New York's record for largest longnose gar caught has been broken.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar announced in a July 12 press release that Chuck Zimmerman of Hilton, Monroe County, broke the record for the largest longnose gar caught in the state.
The previous record was set in 2018 with a catch made in Lake Champlain. Zimmerman caught his longnose gar at Butterfield Lake in Jefferson County on June 21, 2024. The fish caught by topwater swimbait weighed in at an impressive 15 pounds, 14 ounces — which is 1 pound, 4 ounces larger than the fish caught in 2018.
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"From the Hudson River to the St. Lawrence River, Lake George to Chautauqua Lake, New York waterways support strong, healthy fish populations and provide world-class fishing opportunities for anglers of every level," Mahar said in the press release.
"DEC congratulates Mr. Zimmerman on an impressive catch and encourages all anglers to take advantage of the state’s plentiful fishing opportunities in the hopes they, too, can catch a new state record or other Angler Achievement Award when they cast their next line."
The longnose gar is a long fish with a thin nose and needle-like, razor-sharp teeth.
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These fish date to the Cretaceous Period, according to the National Aquarium. This geological period started 145 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago, per the National History Museum.
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The ancient fish are known to be living dinosaurs on an evolutionary scale, according to the DEC. In New York, they are primarily found in places such as the St. Lawrence River, Niagara River, Lake Champlain and eastern Lake Ontario, according to the source.
They typically can be spotted swimming in shallow, weedy areas close to the surface of the water.
Zimmerman submitted the details of his catch to the DEC's Angler Achievement Awards Program, which tracks state record fish.
For a catch to qualify, entry forms must be submitted within 30 days of when the catch was made, meet minimum qualifying requirements and adhere to fishing regulations, according to the program's website.
