SECRETARY, MD - An angler from Dorchester County now holds the Maryland record for longnose gar in the Chesapeake division for a second time.
Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says David Confair, of Secretary, caught a 20.5-pound, 49.5-inch gar on February 8. Confair was fishing the bottom of the Marshyhope Creek at a depth of about 15 feet at the time.
DNR says this is Confair’s second time as longnose gar record holder. Confair set the record in 2019 with a 17.9-pound gar, but was later surpassed by Samson Matthews with a 18.3-pound fish in 2020. Confair has now reclaimed the record with his latest 20.5-pound catch.
“When I first hooked the fish, it didn’t feel very big,” Confair said. “I got it to the boat in about a minute and a half. Then I saw it was a very large gar. It made one more dive to the bottom and then I was able to get it to the surface where my friend netted it.”
Longnose gar are known for their thick scales and needle-like snouts, DNR says. Their jaw structure and feeding behavior makes them difficult to catch, according to officials.