A prehistoric creature nearly eight feet long and mostly teeth and temper, not exactly what Deryl Landers had in mind when he set out for a leisurely evening of catfishing on the banks of the Red River. Landers broke the Oklahoma state record last week for alligator gar when he pulled in a 180-pound, seven feet nine inch monster using cut fish for bait. "I couldn't believe my eyes when it surfaced the first time," Landers said. "When it splashed it looked like someone drove a car off into the water." Landers’ feat would have been impressive enough if he was using a small crane and steel cable, but he landed it using just 20-pound test line and a rod that was a foot shorter than the fish. This puts Landers into contention for a new world line class record for alligator gar. He is in the process of sending the paperwork to the International Game Fish Association, the sanctioning body for world angling records.

The record didn't come easy for Landers, of Bokchito. He fought the fish, which measured 35 inches in girth, for a full hour and 45 minutes before bringing it to shore. "I was absolutely wore smooth out," Landers said. "My arms felt like jelly after fighting that fish and I burnt my thumb on the spool trying to keep a little drag on it." A long time taxidermist, Landers plans on making a reproduction of the monster fish. "I think it will be really neat once I get it finished, the only problem may be finding enough wall space to hang it," Landers said. Lander's fish smashed the previous alligator gar record by 27 pounds. Terry Dean Busby set the previous record a 153 pound fish also caught from the Red River in 1991. Although certainly the biggest, this is not the first Alligator gar he has caught. Landers said he normally releases the gar when he hooks them, a practice supported by Barry Bolton, assistant chief of fisheries for the Department.

"Alligator gar are truly unique fish and the Red River is one of the few places left where they can be found," Bolton said. "With shrinking habitat and increasing fishing pressure it is important that we look for ways to conserve their habitat." For a complete list of record fish and the procedures regarding state record fish consult the "2002 Oklahoma Fishing Guide." If you think you may have hooked a record fish it is important that you weigh the fish on a Oklahoma State Department of Agriculture certified scale and the weight is verified by a Wildlife Department employee.