August 24, 2006
A West Virginia state record longnose gar was caught by Mr. Shelby
Searls of Henderson , according to the Division of Natural
Resources. Searls caught the 52.25-inch, 16.42-pound fish from the
Kanawha River in Mason County on August 20, 2006 , using a creek
chub for bait. Searls’ catch establishes a new West Virginia record
for length. The previous length record for longnose gar was a
50.63-inch fish caught by Brian Klug from Fish Creek in 2003. The
current weight record for longnose gar still stands at 19.08-pounds
(50.5-inch), caught by Michael Shan Casey. Casey’s fish was caught
in 1993, also from the Kanawha River .
“Most large waterbodies in the state contain longnose gar
populations. The Kanawha, the Ohio and the backwater areas
associated with these large rivers are great places to start when
attempting to catch a large gar,” according to Zack Brown , District
Fisheries Biologist.
Anglers who believe that they have caught a state record fish should
check the record listing in the 2006 Fishing Regulations brochure.
The brochure also outlines the procedure to follow for reporting
their catch. This information is also available online at
www.wvdnr.gov.
Check out the other
West Virginia Fishing Records |