I've been targeting alligator gar on the Brazos since late June with limited success. Today marked my 6th trip out in the kayak. Up to this point I'd had probably a dozen good runs and managed to hook up to two but hadn't managed to get one on the bank.

That all changed today though. Was up at 6:00 and had lines in the water by 7:30. Started the day by losing what was probably a 30-40 pound blue cat on a pulled hook. I didn't get to stay mad too long though because the clicker started going on the smaller of my two gar rigs. Managed to make the run to the rod without slipping in the mud and got a solid hook set. I could tell it wasn't a monster but it put up a very respectable fight, most of which occurred within 5 feet of the bank. That was when a second pair of hands really would've helped out as I think it took me 3 or 4 tries to lasso the fish. I honestly never believed I was gonna land it until I had the lasso tightened around him.

But after hours and hours of hard work I had my first gator gar on the bank:




I set a goal at the beginning of this quest to catch a 100+ pound fish before the summer was over, and while this guy fell a little short at an estimated 65 pounds I couldn't be more excited for my first gator gar and biggest fish of my life. Now I just gotta get back out there and get my 100! I know they're out there as I saw several fish in the 6-7 foot range gulping at the surface today.

Fish was CPR'd so it could grow up to be a monster.

Congratulations, that's a nice fish!

Congrats on your first. Now take it from someone who has been there with that reel. Dump it before it dumps your big fish. Lost my first few big hookups to one of those, it doesn't get to play with the big boys anymore. At least if that is the tidewater that it looks to be.

Congrats man!! looks like a blast!

awesome!

Very cool!

I love it when an angler sets a goal and achieves it with hard work and determination!

Aggie nice fish to start with , and I am sponsored by Shakespeare you dont have to worry about that reel it will catch anything in freshwater , saying that what was the length x girth on that fish she looks bigger than 60 lbs or thats a great picture of it , now if you can afford them I would buy some type of baitrunner reels as they are so much better for gar fishing Looking back at the picture she doesnt look that long beside your rod but she is fat

agree about the reels, Dawson, you may have just had a lemon. I know it seems impossible but just like everything else, it happens. I know my Shakespeare Tidewaters have hauled in some nice cats this last month much less hold up under the full load of the boat when i snag the bottom of the lake. I trust my reels for any fish in fresh water.

The reel isn't a Tidewater but it is a P.O.S.

My other reel is a Shimano which I really enjoy. I'll be buying another to replace that reel if not this summer at least before next summer.

The fish was 58" long with a 26" girth. Special thanks for your weight formula Capt. Kirkland. I found it on here and used it and it seems accurate to me.

Ok fine. Go white sturgeon fishing with them. Let me know how it works out.

Shakespeare makes some great rods, never had an issue with any of their models and recommend them to anyone. Their reels used to be better. I took mine apart all the way and put it back together after my issues. Do you really want to risk the fish of your life on a graphite frame with graphite side plates and a graphite spool? You can get a penn 209 or 309 for about 2x the price of the tidewater but the only plastic piece in it will be the idler gear. You decide. The bait runner reels are great if you can afford them as kirk said, Shimano makes some good ones and so does penn. Stay away from the lower end ones with graphite side plates and frames, they flex under a heavy load.

You can catch anything in freshwater with a mickey mouse pole under ideal conditions.

If you know where to target Sturgeon in Texas please let me know, i would gladly go fish for them!

i said the same thing about 6500c3 reels until i found out a little more about the beasts that can be in freshwater. 250lb + gator gar and massive white sturgeon. now i change my statement a little. they will catch almost any freshwater fish.. lol...

You need to make a road trip up north for those, you said fresh water without elaborating. You could also consider lake sturgeon as well.

You can catch shovel nosed sturgeon in the red river drainage occasionally.