Current:Home > ContactFisherman breaks NY state record for species considered living dinosaur -VitalWealth Strategies
Fisherman breaks NY state record for species considered living dinosaur
View
Date:2025-04-15 09:45:34
A Hilton, New York, man returned home with a huge fish story.
Chuck Zimmerman set a New York state record for longnose gar, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced.
Zimmerman hooked the monster 15-pound, 14-ounce fish on Butterfield Lake in Redwood, Jefferson County. It toppled the previous record, which stood since 2018, by 1 pound, 4 ounces.
Zimmerman used a topwater swimbait and was fishing on an annual weeklong friends trip when he caugt the gar, which measured more than 53 inches. The world record longnose gar is 60 inches in Mississippi in 2017.
The longnose gar is considered a living dinosaur as the species dates back 100 million years to the Cretaceous Period. The fish have long, cylindrical bodies and are grayish to olive in color. Their long needle-like snouts are filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth.
The gar have thick scales that doesn't make them susceptible to many natural predators once they reach full size, and are often found in shallow weedy areas near the water's surface. In New York, most populations are in the St. Lawrence River, Niagara River, Lake Champlain and eastern Lake Ontario, and the larger tributaries to those waters. They eat fish along with frogs, snakes, turtles and waterfowl.
"DEC congratulates Mr. Zimmerman on an impressive catch," DEC interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said. "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."
The DEC has a newly overhauled Angler Achievement Awards Program, which tracks individual achievements and state fishing records. Anglers can enter freshwater fish that meet qualifying criteria to officially document their catch and receive species-specific stickers.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Small twin
- Joey Fatone Reveals Where *NSYNC Really Stands on a Reunion Tour
- Selma Blair Shares Health Update Amid Multiple Sclerosis Remission
- When Calls the Heart's Mamie Laverock “Fighting Hard” in Hospital After Balcony Fall
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Chase Budinger used to play in the NBA. Now, he's an Olympian in beach volleyball.
- Supreme Court sides with Native American tribes in health care funding dispute with government
- Brazil unveils $4 million supercow, twice as meaty as others of her breed
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Deceased Rep. Donald Payne Jr. wins New Jersey primary
Ranking
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Trump ally Steve Bannon must surrender to prison by July 1 to start contempt sentence, judge says
- After Mavs partnership stalled, Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis duel in NBA Finals
- Save 50% on Aerie Swimwear, 30% on Frontgate, 25% on Kiehl's, 50% on REI & More Deals
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Missouri sets execution date for death row inmate Marcellus Williams, despite doubts over DNA evidence
- California made it easier to vote, but some with disabilities still face barriers
- Alaska set to limit daily number of cruise ship passengers who can visit Juneau
Recommendation
Could your smelly farts help science?
DNC to unveil new billboard calling Trump a convicted felon
The Best Target Father’s Day Gifts of 2024 That’re Affordable & Will Earn You Favorite Child Status
We love competitiveness in men's sports. Why can't that be the case for the WNBA?
The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
8 dead, dozens hospitalized after drinking bootleg alcohol in Morocco
D-Day paratroopers honored by thousands, including CBS News' Charlie D'Agata, reenacting a leap into Normandy
Ex-NASCAR driver Tighe Scott and 3 other Pennsylvania men face charges stemming from Capitol riot