Gar unofficially tips scales at 234 pounds
Two men shot a pending state-record alligator gar June 24 while bowfishing along the Yazoo River south of Vicksburg, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks reported today (July 6).
The 234-pound gar, if certified by the MDWFP, will easily replace the current 175-pound State Trophy Fish record for gar caught on any sport-fishing gear except rod-and-reel.
The current record was taken from the Pearl River near Columbia in 1993 by Joseph Sylvest.
Another photo of the fish can be seen on the MS-Sportsman.com fishing forum.
The fish survived the first shot by Taylor Belk when the young bowfisherman’s arrow bounced off the tough scales.
However, father Robert Belk and buddy Randy Rippy hurried to shoot the fish when it resurfaced. Both men’s arrows struck the fish at the same time.
The huge fish was arrowed below the Highway 465 bridge just downstream from the Steele Bayou water control structure, MDWFP’s Dennis Riecke said.
The fish measured 7 feet, 2 inches long with a 43 ½-inch girth, Riecke said.
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