NYS record Longnose Gar caught in Northern Jefferson County

REDWOOD, N.Y. (WWTI) – A Rochester-area man has set a New York State record for catching the biggest Longnose Gar in northern Jefferson County.

According the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Hilton native Chuck Zimmerman caught the record-setting fish in Butterfield Lake in the town of Redwood on June 21.

The record-setting Longhose Gar weighed in at 15 pounds and 14 ounces, which beat the old record set in 2018 by one pound and four ounces. The previous record-setting fish was caught in Lake Champlain.

DEC congratulates Mr. Zimmerman on an impressive catch and encourages all anglers to take advantage of the state’s plentiful fishing opportunities in the hopes they too can catch a new state record or other Angler Achievement Award when they cast their next line.

NYS DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar

The prehistoric longnose gar prefer shallow weedy areas of larger lakes and can be found swimming near the water’s surface. In New York, longnose gar are primarily found in the St. Lawrence River, Niagara River, Lake Champlain, eastern Lake Ontario, and larger tributaries to these waters. Evolutionarily speaking, longnose gar are considered living dinosaurs and New York is fortunate to have these fish swimming in its waters today. Their long, needle-like snout is filled with rows of teeth, making them unmistakable from other fish species.

Zimmerman submitted details of his winning catch as part of DEC’s newly revamped Angler Achievement Awards Program , which also tracks state record fish.

Using this program, anglers can enter freshwater fish that meet specific qualifying criteria and receive official recognition of their catch along with a species-specific sticker commemorating their achievement.

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