In March 2026, a new Georgia state record longnose gar was caught by angler Silas Turner of Hawkinsville, Ga. Turner landed the record setting gar while fishing on Lake Blackshear.
Turner’s catch weighed 31 pounds, 14 ounces, and replaces the 2022 record (31 pounds, 2 ounces), according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).
After a morning of guiding fishing trips, Turner was headed out to check out some more fish for upcoming excursions when he spotted what he thought was a bass. He picked up a bass plug and threw out a cast, and much to his surprise the fish that took the lure turned out to be a huge gar.
Knowing he had a big catch, he took it immediately to get weighed and then headed to the Cordele Fish Hatchery to have the catch verified and weighed on an official certified scale.
Silas has been fishing for about 23 of his 28 years and primarily targets crappie and bass, often participating in tournaments throughout the year. He is looking forward to having the gar mounted so he can tell the story for years to come.
Longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) are members of the gar family and are considered relics from a large group of primitive fishes. Longnose gar have an elongated body, are greenish black on top and yellow toward the belly.
They have black spots along their sides and fins. A long, narrow snout contains many sharp needle-like teeth. They prefer weedy areas of deep or shallow lakes and streams. Gar feed primarily on other fish.
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