Mississippi State Record – World Record Longnose Gar

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Mississippi State Record - World Record Longnose Gar
credit: MDWFP

In September of 2016, angler, Don Henson of Southaven, Mississippi went fishing for monster catfish at the Sardis Lake spillway. Mr. Henson was drifting a shad through the current when he he noticed his float had disappeared and he was fast into a large fish.

“I just knew I had the biggest catfish at the end of my line,” said Mr. Henson. “We fought and fought and after about 15 minutes I had the fish at the edge!”

Rather than a giant catfish, Mr. Henson found himself hooked to a huge longnose gar.  A passerby suggested that the big fish was possibly a state record, and advised Mr. Henson to contact the MDWFP Fisheries Bureau.

Weighing in at 48 lbs 1 oz, Mr. Henson’s fish easily bested the standing state record of 40 lbs. A quick scan through the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum list of official world and USA state fresh water angling records showed that Mr. Henson’s fish also shattered the standing longnose gar “unlimited line class” record by a whopping 34 pounds!

Mr. Henson recently received his World Record Fish certificate from the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame.

For more information regarding fishing in Mississippi, visit www.mdwfp.com.

source: Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks