Massive alligator gars lurk in the Trinity River. Here’s how to get a shot at hooking one

It’s nearly time for that magical season of the year when anglers can harvest giant alligator gar on a section of the Trinity River.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department opens its annual alligator gar harvest drawing on Friday. The random selection process will give 150 anglers a chance to harvest one alligator gar over 48 inches.

Earlier this year a Texas angler caught a 251-pound alligator gar in the Trinity River near Huntsville. But the largest gar ever caught was in Mississippi in 2011 — 8 feet and five inches long weighing 327 pounds.

The gar harvesting area is from the Interstate 30 bridge in Dallas downstream to the Interstate 10 bridge in Chambers County, including Lake Livingston and the east fork of the Trinity River upstream to the dam at Lake Ray Hubbard, according to TPWD.

“Fishing for alligator gar on the Trinity River is world renowned and truly a bucket list item for any angler,” said Tim Birdsong, Acting TPWD Director of Inland Fisheries. “With this drawing system, we are able to offer 150 anglers the opportunity to harvest the fish of a lifetime while also fulfilling our resource management goal of conserving this unique resource for current and future generations of anglers.”

Anglers holding a valid license-year or year-from-purchase fishing license can enter the drawing using the “My Texas Hunt Harvest” app. The application process opens on Friday and closes on Sept. 30.

Anglers can enter the drawing either as an individual or as a small group. Those selected will be notified by Oct. 15 and they are authorized to harvest the large gar from the date issued through Aug. 31, 2024.

Anglers must report the alligator gar catch through the “My Texas Hunt Harvest” app within 24 hours of hooking one.

“Gathering data on alligator gar harvest through the My Texas Hunt Harvest app and online enhances our understanding of their distribution, sizes and numbers, and helps us maintain the best possible fishing opportunities into the future,” Birdsong said.

Despite their name, alligator gar are not dangerous and have not been known to attack humans.

The gar’s teeth may look like ferocious but are generally used to hold its prey, according to TPWD. However, given the gar’s sharp and bony scales, anglers could be cut or bruised when trying to land one.

A six-foot alligator gar is usually between 10 and 30 years old, weighing about 100 pounds, while a seven-footer could be much older, according to TPWD.