LITTLE ROCK — Anglers interested in hooking into an epic-sized trophy fish can apply for a 2026 Alligator Gar Trophy Tag from now until the end of 2025.
Many Arkansas anglers travel all the way to the Gulf of Mexico each year in search of trophy fish like tarpon and sailfish. Most don’t know they are passing up a similar opportunity right here in The Natural State.
While not truly a dinosaur, the alligator gar was alive during the Cretaceous Period (145 million to 66 million years ago), and can take decades to reach 6 feet long. They are the second-largest species of freshwater fish in North America, topped only by the white sturgeon. They frequently grow longer than 7 feet and weigh more than 200 pounds. The current alligator gar sportfishing record is 215 pounds caught from the Arkansas River in 1964, nearly 90 pounds heavier than the state’s next largest Arkansas catch, a 128-pound paddlefish from Beaver Lake in 2024…