Keith and Huntley Dees posing with the alligator gar.
A father-son duo from Alabama in the United States caught a massive alligator gar, which they later learned broke the state's fishing record, according to a report in Fox News. When Keith Dees and his son Huntley were reeling in the 162-pound (73 kg) beast, they admitted they had no idea what it was as they were pulling it into their boat. They caught the alligator gar from the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, the Yellowhammer State's largest river delta and wetland in November last year, according to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR).
The ADCNR issued a press release earlier this month in which the agency said the fish broke Alabama's record by 11 pound (4.9 kg), as per Fox News.
Keith has posted a photo of his incredible find on Facebook in which he is seen posing with the son and the alligator gar hanging between them
In a Facebook post, Keith wrote he reeled it in a mystery fish as "fast as I could".
"About 11:30 we decided to fish one more spot. I made a cast and about half way back to the boat my chatterbait just went slack. Reeling as fast as I could, I got it tight just before I saw a big fish swim by my trolling motor. Had no idea what it was until it surfaced after about 30 minutes," the man said in the post.
He later told ADCNR, "When it came up, I knew it was big, but I didn't even remotely know it was a state record. That never crossed my mind."
For Keith and Huntley, the fishing trip is an annual Thanksgiving tradition and have caught several fishes in the past.