This fish is the closest you can get to catching a dinosaur.
The legendary alligator gar was hated by anglers for over a hundred years. Many people mistakenly classified this species as being a "trash fish" and worked to try and rid them of any waters where they were found. They almost succeeded in that goal.
These days, clearer heads have prevailed, and conservation efforts have helped to preserve the species for a growing number of fans of the fish. After all, it is not every day one gets to tangle with a freshwater fish that is larger than a person.
YouTube angler Ty PigPatrol was fishing down in central Texas with his friend and alligator gar guide Henry when they hooked into a true beast of a fish. This eight-foot gar probably weighs over 240 pounds and ends up being Henry's biggest catch ever.
What a beast of an alligator gar! When anglers talk about wanting to catch a dinosaur, this is the kind fish they have in mind. The cool thing about the alligator gar is that these fish were swimming around on Earth at least 100 million years ago. They popped up just in time to see the dinosaurs go extinct. That is one heck of a history. We are glad to see they have made such a comeback through the hard work of conservation efforts. It truly does look like a thrill to battle one of these giants.
Alligator gar are also known to grow extremely old. Once they start getting up around that seven and eight-foot mark, most biologists believe a fish of that size is 50, 60, or 70 years old. Possible older! That by itself is enough to make us respect the heck out of these fish.
We are glad these guys were able to share their catch with the world. And that they released this old girl to fight another day.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
NEXT: PETA IS NOW GOING AFTER FISHERMEN
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