---
title: "Potential World Record Tropical Gar Caught in Costa Rica"
description: "Certainly, you wouldn't want to see this gnarly mug staring at you whether on deck or below water. Native Costa Rican Mauricio Solis Salas was plying a stretch of his country's Rio Frio with local guide Francisco Naranjo, when he cast a tried and true Mepps Spinner into the murky waters."
date: "2013-11-22"
modified: "2013-11-22"
authors:
  - name: "Nick Honachefsky"
    link: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/authors/nick-honachefsky/"
url: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/gone-fishin/2013/11/potential-world-record-tropical-gar-caught-costa-rica/"
categories:
  - "Fishing"
  - "Record Fish"
---

# Potential World Record Tropical Gar Caught in Costa Rica

![](<https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/23/VM35BTLHW7WCJBADLGY24WBFWA.jpg>)

Certainly, you wouldn't want to see this gnarly mug staring at you whether on deck or below water. Native Costa Rican Mauricio Solis Salas was plying a stretch of his country's Rio Frio with local guide Francisco Naranjo, when he cast a tried and true Mepps Spinner into the murky waters.

The Mepps subsequently got throttled by this fearsome 19-pound tropical gar. The standing all-tackle record tropical gar sits at 11 pounds 6 ounces, so Salas' gar has a good shot at claiming the IGFA All Tackle World Record should it hold up.

This fish is quite a bit smaller than our huge alligator gar, but an impressive catch nonetheless.