FishRook
(Photo courtesy: West Virginia Division of Natural Resources)
POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. (WBOY) — The West Virginia state record for longest longnose gar caught has been broken, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) announced on Wednesday.
The record-breaking fish measured in at 53.62 inches and was caught on July 3 by Rich Chapman of Ashton, WV in the Ohio River in Mason County. The catch was verified by WVDNR District 5 fishery biologist Jeff Hansbarger and Chapman was confirmed to have used live bluegill for bait, according to a release from the WVDNR.
The previous record of longnose gar was set by Mark Foster in 2012 on the Ohio River with a fish that measured in at 52.25 inches, according to the release. The WVDNR confirmed that neither Chapman’s fish or Foster’s fish broke the all-time weight record of 19.08 founds which was set by Michael Casey in 1993 on the Kanawha…
