Alligator gar evades fishermen in Schenectady pond

A rare fish has garnered droves of hopeful anglers and curious onlookers to Central Park’s Iroquois Lake.

Mayor Gary McCarthy is offering a $100 bounty to whoever catches the mysterious alligator gar. Dozens of people tried to hook it Thursday, but none succeeded.

Julian Canavan, head lifeguard at the Central Park pool, was back at the pond Thursday morning with his fishing rod and almost caught the gar, again.

He said the hook got stuck in its mouth after the line snapped when the fish bolted in the opposite direction.

Canavan reported the gar to the DEC after he caught it about two weeks ago and released it back in the pond. At the time he said he was unaware that it was considered an invasive species.

The local alligator gar — a member of a 100 million-year-old species that grows quite large and has a lot of sharp teeth — has received a gargantuan amount of attention.

It now has its own Twitter account, @TheAlligatorGar.

On Thursday, the alligator gar tweeted, “Here’s the deal: Raise the reward to $500 or I eat one sunfish every hour, on the hour. Clock’s ticking.”

Several people on Twitter are calling the fish “Gary the gar,” referring to the mayor, and “GarZilla.”

A few hashtags have popped up for the gar including #GarWatch, #GarGate2016 and #GarLivesMatter.

There were only a handful of people at a time fishing at the pond in the morning and early afternoon.

George Perrin, 16, borrowed a fishing rod from another fisherman and tried to catch the gar.

“I heard about it from this guy yesterday trying to catch him,” he said as he tossed the line with a rubber mouse at the end. “I’ve fished here a bunch of times but only caught sunnies.”

Perrin and I took a swan boat out on the pond to get a closer look at the alligator gar, which was spotted multiple times popping its head and fins out of the water throughout the day. Alligator gar can breathe above or below the surface.

The gar sat still surrounded by algae as the swan approached it. The green-colored fish is torpedo-shaped with a long snout (filled with rows of sharp teeth). The alligator-looking creature darted out of sight when the swan’s shadow fell upon its skinny body.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation is asking anyone who catches the carnivorous fish to bag it, put it on ice and call the DEC to pick it up.

The DEC was at the pond Wednesday for a couple of hours with a motorboat and nets trying to catch the fish but failed to do so. It is unclear if the DEC will return to try again.

Canavan, who is studying ecology at SUNY Fredonia, said his mission to catch the gar is not about the money. He just wants to make sure it’s properly handled and reported.

Canavan planned to fish for the gar again Thursday night. He said the fish might be more receptive to his bait in the evening when there are fewer people around.

He said he is using a top secret bait to attract the gar — a chunk of raw chicken injected with various broths.

He estimated it to be about 37 inches and weigh 12 pounds. Alligator gar can get up to 10 feet long and weigh 300 pounds.

Scott Wells, an aquatic biologist with the DEC, said Wednesday that the gar was probably a pet whose owner dumped it in the pond.

McCarthy said he wants the gar out of the pond. But for now, it remains.

Reach Gazette reporter Haley Viccaro at 395-3114, [email protected] or @HRViccaro on Twitter.

Categories: News