Baxter man catches record gar

  • Michael Barnett of Baxter Springs landed a 33.6-pound, 63-inch-long longnose gar on April 18, 2026, while fishing the Spring River near Baxter Springs, ending a state record that stood for more than 50 years. Photo courtesy Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
    Michael Barnett of Baxter Springs landed a 33.6-pound, 63-inch-long longnose gar on April 18, 2026, while fishing the Spring River near Baxter Springs, ending a state record that stood for more than 50 years. Photo courtesy Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
    Kansas has a new state record longnose gar, ending a record that had stood for more than 50 years.Michael Barnett of Baxter Springs landed a 33.6-pound, 63-inch-long longnose gar while bowfishing the Spring River near Baxter Springs April 18.Barnett’s catch broke the previous Kansas state record longnose gar – a 31.5-pound fish caught in 1974 by Ray Schroeder of Topeka below P...

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