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The record-breaking catch was made by Keith Dees and his son Huntley this past Thanksgiving in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, which feeds into the Gulf of Mexico.
They have a tradition of going fishing on the holiday, and on their latest trip they had already caught several redfish and largemouth bass when something unexpected happened.
“About 11:30 we decided to fish one more spot. I made a cast and about half way back to the boat my chatterbait just went slack,” Dees said in a Facebook post.
“Reeling as fast as I could, I got it tight just before I saw a big fish swim by my trolling motor. Had no idea what it was until it surfaced after about 30 minutes.”
Initially, Dees thought he had hooked a redfish, but when the animal surfaced, they realized it was an alligator gar a large one measuring around seven feet long.
“When it comes up, I knew it was big, but I didn’t even remotely know it was a state record,”
According to Outdoor Alabama, the official website of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
“That never crossed my mind. I love to cook, so I thought I want to catch this joker so we can eat him,” he said.
“I’ve got a bunch of Cajun friends, and they take it and cut it in steaks and blacken it and do medallions. It’s just delicious. I’m thinking I’m about to get a bunch of freezer meat.”
In North America, alligator gars grow up to 6.5 feet in length and more than 100 pounds in weight, although larger specimens have been recorded.
