Angler reels in fish with ‘real trophy potential,’ officials say. It’s a Vermont record
An angler was in for surprise when he pulled up a record-setting toothy predator, Vermont wildlife officials said.
Jeremy Bicking, an angler from Pennsylvania, went out on Lake Champlain to go bowfishing at night in May, according to a Feb. 5 news release from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. During his outing, he reeled in a large longnose gar, officials said.
The toothy fish weighed in at 18.6 pounds and was 54.75 inches long, officials said.
The catch is now certified as a state record for longnose gar, officials said.
Because gar records are separated by how the fish was caught — whether by hook-and-line or bowfishing — the man was still able to set a record despite his catch weighing a few ounces lighter than a previous rod-and-reel record set in 2007, according to the department.
Bicking’s catch was about 1/4 of an inch longer than the 2007 record, the department said.
“While fishing remains excellent for more traditional sport fish species such as bass, trout, walleye, and pike, there are so many other fish out there that can provide amazing action with real trophy potential,” biologist Shawn Good said in the release.
Longnose gars, named for their lengthy snouts filled with “needle-like teeth,” are predators found in East Coast and Mississippi River basin waterways, according to the National Aquarium. They eat a range of fish and animals, including frogs, snakes, turtles and small mammals, the nonprofit said.
The species doesn’t normally grow longer than 4 to 5 feet, making Bicking’s catch a rare one.
Two other notable fish were submitted for state records in 2023, although they didn’t receive the title. An 11.86-pound walleye from Lake Champlain and a 25.6-pound lake trout from Echo Lake were both lauded by Vermont officials as being “amazing” catches.
“While Lake Champlain gets most of the attention for lake trout fishing opportunities and action in Vermont, many of the inland lakes in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom are real sleepers for big fish,” Good said.
Wildlife officials like Good say the success of anglers in Vermont can be attributed to improving fish hatcheries in the area and other fishing management strategies on the lakes.
“As one of the fisheries biologists on the lake, it’s really heartening to see our hard work and long-term management efforts paying off for anglers,” he said.
Lake Champlain lies between New York and Vermont.
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