Gigantic ‘River Monster’ Caught in the Ohio River…What on Earth Is It?

I'm not much of a binge watcher anymore. One episode a night, or every other night, is perfectly fine with me. Why burn through something you enjoy only to wait perhaps another whole year before you see new episodes again?

RIVER MONSTERS

Now, if the series in question already has aired a great number of episodes, that's different. An old Animal Planet series called River Monsters is one of my favorites. When I first discovered it, I tore through several episodes in one sitting and then learned there were a whole lot more. You have to hand it to host Jeremy Wade, he'll jump in with just about anything.

ALLIGATOR GAR

He came to mind when I saw what Kyle Naegeli posted on his Instagram. It's an alligator gar, it's nearly EIGHT feet long, and he thinks it could be upwards of 80 years old. More of an eye-opener is the fact that this beast was tagged 13 years ago, and the tag is intact.

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A post shared by Kyle Naegeli (@thefishwhisperer1)

It was a real fight, too, when his line and that gar made contact.

Yes, there are river monsters in the mighty Ohio, but this isn't one we have to worry about. They have two large rows of teeth, but they are not aggressive and will not come after us. You might sustain an injury if you mishandle one, but that would be on you, not the gar.

HOW BIG ARE ALLIGATOR GAR?

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources tells us that alligator gar can grow up to nine feet long making the one "The Fish Whisperer" caught pretty close to as big as possible. Wade went looking for one in Texas and described its size in very relatable and frightening terms within the first 15 seconds of this video.

CAN YOU EAT ALLIGATOR GAR?

If you catch an alligator gar with designs on making it an entrée, you most certainly can, but it's not easy. Norma Page asked the question in the comment section but may have been dissuaded when Scott Jenkins said this...

You can but it's really easy to overcook, and then it gets really tough, they are really hard to clean their scales are like armor and you can cut your fingers all up you must wear gloves while doing this.

In other words, you would really have to WANT to eat it. And then you may not even like it. As far as I'm concerned, if a creature can live 80 years or longer, they've earned the right to live 80 years or longer. Yes, it would be an impressive catch, and I would immediately return it to the water.