New state certified fishing records set

Allen Bynum of Ardmore with his state-record bighead buffalo fish weighing 60 pounds 6 ounces

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has certified new state fishing records for alligator gar and bigmouth buffalo.

About 5 p.m. April 25, 2015, angler Allen Bynum of Ardmore was bowfishing in Lake Texoma in Love County when he shot a new state-record bigmouth buffalo. The fish was 43 inches in length and 33 3/4 inches in girth.

The fish was weighed on certified scales at the Durant State Fish Hatchery. It was kept by the angler.

The previous state-record bigmouth buffalo weighed 59 pounds 15 ounces, caught in November 1988 at Greenleaf Lake.

About 1 p.m. April 23, 2015, angler Paul Easley of Mead was snagging in Lake Texoma in Marshall County when he landed a new state-record alligator gar. The monster fish was 97 3/4 inches in length and 44 inches in girth.

Paul Easley of Mead with his state-record alligator gar weighing 254 pounds 12 ounces.

Easley was using a Quantum reel on an Eagle Claw rod with 150-pound braided line.

The gar was weighed on certified scales at the Wildlife Department's South Central Region fisheries office near Durant, and then released alive.

The previous state-record alligator gar weighed 192 pounds 1 ounce, caught in January 2011 in the Red River.

Anglers who believe they may have hooked a record fish must weigh the fish on an Oklahoma Department of Agriculture-certified scale, and a Wildlife Department employee must verify the weight. For a complete list of record fish and the procedures for certifying a state record, check the "Oklahoma Fishing" guide or go online to wildlifedepartment.com.