A Kentucky fisherman caught a massive 200-pound prehistoric alligator turtle and a potentially record-breaking fish in a Texas lake.
Art Weston and his trusted guide, Captain Kirk Kirkland, returned to Lake Sam Rayburn. where they had previously hooked a record-breaking alligator fish in the fall.
When the famous fishermen took to the murky waters last month, they expected to find another large alligator fish, one that would break another record.
During a grueling morning on the water, Weston hooked and lost several record-breaking fish.
Weston and Kirkland were aiming for a line class record, which meant they needed to catch a huge giant alligator on four-pound test line for it to qualify as a record.
While trying to catch an alligator, Art Weston caught a fearsome 200-pound fish. prehistoric alligator snapping turtle
Weston set out with his trusted guide, Captain Kirk Kirkland. After failing to capture a large alligator, they caught a snapping turtle. They hooked the prehistoric beast by one of its legs
At one point, the intrepid fisherman was involved in a dramatic battle with a prodigious fish, during which his course was diverted to the mouth of the Angelina River.
Among some flooded trees, Weston and Kirkland lost the fish in “a scrubby area.” His world record swam away.
But the fisherman and his guide were not intimidated and threw another line into the water. Then they realized something that surprised them.
At the end of the line was a monstrous beast: a prehistoric alligator.
“Art hooked something around noon while fishing for fish using a big piece of carp as bait,” Captain Kirkland.
‘I thought it was a turtle because of the unusual way it fought. It took Art about 30 minutes to get the turtle out and he wasn’t very happy,” he said. outdoorlife.com.
The next day, Weston managed to catch a record-breaking alligator after an hour-long battle.
Weston hooked the fish on four-pound fishing line. The fish weighed 188 pounds.
The hook was lodged in one of the shadowy creature’s front legs, and proved difficult to remove.
“There’s not much to grab and they’re trying to fight and scratch and bite you,” Kirkland said.
The men said that as they tried to remove the hook, the monstrous turtle watched their every move and had its mouth open and ready to bite.
“I grabbed him by the edge of the shell behind the head,” Kirkland said.
‘Then (I) grabbed his tail with the other hand. Then I carefully lowered it into the boat.
They theorized that the prehistoric beast weighed around 200 pounds, easily making it one of the heaviest ever caught in Texas, weighing in at 211 pounds.
“We took the hook out of his leg, took some pictures and then let him go because they are protected by law,” Kirkland said.
In Texas, alligator turtles are considered a threatened species and anglers must release the fish as close as possible to where they were caught.
A day after Weston and Kirkland hooked the impressive alligator turtle, they set out again, still hoping to catch that elusive, record-breaking fish.
After an hour-long fight with a strong alligator, Weston was able to catch it on a four-pound line and break the record.
They brought the fish to shore, where they used an official scale to weigh their prize and discovered it weighed a staggering 188 pounds.
After they finished weighing the alligator fish, the two men released it into the lake.
After hauling the huge fish to shore, Weston and Kirkland released it.
If Weston’s record application is approved, this would be the angler’s 10th record and his 38th fishing record.
“We knew right away that it was a record-breaker due to its size, and we quickly sailed to shore to weigh and record the catch so we could quickly release it alive and well,” Weston said. Fox.
Weston and Kirkland submitted their registration application to the International Fish and Game Association.
If his application is accepted, his 188-pound fish will surpass the previous record of a 117-pound, 3-ounce alligator fish.
This would mark Weston’s 10th world record for catching alligators and his 38th overall fishing record.