Daily Echo freshwater fishing correspondent Mark Simmonds enjoyed success when he holidayed in Thailand.
Simmonds visited Top Cats at Koh Somui in Thailand to land a personal best Alligator Gar at 45 lb.
Alligator Gar are the largest species in the gar family, and among the largest freshwater fishes in the world. Gars are often referred to as ‘living fossils’ because they have retained some morphological characteristics of their earliest ancestors, such as a spiral valve intestine which is also common to the digestive system of sharks, and the ability to breathe both air and water.
Their common name was derived from their resemblance to the American alligator, particularly their broad snout and long sharp teeth.
The largest Alligator Gar ever caught and officially recorded was eight and a half feet long and weighed 327 lb (148 kg).
Simmonds also took catfish to 80 lb.
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