#1 IGFA WORLD RECORD GUIDE 2021
About Bubba Bedre
I have been fishing the Trinity River since I was 10 years old. I am 51 now. Everything I know about alligator gar — and I know more than anyone alive — I learned on this river.
Forty-One Years on One River
I grew up on the Trinity River. My family had a ranch on the water in Anderson County and from the time I was 10 years old, this river was my backyard. I remember when you never saw another boat for weeks at a time. The alligator gar were so thick in parts of the river it would seem like you could walk across their backs.
I have been fishing and studying this fish for over 40 years. Not casually — obsessively. I have spent more of my life with a fishing pole in my hands on the bank of the Trinity River than I have doing almost anything else. I have caught gar all over Texas. I pioneered techniques that did not exist before I developed them. I built a career on one species and one river because I believed the alligator gar deserved to be taken seriously as a sport fish — long before anyone else did.
I founded Garzilla Guide Service in 2007. Not because I saw a business opportunity. Because I could not stop fishing and eventually someone had to pay for the gas.
Nineteen years later, our team has set 41 IGFA World Records, hosted 28 celebrity clients, appeared on 30-plus international TV productions, and served clients from 172 countries. Gordon Ramsay fished with us. Jeremy Wade from River Monsters filmed here. The BBC, National Geographic, Animal Planet, and NHK Japan have all put cameras on our boats.
I am a member of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Freshwater Fisheries Advisory Committee. I founded the Texas Gar Fishing Association. I sit on the body that sets management policy for the same water I grew up fishing as a kid.
I am happily married with two boys and two girls. Palestine, Texas is home. The Trinity River is still my backyard. I fish it the same way I always have — with complete focus, total respect for the fish, and the knowledge that comes from a lifetime on the same water.
The Record No One Comes Close To
Why We Fish Catch and Release
I have watched this fishery change over my lifetime. I grew up when the gar were so thick you could almost walk across them. I have also watched what happens when they are not protected. I became a fishing guide because I love this species. I advocate for catch and release because I want this river to keep producing trophy fish for the next generation the same way it produced them for mine.
TPWD research has confirmed that alligator gar can live to 100 years old. A 7-foot fish is roughly 40 years old. When you put one of those fish back in the river, you are not releasing one fish — you are protecting 30 to 60 more years of spawning potential. That matters. Our team takes that seriously on every trip.
Every client who fishes with Garzilla gets the fish. The photo. The story they will tell for the rest of their life. And then the fish swims back into the Trinity to keep growing. That is the right way to do it.
Seven Guides. One River.
Garzilla Guide Service is not a one-man operation. I built a team of guides who share the same philosophy — deep water knowledge, professional equipment, and total dedication to every client. Seven boats covering the entire Trinity River corridor from Dallas to Houston.
Dallas Corridor
Bubba, Evan, and Randy cover the upper Trinity stretch between Dallas and Palestine. Clients meet approximately 60–90 minutes south of downtown Dallas.
Palestine · Home Water
Bubba personally guides from Palestine on VIP, celebrity, and international trips. The middle Trinity near Anderson County is where 41 IGFA World Records were set.
Houston Corridor
Cody, Dalton, Lance, and Justin cover the lower Trinity between Huntsville and Livingston — 60–90 minutes from most Houston locations.
Book a Trip With Our Team
41 years of knowledge. 41 IGFA World Records. One river. April through September.