{"id":446479,"date":"2022-05-13T17:47:25","date_gmt":"2022-05-13T14:47:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/fisherman-payton-moore-hooks-300-pound-alligator-gar-in-texas\/"},"modified":"2022-05-13T17:47:25","modified_gmt":"2022-05-13T14:47:25","slug":"fisherman-payton-moore-hooks-300-pound-alligator-gar-in-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/fisherman-payton-moore-hooks-300-pound-alligator-gar-in-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"#Fisherman Payton Moore hooks 300-pound alligator gar in Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3dfa5529da8\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3dfa5529da8\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/fisherman-payton-moore-hooks-300-pound-alligator-gar-in-texas\/#%E2%80%9CFisherman_Payton_Moore_hooks_300-pound_alligator_gar_in_Texas%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Fisherman Payton Moore hooks 300-pound alligator gar in Texas&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/fisherman-payton-moore-hooks-300-pound-alligator-gar-in-texas\/#Heavy_liftin_Texas_alligator_gar_records\" >Heavy liftin\u2019: Texas alligator gar records<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CFisherman_Payton_Moore_hooks_300-pound_alligator_gar_in_Texas%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Fisherman Payton Moore hooks 300-pound alligator gar in Texas&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p><strong>SUGAR LAND, Texas<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Ask <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a> angler Payton Moore about the biggest fish he has ever hooked, and he will tell you it was like walking a Tyrannosaurus rex in the muddy waters of a Texas bayou.<\/p>\n<p>According to Moore, the massive 8-foot-2-inch alligator gar weighed an estimated 300 pounds. He said it is the largest such fish ever filmed alive in North America, but that\u2019s not an official record.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you see me next to that gargantuan fish, it makes it a little bit easier to believe that it was that big,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Fishing was something that the 32-year-old man from Sugar Land, Texas, a suburb of Houston, would do from time to time growing up. It became a passion when he started thinking of ways to broaden his career as a conservation educator.<\/p>\n<p>Admiring the work of Animal Planet\u2019s extreme angler Jeremy Wade of \u201cRiver Monsters,\u201d Moore started learning how to fish more effectively, and that\u2019s when\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC96t3SfFIm5KRV9BopdUwLg\">his YouTube channel<\/a>\u00a0started. He wanted to educate the public about as many freshwater ecosystems as possible within the Houston area. Four years ago, it evolved into his full-time job.<\/p>\n<p>Moore set out on May 5 to film himself in search of an alligator gar on one of the larger rivers that run through the greater Houston area. He declined to name the exact location.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI definitely went out there with a big fish in mind, but I was very surprised at how big that fish turned out to be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alligator-gar-00.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Ask YouTube angler Payton Moore about the biggest fish he has ever hooked, and he will tell you it was like walking a Tyrannosaurus rex in the muddy waters of a Texas bayou.\" class=\"wp-image-22256651\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alligator-gar-00.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alligator-gar-00.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alligator-gar-00.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The massive 8-foot-2-inch alligator gar weighed an estimated 300 pounds, according to Morre. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Payton Moore \/ WILD LIFE YouTube<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He said it was not the first time he had been to that area either.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe last couple of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>s I went out there, I went with the conventional methodology that alligator gar bite the most at the hottest point of the day,\u201d Moore said.<\/p>\n<p>Traditionally, that\u2019s been proven to be true. The hotter it is outside, the more active the gar tend to be, but in that particular area, Moore wasn\u2019t having luck following that strategy. So, he ventured out about 7 a.m. when temperatures were much cooler.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know if that is a part of the reason why I ended up hooking the fish, but I cast the bait, and it took the bait about five minutes later,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"I Caught The BIGGEST FISH You&#039;ve Ever Seen! (300lb MONSTER!)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DOpwlo7Lmjo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Moore also switched things up with the type of bait, using the head of a mullet.<\/p>\n<p>He said alligator gar in that river tend to feed on buffalofish because of its substantial population, and mullets are rarer.<\/p>\n<p>He was using an 80-pound test line on a trolling reel that resembles a broomstick. It is designed for big <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> saltwater fish like wahoo and small tuna. He also used a 100-pound wire at the end of his line to ensure the robust and heavy fish didn\u2019t bite it in half.<\/p>\n<p>It fought for about 15 minutes on this line.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe struggle with this fish is that it was not only more powerful than anything I caught up at that point, but it was in an area that was absolutely full of submerged trees and giant rock piles under the water,\u201d Moore said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alligator-gar-05.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Ask YouTube angler Payton Moore about the biggest fish he has ever hooked, and he will tell you it was like walking a Tyrannosaurus rex in the muddy waters of a Texas bayou.\" class=\"wp-image-22256663\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alligator-gar-05.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alligator-gar-05.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alligator-gar-05.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Moore said the fish fought for about 15 minutes on the line.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Payton Moore \/ WILD LIFE YouTube<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He said the muscular fish will intentionally run around snags to break the line.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re very smart, and they have methods of getting off your hook,\u201d Moore said. \u201cSo, the struggle was keeping it in a tight spot to tire it out instead of letting it run back and forth, which had it been able to do that, I probably would have lost the fish.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Once he got it up to the bank, he used a lariat rope behind the pectoral fins to land it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce I started getting close enough to put the rope over its head, I realized that it might be bigger than I thought. When I saw the size of his head, I realized he might be pushing 8 feet,\u201d Moore said.<\/p>\n<p>Internally, he started freaking out with excitement when he compared the size of the fish to his rod and reel.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alligator-gar-07.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Ask YouTube angler Payton Moore about the biggest fish he has ever hooked, and he will tell you it was like walking a Tyrannosaurus rex in the muddy waters of a Texas bayou.\" class=\"wp-image-22256680\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alligator-gar-07.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alligator-gar-07.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alligator-gar-07.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Moore said it is the largest such fish ever filmed alive in North America, but that\u2019s not an official record.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Payton Moore \/ WILD LIFE YouTube<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWhen I did that, I noticed my 8-foot fishing rod was not as long as the fish, and it, instantly in my mind, I started to realize I had caught one of the biggest fish ever seen,\u201d Moore said.<\/p>\n<p>There have been a few others caught that were bigger, Moore said. The biggest he knew of was 8 feet, 5 inches in Mississippi that was caught in a net by accident.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Heavy_liftin_Texas_alligator_gar_records\"><\/span>Heavy liftin\u2019: Texas alligator gar records<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Rod-and-reel: 279 pounds \u2013 Caught on Jan. 1, 1951, by Bill Valverde on the Rio Grande.<\/li>\n<li>Bowfishing: 290 pounds, 96 inches long \u2013 Harvested on July 8, 2001, from the Trinity River by Marty McClellan.<\/li>\n<li>Caught by any means: 302 pounds, 90 inches long \u2013 Harvested on Jan. 1, 1953,\u00a0from the Nueces River by T. C. Pierce, Jr. on a trotline.<\/li>\n<li>Caught and released by rod-and-reel: (No weight available) 88 inches long, caught and released on July 4, 2011, from the Trinity River by Joseph Williams.<\/li>\n<li>Current world record alligator gar: Captured in Mississippi in 2011 \u2013 Weighed 327 pounds and measured 8-feet-5 inches long.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t want to kill the fish by waiting for a state scale to be brought out, so I didn\u2019t weigh it,\u201d Moore said. \u201cSo, there\u2019s no official record, but unofficially, I shattered the state record.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was also close to shattering a rod-and-line record catch in North America.<\/p>\n<p>The fish are native to North America. Their range expanded across the US, but they were thought to be headed for extinction based on misinformation in the early 20th century. They are currently constrained to the extreme southern US, some of Mexico, Central America and Cuba.<\/p>\n<p>The most important takeaway for Moore for anyone learning about one of these animals or seeing one of this size is that they realize that they are a native species and beneficial to the environments in which they live.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of misinformation that\u2019s spread by fishermen about the alligator gar that isn\u2019t true,\u201d Moore said. \u201cThey don\u2019t wipe out game fish populations. They\u2019re not dangerous. They\u2019re not going to attack people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For this Texas angler, this prehistoric-looking fish is an excellent part of natural history that deserves protection.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/05\/13\/fisherman-payton-moore-hooks-300-pound-alligator-gar-in-texas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Fisherman Payton Moore hooks 300-pound alligator gar in Texas&#8221; SUGAR LAND, Texas\u00a0\u2013 Ask YouTube angler Payton Moore about the biggest fish he has ever hooked, and he will tell you it was like walking a Tyrannosaurus rex in the muddy waters of a Texas bayou. According to Moore, the massive 8-foot-2-inch alligator gar weighed an&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":446480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alligator-gar-comp.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[129104,74505,74104,6474,51935],"class_list":["post-446479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-5-13-22","tag-fishing","tag-outdoor-activity","tag-texas","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=446479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/446480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=446479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=446479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=446479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}