Longnose gar sets new bow fishing record for 2023

February 13, 2024  |  By Waterbury Roundabout 

Jeremy Bicking took this 18.6-pound longnose gar while bowfishing last May on Lake Champlain. It beat the existing bowfishing record set in 1996 by just under a pound. Vermont Fish & Wildlife photo

A bow-fishing angler on Lake Champlain can claim the one record-setting catch in Vermont for 2023, according to the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife. 

The department announced that a longnose gar caught last May by Jeremy Bicking of Pennsylvania has been certified as a new state record.

The fish weighed 18.6 pounds and measured 54.75 inches in length, a quarter inch longer but 3 ounces lighter than the current record longnose gar caught by rod and reel in 2007, according to state records. Bicking’s fish edged out the previous record-holder, a 50.5-inch gar weighing 17.85 lbs. caught by Tom Casavant on Lake Champlain in August 1996.

State records are kept separately for four species of fish that can be taken both by hook-and-line and bow fishing.

Fish and Wildlife Department fisheries biologist Shawn Good, who administers the state’s Record Fish Program, said that in recent years anglers have expanded their species preferences to include many of the state’s under-appreciated but equally challenging native sport fish species.

“While fishing remains excellent for more traditional sport fish species such as bass, trout, walleye, and pike, there are so many other fish out there that can provide amazing action with real trophy potential.  Fish like bowfin, gar, freshwater drum, suckers, and even fallfish – Vermont’s largest native minnow species – the opportunities are endless,” Good said. 

Lake trout are plentiful in Northeast Kingdom waters. Roger Stoddard of Morgan landed this trophy 25.6-pound fish in Echo Lake in 2023. Vermont Fish & Wildlife photo

Although not new state records, two other notable fish were entered in the State Record Fish Program in 2023 – an 11.86-pound walleye from Lake Champlain and a 25.6-pound lake trout from Echo Lake in Charleston.

“While Lake Champlain gets most of the attention for lake trout fishing opportunities and action in Vermont, many of the inland lakes in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom are real sleepers for big fish,” Good noted. 

Department fisheries biologist Jud Kratzer added that for those seeking trophy-sized lake trout, “the Northeast Kingdom is where you want to be.” The state program lists 69 lake trout exceeding 20 pounds, all of which came from waters in the Northeast Kingdom. 

“And 530-acre Echo Lake has produced four of them, with the largest being just shy of 30 pounds. That’s remarkable for a lake of that size,” Kratzer said. 

Fisheries biologists credit walleye stocking and sea lamprey control for growing success by anglers on Lake Champlain to catch many fish over 10 pounds in recent years. This walleye caught in 2023 by Grand Isle angler Nausori Osasa weighed just under 12 pounds. Vermont Fish & Wildlife photo

Although several Kingdom lakes offer the best possibility of a Vermont lake trout over 20 pounds, Good says the average size there tends to be smaller overall than what anglers will find in Lake Champlain. Good said that the 11.86-pound walleye entry is a testament to the ongoing successes of fisheries management efforts on the lake.

Biologists credit the state’s cutting-edge walleye hatchery on Grand Isle and the continued success of long-term sea lamprey control by the Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative (comprised of Vermont Fish & Wildlife, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) with bolstering walleye and other sport fish species in the lake.

“It’s been amazing to see what anglers are catching lately on Champlain for big walleye. The population has really been booming in the last few years, with lots of 10-pound-plus fish being caught. As one of the fisheries biologists on the lake, it’s really heartening to see our hard work and long-term management efforts paying off for anglers,” Good said.

Find more online at vtfishandwildlife.com/fish and the state’s fish-record database with the Vermont Record Fish Program.