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George Marx with the alligator gar he caught in tiny Iroquois Lake in Schenectady

(Special to newyorkupstate.com)

George Marx, the local angler who caught the infamous alligator gar in Iroquois Lake in Schenectady Friday afternoon says there's definitely another one in the tiny lake at Central Park.

"I've seen it. Others have, too," he said. "It's smaller than the one I caught."

Marx, 37, of Schenectady, caught his 37-inch fish at 5:45 p.m. Friday afternoon using a crayfish as bait.

"Everyone else was using lures and fish as bait," he said in a phone interview with NewYorkUpstate,com this morning. "I decided to try something different. I got him at about 5:45 p.m. I didn't even use a bobber."

Marx said Robert Mais, his brother-in-law, who was attempting to catch the fish on fly rod, helped him net it.

The fish, an invasive species, had been spotted swimming in Iroquois Lake at Central Park since late April and was recently caught by Julian Canavan, a lifeguard at the park who tossed the 37-inch fish back into the lake.

State Department of Environmental Conservation staff, who figured it was someone's pet that outgrew its aquarium and was let loose in the lake, came to the lake and attempted capturing the fish with nets but were unsuccessful.

Alligator gar are capable of reaching lengths of up to 10 feet and weighing some 300 pounds.

After the DEC's effort failed, Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy responded by announcing a $100 bounty on it.

This reporter traveled to Schenectady Thursday to try and catch the fish. I saw it, but couldn't get it to bite.

Canavan said Friday evening that he was there after Marx landed the fish and had no doubt that it was same one he had caught and released. He said his leader, which he left on the fish, was still hanging out of its mouth.

Marx, an industrial cleaner, is married with seven children. He hopes to use the $100 bounty to buy back-to-school supplies for his kids.

He said he's been interviewed by three TV stations and contacted by the N.Y. Times since word got out about his catch.

The fish is dead and on ice in a cooler at his house. He's aware that a condition of the mayor's bounty is that he must turn it over to the DEC.

"I'm going to see if I can keep it and have it mounted," he said.