Seems no sooner did Outposts mention the International Game Fish Assn. all-tackle world record for alligator gar in a Wednesday post than word comes that the record may be bested.

Angler Kenny Williams of Vicksburg, Miss., landed an alligator gar Monday that tipped the scales at 327 pounds, possibly a new record for the species. The current IGFA record belongs to a 279-pounder pulled from the Rio Grande in Texas in 1951.

The fish, caught in Mississippi's Chotard Lake, measured 8 feet, 5 1/4 inches with a 47.95-inch girth.

"At first I didn't think he was that big. But as I was getting him into the boat, it was like, 'How big is this thing?' It was a lot of effort just to get him into the boat," Williams told ABC affiliate WAPT-TV in Jackson, Miss.

Williams donated his catch to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, where it will be mounted and placed on display.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: Mississippi Museum of Natural Science staffers look over the 327-pound alligator gar caught Monday by angler Kenny Williams. Credit: Ricky Flynt / Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks

Here's this week's Irvine Lake fishing report, written by veteran angler Steve Carson:

Good trout action greeted Irvine Lake anglers this week, despite rainy midweek conditions, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "We have had too many 3- to 5-pounders weighed in to even keep track of," observed Getty. "They have really been whacking them right out in front [of the Pro Shop]."

Getty added, "For the President’s Day holiday this week, we will have two special trout stockings. The first will be another load of rainbow trout in the 10- to 20-pound 'super lunker' category. The second will be a batch of drag-sizzling steelhead in the 7- to 10-pound range."

Daniela Gavaldon at the Pro Shop also advised anglers, "With the rain we are having right now, the lakeside roads are currently closed to vehicle traffic. It usually takes 24 to 48 hours drying time after the rain stops before they can reopen. Be sure to call the Pro Shop [714 649-9111] for up-to-the-minute road conditions."

The hottest trout baits continue to be the Power Bait Mice Tails and Gulp! Pinched Crawlers. Irvine Lake Pro Team leader Marlon Meade has been perfecting the techniques being used with the Mice Tails.

Fly-fishing enthusiasts of all skill levels will want to plan a trip to Pasadena this weekend, as the annual Fly Fishing Show returns to the city's Convention Center Saturday and Sunday.

Fly-casters, fly-tiers, tackle manufacturers, authors, artists and worldwide angling destination representatives will be on hand staffing about 80 exhibitor booths devoted to the sport.

There will also be presentations, demonstrations and other fly-fishing events each day. A schedule of "Destination Theater" shows and other seminars is available on the Fly Fishing Show website.

Hours are 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $15 for adults (or $25 for a two-day pass), $10 for active military, $2 for children younger than 12 and free for Scouts under age 16 in uniform and children younger than 5.

-- Kelly Burgess

twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: A fly-fisherman tries his luck amid the seasonal colors on the Merced River. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

An Oklahoma angler has set a new state record after reeling in a 192-pound, 1-ounce alligator gar last month.

James Tucker of Ardmore, Okla., landed the 7-foot, 7 1/2-inch-long behemoth Jan. 27 while fishing the state's Red River. The fish, with a girth measuring 3 feet, 3 inches, was confirmed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation as a new state record last week. 

Tucker's fish broke the previous Oklahoma alligator gar record by more than six pounds. Sean Chatham, also from Ardmore, held the former record for a 184-pound, 3-ounce fish caught from the same river in 2006.

Though an impressive catch, Tucker's fish doesn't come close to the International Game Fish Assn. all-tackle world record for the species -- that distinction belongs to a 279-pounder pulled from the Rio Grande in Texas in 1951.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: James Tucker of Ardmore, Okla., landed a new state record alligator gar Jan. 27 when he landed this 192-pound, 1-ounce fish from the Red River. Credit: Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

Supercross rider Jimmy Button vividly remembers the accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Remembers it as if it happened only yesterday, instead of 11 years ago.

"I can still remember it clear as day. It was one of those basic little falls -- I wasn't going very quickly at all -- I just fell down very slowly and hit at the wrong speed and at the wrong angle. It pinched my spinal cord and I had instantaneous paralysis," Button told Outposts.

Button, then 26, was starting his 11th season as a professional motocross rider. However, on Jan. 22, 2000, his life would drastically change in an instant. While practicing for the evening’s AMA Supercross Series race at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium, Button went down in the whoop section and immediately went numb.

"The second I hit the ground I knew, I instinctively knew what was wrong, and when medic workers and various track workers got to me I basically told them that I was pretty sure I just paralyzed myself because I can't feel anything or move anything below my neck."

The injury sustained was a pinched spinal cord in the C-2 to C-6 region of his neck -- his second and third vertebrae -- leaving Button paralyzed from the neck down and considered an incomplete quadriplegic.

"A complete injury is when the spinal cord is severed; an incomplete injury is where mine is, where it's a bruise where there's always a glimmer of hope that something might come back to you, you may regain some function," said Button.

Still, doctors didn't hold out much hope, and told family that Button would likely never walk again.

"My records, which we have, say on the very first page 'give family zero hope for recovery.' I think there were maybe some people in the rehab center thought I had a chance but not the initial doctors," Button said.

Pamela Henry had it in her head that she was going to land a record blue tilapia. And the Stuart, Fla., resident did just that, reeling in a 9.6-pound specimen that was not only a new Florida state record but also made the world record books.

"I've been fishing my whole life, so it was always my mission to catch a record blue tilapia," Henry said. "I had researched the minimum weight, so I knew what I was looking for."

The fish, measuring 24 inches long, was recently certified by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as the largest blue tilapia caught recreationally in state waters.

Additionally, the International Game Fish Assn. issued the all-tackle world record for the species to Henry, who caught the lunker last August while fishing from her dock in the south fork of the St. Lucie River.

A taxidermist is mounting the record-breaking fish, a reminder for Henry of her angling prowess.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: Pam Henry was fishing off her dock on Florida's St. Lucie River when she caught this record-breaking blue tilapia. Credit: Pam Henry

Barring adverse weather, water or road conditions, the following is a list of Southern California and Eastern Sierra waters, listed by county, that will be stocked with rainbow trout throughout the week of Feb. 14 by the Department of Fish and Game:

VENTURA: Rancho Simi Community Park lake and Reyes Creek.

SANTA BARBARA: None.

ORANGE: Yorba Regional Park lake.

LOS ANGELES: Castaic Lake, Cuddy Creek Pond, Elizabeth Lake, Hansen Lake, Legg Lake, Peck Road Park lake, Puddingstone Reservoir, Pyramid Lake and Santa Fe Flood Control Basin.

SAN DIEGO: Lower Otay Lake, Morena Reservoir and Murray Reservoir.

IMPERIAL: Sunbeam Lake and Wiest Lake.

RIVERSIDE: Hemet Lake and Lake Cahuilla.

SAN BERNARDINO: Cucamonga-Guasti Regional Park Lake, El Prado Regional Park lake, Glen Helen Regional Park lakes, Mojave Narrows Regional Park lake and Yucaipa Regional Park lake.

INYO: Diaz Lake, lower Owens River from Stewart Lane to Laws and Pleasant Valley Reservoir.

MONO: None.

 Photo: Rainbow trout. Credit: Eric Engbretson / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a new report, "Trends in Fishing and Hunting 1991-2006: A focus on Fishing and Hunting by Species," that provides a detailed look at fishing and hunting by species and offers information on national and state fishing and hunting expenditures, participation rates and demographic trends. 

The 72-page report, an addendum to the 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation, represents a comprehensive survey conducted by the Service’s Wildlife Sport Fish and Restoration Program. Data used to support the study were obtained from 11 fishing and hunting surveys sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Assn. of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

"We want reviewers of this research to understand that while the generalization that hunting and fishing are declining in popularity is often heard, this report shows that the truth is more complicated," Richard Aiken, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lead economist for the study, said in a news release.

In support of the California Department of Fish and Game and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Outposts, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly Q&A column:

Question: I fish in Southern California and have a question about black sea bass. I know they are illegal to keep when caught. However, when they are caught while targeting other species, what is the regulation for releasing them? After the hook is removed and swim bladder punctured, may a picture be taken with the fish out of the water before it is released? I am under the impression they may not be removed from the water. I ask because a friend of mine accidentally caught a small black sea bass (about 30 lbs.) and after removing the hook and puncturing the swim bladder, he held it up and posed for a quick picture with the fish. I told him I didn’t think that was legal and he argued it was. He did release the fish immediately after the photo was taken, and the fish swam off, apparently unharmed. I’ve searched the website for clarification, but have found nothing. Can you please clarify this issue for me? We are very conscientious fisherman. (Dave L.)

Answer: Giant (black) sea bass and other no-take species cannot be retained and must be released immediately. Therefore, holding the fish out of the water for a picture is unlawful. The best-case scenario for the fish would be to cut the line while it is still in the water.

Outposts will attempt to post the most recent ski report for California, courtesy of SkiReport.com, each Thursday:

	BASE	LIFTS	SURFACE	24 HR	72 HR
Alpine Meadows	75-140"	9 of 13	PDR	0"	0"
Badger Pass	66-72"	4 of 5	PP	0"	0"
Bear Mountain	24-36"	7 of 12	PP	0"	0"
Bear Valley	78"	9 of 9	PP	0"	0"
Boreal	84-160"	7 of 8	PDR	0"	0"
China Peak	84-120"	9 of 11	PP	0"	0"
Dodge Ridge	45-57"	9 of 11	HP	0"	0"
Donner Ski Ranch	52-174"	8 of 8	PP	0"	0"
Heavenly	65-90"	26 of 29	PP	0"	1"
Homewood	41-77"	6 of 8	PDR	0"	0"
June	48-96"	6 of 7	PP	0"	2"
Kirkwood	88-94"	12 of 12	PP	0"	0"
Mammoth	110-205"	28 of 29	PP	0"	1"
Mountain High	24-48"	6 of 16	PP	0"	0"
Mt Baldy (1 day old)	10-20"	4 of 4	PP	--	--
Mt Shasta (1 day old)	28-62"	3 of 4	PP	--	--
Northstar at Tahoe	46-82"	16 of 19	PP	0"	0"
Royal Gorge (2 days old)	60-75"	--	PP	--	--
Sierra at Tahoe	39-118"	9 of 14	VC	0"	0"
Snow Summit	24-36"	9 of 14	HP	0"	0"
Snow Valley	12-30"	4 of 12	HP	0"	0"
Soda Springs	82-120"	6 of 7	PP	0"	0"
Squaw Valley USA	109"	24 of 33	PP	0"	0"
Sugar Bowl	64-132"	9 of 13	VC	0"	0"
Tahoe Donner (1 day old)	56-72"	4 of 4	PP	--	--

Click on ski area for detailed California ski report, cams, weather conditions, and more.

Here's this week's Irvine Lake fishing report, written by veteran angler Steve Carson:

Beautiful quality-grade trout were the rule this week at Irvine Lake, reported Jimmy Getty at the Pro Shop. "The trout bite has just been insane on big fish. We have had countless trout in the 5- to 9-pound class, and quite a few were even bigger than that. We also had a five-trout limit that totaled over 27 pounds, and a 14-4 trout caught by a 7-year-old kid!"

Getty added, "Just before Presidents [Day] weekend [Feb. 19-21], we will have two special trout stockings. The first will be another load of rainbow trout in the 10- to 20-pound 'super lunker' category. The second will be a batch of drag-sizzling steelhead in the 7- to 10-pound range."

Most of the trout on the stringers this week were beautiful 2- to 8-pound rainbows, with a surprising number of larger-grade rainbows from 9 to 14 pounds. A few exotic brown trout to 6 pounds and steelhead to 8 pounds also added variety.

The hottest baits for trout were Berkley Mice Tails and Pinched Crawlers. The Irvine Lake Pro Team has been fine-tuning the best presentations, and demonstrated that an exceptionally productive technique is slow trolling.

Considered a challenge faced largely by hunters, access to areas to enjoy their sport is an obstacle anglers deal with as well, according to results of a recent survey.

When anglers were asked by AnglerSurvey.com if, in the past year, they had to cancel a trip or stop fishing a particular area because they could no longer access it, 19.5% of respondents said they had, largely consistent with results to the same question posed the previous year.

The 2010 survey, which measured angler experiences from 2009, found that 81.5% of concerns raised involved freshwater fishing locations where angler access was affected by low water levels due to drought or lake draw down, pollution generated from excess runoff as a result of storms, boat ramp closures, and limited public right of entry points. Only 19.7% of access concerns affected saltwater anglers that year, but in the January 2011 survey -- measuring angler experiences from 2010 -- that number jumped to 24.8%.

While the poll did not examine causes for limits on access, 2010 witnessed several issues affecting  saltwater fishing which may have led to the jump in access issues. Chief among these were the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which closed much of the area to fishing last summer; bottom fishing closures in the Southeast; and additional sportfishing closures along the California coast as part of the Marine Life Protection Act.