My uncle is Bill Valverde(deceased) we have an old pic of him and my grandfather with the fish. I’ll get it scanned and emailed to you if you would like.
Dan

Thanks Dan!

[...] posted about the world record alligator gar sometime ago, but was unable to locate a photo of the enormous fish. Luckily one of our readers [...]

Hi,

Just wondering if we may be related. My immediate Valverde relatives are located in Southern California. I’m 64 but had a cousin Johnnie, a year older than me, who moved to Texas a number of years ago. He has since passed away. His parents names were Johnnie and Carmen and he had 5 siblings. Valverde is not a very common name so I thought just maybe.

Fred,
You never know. We live in the RIo Grande Valley. I’ll have to ask my mom if the names ring a bell.
Dan

Hey Dan
My name is Joseph an I live in the RGV(Edinburg) as well, im 21 and I’ve been trying to catch an alligator gar for a while, where do you think the is best place to catch one down here??

I am Bill Valverde’s youngest daughter. I was told dad’s fishing story many times while growing up and have a recording of my dad telling his tale. I haven’t listened to the tape in a long time but I will tell what I remember.

Dad was fishing in the Rio Grande outside Mission, Texas, about where Anzalduas dam is now. There was a draught at the time and Dad said the river was extremely low. He had gone out to fish for catfish and had his hooks weighted and baited for bottom fishing.

Dad said that gar don’t usually stike baited hooks but he guessed that this gar was really hungry due to the stress put on the river due
to the extreme draught.

My grandfather and (as family lore says)a couple of wetbacks helped dad drag the gar up on the bank and on to the car. It was brought into town tied to the top of the car.

My grandfather, Trini Valverde, was the bookkeeper at a location meat packing business (Leal’s) so he had access to a large scale.

The fish, as you see in the photo, is hung on the swingset in the yard.

As chance would have it, Bentsen State Park is just outside of Mission and there “someone” (can’t remember his name, though it is on the tape) was down from the Austin Parks and Wildlife Department (Austin is Texas’ state capitol) doing some work at Bentsen Park. Word got to him about Dad’s gar and he came to the house to see it. He took the length/weight information back to Austin along with the head.

My Mom said that though my family didn’t eat gar, there were many neighbors who did and they came to get large slabs of the fish to eat.

As to the question about family in California. We do not have any family there. Both my father’s parents were born in Tamauilipas in northern Mexico.

a good reason not to swim in the river!

Alice,

I’m sorry to hear about your dad. MY mom, Alicia Guerra Martin (daughter of Dario Guerra) is one of your dad’s cousins – from Mission. I can remember seeing the picture of that huge gar on the swing set at my grandparents’ house more than 30 years ago!
Amazing what we come across on the internet! I think the photo from Sam Rayburn is pretty cool, but am glad the record is still Bill’s!!!

Owen Martin
Houston

The new current world record by length was cought by Johnny Morris owner of bass pro shop. out of our private lake. You can see a picture of it on my website at http://www.garzillabowfishing.com we guide for monster alligator gar with rod n reel or bow.

Thanks Bubba, awesome fish!