A Baxter Springs fisherman sets a new state record for catching a Longnose Gar.

 

Michael Barnett reeled in the 33.6-pound, 63-inch-long Longnose Gar on April 18 while bowfishing in the Spring River near Baxter Springs. Barnett was fishing with his son when he hooked the record-breaking fish and stated that he thought he had encountered an exceptional fish as soon as it surfaced from the water.

 

KDWP Game Warden Scott Leamon met with Barnett and helped him through the state record process. The record catch was later confirmed by a District Fisheries Biologist who made the species identification and confirmed the measurements.

 

Barnett’s catch broke the previous Kansas state record Longnose Gar – a 31.5-pound fish caught in 1974 by Ray Schroeder of Topeka below Perry Reservoir using a rod and reel with a yellow beetle lure.

 

Longnose Gar are one of Kansas’ most unique native fish species, known for their long, narrow snouts filled with sharp teeth. While gar can grow large in Kansas waters, fish of this size are rarely seen.