The Rio Grande holds REAL monsters.
The Rio Grande River. Most people simply think of it as the lengthy, 1,800-mile border between the United States and Mexico. This river often is not much to look at in spots due to low water levels, but appearances can be deceiving. This river holds real prehistoric monsters that grow to tremendous size.
We are talking of course about the iconic alligator gar. The IGFA world record, a 279-pounder, was caught from these waters and there are plenty of giants lurking beneath the murky surface.
For more proof of that, just watch this video from fishing YouTuber Kelly Young. She heads out on the Rio Grande and ends up tangling with her biggest alligator gar ever. This monster is over six feet long. This is the closest you can get to handling a real-life dinosaur!
It is true what they say, everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes the fish! We are happy to see the alligator gar gaining a better reputation as a species to target for catch-and-release angling. For many years this species, which likely saw the dinosaurs come and go from this planet, was targeted and given an unfair "trash fish" label. Attitudes seem to have changed in recent years and we really enjoy seeing popular fishing personalities like Kelly working to change that perception.
If you input the measurements of this fish, six feet, three inches in length by a 38-inch girth into a weight calculator, the estimated weight of this fish is about 120 pounds. That is a seriously chunky fish and Kelly did an excellent job battling it.
It is crazy to think that there are gar larger than this swimming around the muddy waters of the Rio Grande. As you saw, the waters are extremely shallow in some areas and it does not look like waters that could support a large predator. It just goes to show that appearances can be deceiving. Excellent catch Kelly, thanks for sharing it with the world!
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For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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