Big In Texas: The Biggest Fish Ever Caught In Texas

You may think you're a fisherman, but could you haul one of these in?

The Fish In Question

I think anyone who has done any fishing in Texas knows that the winning catch is going to be an alligator gar. Alligator gar are some scary-looking fish and I haven't ever really known any fisherman who was too happy to find one on the end of their pole. Yes, some people like them as "sport fish" but it seems the average fisherman would prefer something that looks a little less like something that will swim up to your boat and murder you.

This Fish Has Armour

Alligator gar are tough! So tough that some Native Americans used their scales for arrowheads, armor, and other items that required a tough hide. Their teeth look like someone filled their mouth with glue and threw broken glass into it (very scary teeth).  I was once part of a "near-record" at a nearby lake and we were handed channel locks to transport the fish so our hands wouldn't get cut up.  On the fantasy side, I've had friends tell me that they are very mean fish and it's best to just cut the line if you see one coming out of the water. Of course, this is just guys having too many beers and talking about what are very unattractive fish.

So What's The Texas Record?

The largest fish ever caught in Texas (with a rod and reel) was as big as your biggest friend. Seriously, it weighed 279 pounds. Pretty impressive right? As far as bow fishing goes, someone brought in a 290-pounder, and a trotline caught one that 302 pounds in the 1950's. Outside of the state of Texas, a fisherman caught an alligator gar that was almost 8 1/2 feet long and 327 pounds. These are just the documented catches, there are some reports of even larger fish.