Man, it’s been a few days and I’m still blown away by this. Genuinely, I don’t think the average person could have pulled this off between the snags and the sheer size of this fish. Years of hard work and experience have led up to this catch, and the respect you gave the fish is the icing on the cake. Makes me proud to be a subscriber and a patron!

An absolute privilege to share a once in a lifetime moment. I hope that beautiful creature adds to the gene pool and that it’s progeny thrive in the future. One further example of just how vital it is to protect and maintain the ecosystems that these amazing animals live in.

I’ve seen hundreds of gar growing up in N Texas, but most were streams and tributaries flooded from the trinity. Seeing one like THAT is incredible. The snouts and teeth compared to the ones I’ve seen this one was a dinosaur. And apparently, that’s what it basically is. Good on you for documenting this and letting it go. Something that rare and awesome deserves to get back to living.

I'm not even close to what you would call a fisherman, but I definitely felt the emotion of your catch. Outstanding job and I look forward to more of your catch and releases

Hey everyone! Thanks for watching. As ALWAYS, I'm sure there will be many among you who are very upset about my estimation of this fish's weight. For those of you that will read this comment before sounding off, here's how I came to the figure of 300lb... I measured the fish's length three separate times and with three separate methods (nose to tail, tail to nose, and the old big game hunting method of "between the pegs") and this fish is 8 feet and 2 inches on the dot. I even held my 8 foot rod over it's back and there was extra fish on both sides. Unfortunately, in my haste to return it to the water, I did NOT measure the girth (better for the fish, at least). HOWEVER, as I lied next to it and attempted to hold it and struggled very hard to maneuver it for the camera, it was abundantly clear this fish was bigger around than my entire chest and shoulders together, which tape at 47 inches. So I don't know the exact girth, but I know it was AT LEAST 47 INCHES. If you "don't think it looks that big" remember you only have a 2D format to view it and I actually held the thing. Remember also this measurement on a person is an oval and on the fish it's closer to a circle, something a 2D format can really betray if you just focus on shoulder width. Another very easy way to do this is to hold your arms in a circle (as you would bear hug someone or, in my case, that fish). As long as you put your hands on your wrists where they were when your arms were completely around the fish's midsection, you can get that girth measurement pretty easy. I moved the fish between takes and used a gable grip with my arms completely full of fish... about 49 inches. SO, using more than one formula (which actually leave out multiple variables that can contribute to weight) and comparing it with the very few other fish of this size ever recorded (length, girth, and weight), it is well OVER 270lbs AT THE VERY LEAST and quite possibly OVER 300lbs... Stating the fish is about 300lb is 100% reasonable no matter how you look at it. I am also well aware that you might very well have seen a fish bigger than this (I mean, sharks are thing, lol). First, I'm talking about this particular species and second, It's called 'marketing.' Just making that bag. Also, I don't really care if you're mad about these things just so long as you watch the video and comment and bunch... As Floyd Mayweather says, it doesn't matter WHY people buy the tickets... AND REMEMBER... If you take ANYTHING away from this video it should be the very good news that fish of this size are still here and that they are worthy of our protection! Alligator gar are incredible animals and are very important to the ecosystems they inhabit!

I hope this vid gets 10 million views. That was incredible!

I just want to say thank you for your ethical fishing. You could have easily risked the fish's life to weigh it. But, chose to do the right thing so this monster can get even more epic. Well done!

The skills that you need as a fisherman to not only keep him on the line and pull him in, the entire process shows your skills are extraordinary!

Congratulations brother! As an angler I can appreciate the tears of catching a fish of such caliber. While gar themselves are not rare gar of that size are. And when you think about its age that gar could be upwards of 90+ yrs. Probably closer to 95+ yrs. The things that gar has seen under the depths the rivers it's traveled. Truly a remarkable catch. Great job bubba!

That was truly the fish of a lifetime. Well done .

The fact that he let it go back in the water makes him a true champion that's the only way our species are going to survive is catch and release

I really appreciate the skill and strength it takes to land a fish like this, and I’m so thankful when the animal is released again back into the waters. It’s tragic to me that so many large, amazing animals are killed after surviving for so long

Absolutely amazing! Not only were you able to get that fish on the end of your line, get it up close enough to see it, but then to land it and successfully and release it by yourself is just awesome! Congratulations man and thanks for sharing it with the world!

Good lord man. This gave me chills. 😱

What a beautiful and powerful moment between two incredible species.

What I'm about to tell you is absolutely true. About three years ago I built about a one acre pond in the back part of the property and stocked it with bass and bluegill. I was fishing the pond last fall when, to my surprise, I hooked an alligator gar twice the size of your gar, then my girlfriend woke me up.

Wow! That was truly amazing! I am so proud and thankful that you do the right thing… you handle these fish carefully and release them to spread their genes and to give someone else the possibility to experience what you experienced making this great catch. There are way too many selfish anglers out there who kill any trophy fish they happen to catch without any regard. Way to go! Great example, and just incredible how you keep topping all your previous videos. As for alligator gar… if you top this, you just may be setting the new world record

Dude thank you so much for filming this! I can't imagine how awesome this was for you, I'm so glad we got to share it with you. It IS emotional!

Man you have been blessed by the fish gods! Outstanding catch! Truly a life moment!

I can also definitely appreciate the tears in this video. Beautiful fish, beautiful fight, and even more beautiful finish!!!!!!!! You DEFINTIELY got a subscriber in me bro. Real deal. Much respect and much love bro!!!!

Wow outstanding man! Well deserved, you are out there grinding it out, and it finally pays off!!

You’re just as much of a beast as the fish you caught. The fact that you caught that giant by yourself! Bro you’re the river GOAT. Congrats.

Holy hell…. On the Go Pro chest cam….that thing looked like any other Alligator Gar you see. Then you showed the wide shot before you measured it……😳😳😳 That is INSANE. Congrats on that catch, certainly one that will NEVER be forgotten.

What a fish! What a loving, reverent man. Beautiful. Truly, we are blessed today. Great man, great sportsman, no ego, no thought of taxidermy. Just freedom and reverence. Booyah!!!

It must be a very odd experience for the gar- it's swimming around doing its thing, gets hooked pulled into another dimension and spooned by an alien haha. Fish encounters of the third kind! Congrats on pulling that thing in. It's freakin' huge.

Absolutely epic! The exact number doesn't matter to me, the eye test says it was a once-in-a-lifetime catch, bigger than the vast majority of people who watch this. I'd love to see you explore the Amazon for Arapaima and other monsters!

I love videos like this where someone completely has their hands full and you're not sure if they are going to land the fish or not. I felt that with you!!! Excellent catch

RESPECT for releasing this once in a lifetime catch.

Wow... congratulations on the amazing catch. I'm really happy for you knowing how much effort you put into catching these fish and making these great videos. This will be hard to top.

Wow!!...that 8footer almost knocked you out dude. Seriously you've got to be one of the best lone fishermen on KZfaq...😃😎💪💯👍

Best fishing video I've seen in awhile. What an absolute beast of a catch and experience to have. Thanks for speaking on the conservation of the species and fishery so that others may hope for the chance of hooking an incredible fish like that. Definitely worth a sub

Mr Payton more I want to say that you're a real champion I wasn't even watching fishing or nothing dealing with fishing at first I'm originally from Boston came to Houston a little bit of my younger days so I can say that you really do represent this city in one of the most environmental friendly ways I've ever saw a person got to say keep doing what you're doing it's a lot of us out here that don't even fish or never fished in our entire lives but you happen to bring an idea that wildlife is beautiful and we should take part in the activities that's dealing with wildlife so I thank you man for being a great houstonian and representing for your city and representing for the state of Texas you are what Texas really represents

Man your love for these animals really comes through. I was getting emotional at the end as well. Congratulations.

I admire your passion and respect for the privileged encounter with this true monster you had.

I’ve been watching your channel since almost the beginning and to see how far you’ve come is awesome and you deserve every bit of the success you are having brother. I’ve always admired the passion and respect you have for not only the gar you catch but every fish. That is a fish of a lifetime but I have a feeling the fish gods will be sending you plenty more monsters. As always great video brother, the day I catch myself a 50 pound flathead I will be crying for sure!

So glad you gave that amazing creature the chance to live out the rest of it's life. Very noble.

Congratulations!! I been watching your videos from the beginning and you are hands down some of the best content on KZfaq!! Keep up the awesome work!!

What a blast ! Right out of Jurassic Park ! I'm so glad you have it on video, otherwise it'll be just another fish story.

Your attitude is inspirational. I need fishing buddies like you.

Complete admiration for your fishing accomplishments! Love your channel!

Fish of a lifetime bro. Congrats. I also never comment on videos so that’s how big of an accomplishment this fish is.

That is crazy, cant believe there are fish of that size so close to us🤯 Congrats on the awesome catch🙌🎣

Incredibly humble & he had beautiful respect for his massive catch and returned quickly to the WILD 😊❤️ 100 years old really ?? So so happy you let him go - thank you 🙏

I share your emotion, as I have yet to achieve my goal of a largemouth bass over 10 lbs. I've been fishing for 60 years and 8 lbs is the closest. Great job walking us thru the experience!

Thank you for sharing with us the footage also Thank you for being such a good sport and releasing it. Mutual respect between you two im sure.

Epic fish man! Hard work pays off for sure, you deserve it!

Glad you mentioned its probable age toward the end of the video. I knew gator gar are a long lived species but wasnt sure just how old they can get. What an extraordinary experience!

Absolutely incredible catch. Your raw emotion from it made it that much better. Amazing stuff!

Congratulations man! Wow! You deserved to catch that fish. I have watched a ton of videos of people catching Gar but that was the biggest one I’ve ever seen. Very happy for you.

Dude that was just insane! To catch an absolutely colossal fish like that, and to catch it by yourself is wild! Congrats man tight lines🎣

I don't usually comment on many videos, but I have to say, "You are THE MAN." I am excited for you to experience such a moment and for your release of the fish. I'm so sharing this video. Thank you for sharing this with us all.

AMAZING catch and RELEASE! MUCH, MUCH RESPECT!!!!!

Once in a lifetime moment! That's insane! I can't imagine how it felt to be present and holding that beast of a fish!

Absolutely incredible. Love your respect for these creatures. Well done. Glad you shared this experience with us. 👍

I have watched this so many times and everytime I'm blown away! Absolutely incredible! This was a magestic moment of a lifetime!

I am happy to see that he released it.

Congratulations on the magnificent catch!!!

Incredible. I can't imagine bringing something that size to the shore! What an experience.

Bro I just watched you on tv! You’ve come a long way man, just shows that with hard work and dedication we can achieve greatness! Thank you

One milllion is a understate ment this video will cycle for decades.I pray this video pays you well for the reminder of your life brother. congrats.

That's beyond impressive. I'm glad you had it on video because I don't think a lot of people would believe a fish like that lives there. That's some serious Jeremy Wade **** right there!

You have just left me speechless ! What an amazing fish!

Thank you, for taking us with you. I have happy tears in my eyes.

Hats off to you for the catch, landing and release! Very noble of you to take such good care of that magnificent fish.

Holy shit that thing is a massive unit

Dude right on right on so happy for you man so happy for you putting so much work with these videos and to be rewarded with a gift like this is just absolutely tremendous good on you man good on you

Your genuine emotions really tell us that you love fishing passionately! What a catch! New subscriber!

Rod Ryan from the buzz shared a article on your catch. Great catch, absolutely love your videos. Hope to run into ya on the bayou sometime.

OMG! Congratulations! Amazing catch!

Dude I remember when you had less than 1k subscribers and now you are at 80k! Great quality content is the reason people keep coming back. Congrats on landing "the big one".

Thank you for releasing it THANK YOU

I solo fish alot myself but never could I ever see myself landing that solo. Respect man. Truly

Major props to you man for releasing that big guy back into the wild. You’re setting such a good example for anglers!

Incredible! This is making me itch to go out and fish

Unreal! That’s one you’ll remember for a lifetime. I still have a fish that makes me smile years after I caught it.

Wow. Single event memory for a lifetime, and fortunately, captured/recorded forever on video. You can't ask for much more than that in fishing. Thank you for sharing your experience.

WOW!!!! Congratulations my friend! That is an absolute beautiful and massive fish! I've been watching you for a long while and I know what you put in to your fishing and how much respect you have for the wildlife and it's habitat! Once again, congratulations on your catch of a lifetime and it's awesome that you were able to share it with the world!

I've caught some big gar in my time (back when I lived in TX), but never even close to that size. Congrats on that big one, man!

Congratulation my man. Been watching you for a long time, seen you catch many fish and treat them all with the same respect and care. It's great to see. Hope thousands of these 600k viewers become subscribers!

Thanks for being so humbled by your unique experiences. You take us where we can't go oftentimes. Thanks. What a fish.

Amazing catch and release, my man! What an honor and privilege to see such magnificent animal. Good luck on your future endeavors!

Awesome catch bud. He was a monster. Great job🎣👊

This has inspired me to keep looking for monster fish in houston , thank you so much for releasing that fish your awesome !

I'm stunned at the strength of that line!

This needs way more attention! Bad ass catch man, incredible catch!!!!!

That's a giant Gar!! We're making an outdoor themed viral video show, and would love to feature some of your content. Let us know if you're interested! strong work 💪

12:26 Gotta love how the gar got one good shot in at the end.

I’m a friend of your brother in law and and sister they told me about this and I just had to look it up and see it. This was awesome to watch, congratulations on the catch.

99% of fisherman would have killed that animal. 1 million thumbs up for releasing it alive. That was an ancient fish who deserves to live. Awesome, awesome job. You are a true sportsman.

Not the biggest fish I’ve ever seen , The Fraser River in British Columbia Canada has Sturgeon up to 1000 pound , This river exits into th3 ocean at Vancouver British Columbia

I love the fish fighting noises lol sounds like me getting hyped over a 3 pound bass

A huge catch! And your emotions over the catch and excitement was tangible. Excellent video.

Amazing catch ! Thank you for releasing it back in the water. May it go in to create a bunch off huge gar offspring for future generations to enjoy catching! This was awesome!

That's a big un...when I was little I caught one of these at lake Grandbury. Had my uncle not been there it would have pulled me in to the water. It was only a foot, maybe two long. I remember being upset that we couldn't eat it. I couldn't imagine catching one this size, they have immense strength! Well done, good catch and congratulations!

Love the background train whistle the moment the fish makes her cameo!

I was reading an article and recognized you from the picture. Awesome catch and good on you for releasing.

What a thrilling video to watch! Amazing that you managed to handle that monster on your own. Love your enthusiasm 🔥

Thank you for giving it back to nature

I’m from the Houston area and have been hearing about this fish for last few days. Who cares about exact size and weight. While bragging rights are nice, that’s not what this guys about and it’s obvious in the video. Awesome specimen, and Great job getting it on video!

Absolutely Awesome! The guy from river monster got to be envious! I would like to an episode with you & him swopping fish tails, Lol.