.../09/cletus.jpg