June 12, 2022 - A pair of fishermen bowfishing on Toledo Bend gained a toothy grin as their arrows met their mark, earning them a heavy haul purported to set a new record.
Craig Peace of Deadwood and Jesse Fuller of Center claim they have set a new Toledo Bend Lake Record with the Alligator Gar they reeled in on June 8, 2022.
Their measurements recorded the gar at 276.1 lbs, 7ft. 8 in. and 48 in. in girth.
This would be an over 16 lb. jump from the previous record holder. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife records for Toledo Bend, the largest previously recorded Alligator Gar caught in Toledo Bend was 260 lbs and 96 inches in length on March 18, 2017 caught by Hunter Graham with bow and arrow.
Jesse Fuller and Craig Peace say, "A normal night of bowfishing turned epic. Lots of hours on the water hoping to run across one of these monsters and they just so happened to be at the right place at the right time."
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Texas state record is 302 pounds, caught on a trotline in 1953. Alligator gar is the largest of the gar species. It can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh more than 300 pounds. Adults have two rows of large teeth on either side of the upper jaw.
