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FISHING JURASSIC RIVER 147 MILLION YEARS IN THE PAST #11716542 07/11/16 03:14 PM
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SharkBaitTV Offline OP
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long video..

Fishing a remote stretch of river few people have been in deep in the heart of Texas, i have been on some absolutely massive prehistoric Alligator Gar. This one is 90 inches (7 1/2 foot) and 200 pounds and was released unharmed after a few pictures so she can grow and reproduce. this makes #9 Alligator Gar over 100 Pounds for 2016 and #4 over 7 foot for the year.

These fish's origins can be traced to the beginning of the Cretaceous period, they have survived pretty much unchanged for 147 Million years and are and absolutely amazing example of a surviving prehistoric top level predator.

They are covered in armored granoid scales, have 6 nostrils, two of which can breath air and fill up the gar's primitive air bladder. they can live in both fresh and full saltwater and feed primarily on rough fish species like small mouth buffalo, common carp, gizzard shad, freshwater drum, perch, talapia. up to 85% of their diet consists of nothing but roughfish species. the oldest alligator gar on record is 86 years old and believe the one in this video could easily be 40-50 years old and has the capability of making hundreds of millions of eggs by the end of her natural life time securing the future of her genetics.

At SharkBAitTV and Catching Dinosaurs Guide service we feel strongly about protecting these awesome top level predators from bowfisherman and harvest with rod/reel, jug line and commercial harvest.
we would like to see Alligator Gar protected in Texas, like Tarpon and Goliath Grouper are in Florida (catch and release only, and cant be removed from the water) so that they can continue to thrive and get some of their native range back.
Alligator Gar need to be a Gamefish in Texas so they can survive another 100 Million years on the planet protecting this amazing slow growing sportfish from ourselves and those lacking the morals and ethics to target these fish responsibly with catch and release rod/reel methods.
[img]https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...9c386e6f94cafea678d4bf40&oe=57E8FF77[/img]

[img]https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...c8ddb21ac7617c2fb4328741&oe=58286172[/img]

[Linked Image]


short video pretty much nothing but action.


"Conservation is the preservation of life on earth, and that, above all else, is worth fighting for."
Re: FISHING JURASSIC RIVER 147 MILLION YEARS IN THE PAST [Re: SharkBaitTV] #11717204 07/11/16 08:29 PM
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getbent956 Offline
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we would like to see Alligator Gar protected in Texas, like Tarpon and Goliath Grouper are in Florida (catch and release only, and cant be removed from the water) so that they can continue to thrive and get some of their native range back.

Isn't that gar out of the water? Such a big fish, can't be good for there organs. Probably not all of them die, but I'm sure some probably will...... eventually. Funny how you look down on others for eating them, but you don't even follow your own beliefs.

Re: FISHING JURASSIC RIVER 147 MILLION YEARS IN THE PAST [Re: getbent956] #11717245 07/11/16 08:49 PM
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Originally Posted By: getbent956
we would like to see Alligator Gar protected in Texas, like Tarpon and Goliath Grouper are in Florida (catch and release only, and cant be removed from the water) so that they can continue to thrive and get some of their native range back.

Isn't that gar out of the water? Such a big fish, can't be good for there organs. Probably not all of them die, but I'm sure some probably will...... eventually. Funny how you look down on others for eating them, but you don't even follow your own beliefs.


He's got a point.

Re: FISHING JURASSIC RIVER 147 MILLION YEARS IN THE PAST [Re: SharkBaitTV] #11717292 07/11/16 09:20 PM
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i dont have time to argue with anyone so im not going to do it i have several more trips coming and not enough time to sleep and do maintenance as it is, i have released 4 fish that size healthy in the last month and i will continue to do so.
that gar was removed from the water so my 8 year old could get a good picture with it safely, she put a hell of a fight in on it and deserved to have that moment captured for the rest of her lifetime. the average person would not know how to safely handle one of these fish out of the water and thats why i advocate they be left in the water.
if and when TPWD want to protect these fish with a gamefish status and make it illegal to remove them from the water i will be on the fore front of it.
thats really all i have to say about that. i am one of 3 catch and release only alligator gar guides in Texas (and the only alligator gar guide in the state to never kill an alligator gar) and i will continue to push these fish's conservation.

Last edited by SharkBaitTV; 07/11/16 09:21 PM.

"Conservation is the preservation of life on earth, and that, above all else, is worth fighting for."
Re: FISHING JURASSIC RIVER 147 MILLION YEARS IN THE PAST [Re: SharkBaitTV] #11717294 07/11/16 09:21 PM
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I would also like to see the limits cut back on all the fish The #'s of fishermen have doubled

Re: FISHING JURASSIC RIVER 147 MILLION YEARS IN THE PAST [Re: SharkBaitTV] #11717337 07/11/16 09:47 PM
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I think it's awesome you spend time with your daughter. I wasn't arguing just making an observation. When you have time can you give pointers on how to properly handle this large fish out of the water, so others can learn and increase the odds of their survival? I like how you took the time to find a nice location to take the picture and clean the gar off. It made an excellent picture. Be sure to frame that for your little girl. Well deserved fish indeed.

Re: FISHING JURASSIC RIVER 147 MILLION YEARS IN THE PAST [Re: getbent956] #11718602 07/12/16 04:37 PM
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Originally Posted By: getbent956
we would like to see Alligator Gar protected in Texas, like Tarpon and Goliath Grouper are in Florida (catch and release only, and cant be removed from the water) so that they can continue to thrive and get some of their native range back.

Isn't that gar out of the water? Such a big fish, can't be good for there organs. Probably not all of them die, but I'm sure some probably will...... eventually. Funny how you look down on others for eating them, but you don't even follow your own beliefs.


I am not here to judge and/or advocate, just inform.

Among the primary of reasons for the gar family's (Acipenseridae) extreme longevity throughout evolution and mass extinctions, is their extreme toughness. I have seen gar live out of the water in a moist environment of a drying lake bed in August for weeks. They are not nearly in a similar category of inability to tolerate stress as would be a tarpon or grouper. Being out of the water awhile is stressful to the gar, but unlike most other fish it can still breathe when out of the water and is not as susceptible to internal damage from gravity (lack of support of the water). If given some time to rest between catches, the vast majority these gar will survive and continue to thrive.

Saying that, it is always best to minimize stress in order to increase survival. There are ancillary issues, especially bacterial infections that can result from stress associated with excessive handling.

As the popularity of the alligator gar as a sport species increases it does become more vulnerable to depletion and should be protected and managed (just like the common carp in Lake Austin). Remembering that within the confines of any ecosystem, only a certain amount of predators can be supported. More and bigger gar usually means less of other fish like striped bass, white bass, bass and crappie, unless managed for best effect and then the gar can actually complement the other, smaller species by playing a role as a keystone predator of the system.

Re: FISHING JURASSIC RIVER 147 MILLION YEARS IN THE PAST [Re: SharkBaitTV] #11722002 07/14/16 01:11 PM
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I think that little girl will have an Amazing memory with her father for a lifetime! That's the most awesome thing. Way to go dad! Along with that memory she will also learn a respect for the ecosystem and its inhabitants. And dad will always have a fishing partner!!!


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