Angler hauls in record-shattering 153-pound alligator gar using ultra-light line

It took nearly four hours, a 2-mile chase across a Texas lake and nerves of steel—but angler Art Weston just landed what could be the heaviest freshwater fish ever caught on a 2-pound test line.

The 153-pound alligator gar, measuring 7 feet, 3 inches long, was caught earlier this month in Lake Livingston, Texas, while Weston was fishing with longtime guide and world-record chaser Capt. Kirk Kirkland. The duo, who often team up for record hunts, caught the massive gar using ultra-light tackle—a feat that, once certified, will set a new world record with the International Game Fish Association (IGFA).

"Sharing what was my most challenging catch of my life," Weston wrote on Facebook. “We worked so hard to land her (almost lost her multiple times). A true 1% likelihood catch.”

According to Weston, the gar swam 8 to 12 feet beneath the surface and would rest on the lake bottom for long stretches, dragging out the grueling fight. But with teamwork—and a lot of patience—the anglers finally secured the fish, weighed and photographed it, then released it alive back into the lake.

Weston told Outdoor Life that if his 153-pound gar is approved as a new line-class record, it’ll be his 81st world-record entry. He's the only angler in IGFA history to accomplish a clean sweep of a single species and already has every men’s line-class record as well as the all-tackle world record for alligator gar.

Nicknamed the “Garship Enterprise,” Kirkland’s boat has had its share of historic catches, but this one stands out. If certified, it will rank as the largest freshwater fish ever landed on a 2-pound test line as well as the sixth-largest freshwater or saltwater fish caught on such light tackle.

Alligator gars are known as “living fossils,” with a lineage stretching back nearly 100 million years. This one swam into the record books — and right back into the murky depths of Lake Livingston — leaving a world record in its wake… and one unforgettable fishing story behind.

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