‘Gar-gantuan’ fish pulled from the Trinity River in Liberty County

Lance Stephens of Tarkington lies down alongside a 264-pound alligator gar he pulled from the Trinity River in Liberty County on April 28. Stephens said it took him about an hour to land the creature. Lance Stephens of Tarkington lies down alongside a 264-pound alligator gar he pulled from the Trinity River in Liberty County on April 28. Stephens said it took him about an hour to land the creature. Photo: Submitted Photo: Submitted Image 1 of / 84 Caption Close ‘Gar-gantuan’ fish pulled from the Trinity River in Liberty County 1 / 84 Back to Gallery

When Lance Stephens of Tarkington starts telling stories now about the fish he has caught, people listen.

He has the photographic proof to show he reeled in an alligator gar measuring 8-feet, 4-inches, weighing 264 pounds and with a 44-inch girth on April 28 in the Trinity River in Liberty County.

While not quite a record-breaker in Texas — the largest on record with the Texas Parks and Wildlife was captured in 1951 and weighed 279 pounds — Stephens’ gar is one of the largest pulled from the Trinity River in recent memory.

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“It’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen,” said Stephens, who frequently participates in fishing tournaments.

Protective of his fishing spot, Stephens is intentionally foggy on details when asked about the exact location where the fish was pulled from the river.

“Let’s just say it was on the Trinity River south of Highway 59,” he said.

The rod and reel used by Stephens to catch the gar was a “pawn shop special,” he said. The bait was freshwater drum, a trash fish known to fishermen as gasper goo.

Once chopped up into chunks, the gasper goo is ideal for baiting hooks to catch alligator gar, he said.

“The nastier the bait, the better,” Stephens said. “They seem to like it.”

Stephens said he knew the moment the fish hit his line that it was massive.

“I caught a 196-pound alligator gar last year and I could tell it was bigger than that,” he said. “It was fighting more than anything I’ve reeled in.”

For the next 30 minutes, Stephens worked to get the fish to break the surface of the water, and it took almost an hour to land it.

“I usually turn fish loose after I land them but I am having this one mounted,” he said. “I might not ever land one that big again in my life.”