BALTIMORE, MD—A Maryland angler reeled in a state record longnose gar last week, surpassing a record he previously held.

David Confair of Secretary in Dorchester County caught the 20.5-pound, 49.5-inch fish on February 8 while fishing in Marshyhope Creek, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced. Confair’s catch is a new state record for the Chesapeake division.

Confair was fishing at the bottom of the creek in about 15 feet of water when he caught the gar, using a two-hook sabiki rig with No. 4 hooks and small cut pieces of gizzard shad, according to DNR.

This is not the first time Confair has held the state record for longnose gar. He caught a 17.9-pound gar in 2019. The record was then broken by Samson Matthews in March 2020 with an 18.3-pound catch, also in Marshyhope Creek.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

Photo: State record longnose gar caught by David Confair on Feb. 8, 2025. Photo courtesy of David Confair, via Maryland DNR.