Fish Index: Gar

Showing posts with label Gar. Show all posts

Shortnose Gar (Lepisosteus platostomus)

The Shortnose Gar or Lepisosteus platostomus is an air breather that will actually drown if not given access to the surface of the water. These freshwater fish can survive poor quality waters and are found in swamps, lakes, ponds and backwaters of rivers in places like Oklahoma, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Montana, Alabama and Louisiana. If you are fishing for Shortnose Gar, you will normally find them in and around thick vegetation and submerged logs.

Even though the snout of the Shortnose Gar is actually quite long, it is the shortest of all the different Gar species including the Alligator Gar, Spotted Gar, and of course, the Longnose Gar. These fish are long and slender and can reach lengths of over 4' and weigh up to about 8lbs. Their body is covered with thick diamond shaped scales that are known as ganoid scales.

Shortnose Gar will spawn in the spring in shallow coves. Their eggs are a dark green and should never be eaten by humans. When the fry is first born it has a egg sack attached to it which it gains its nutrition from. For this reason, they are very inactive when they are first hatched. As time goes on and they deplete their egg sack, they will become more active and start hunting. They feed on small fish and invertebrates and tend to be an ambush predator much like the Northern Pike.

If you have any fishing tips or additional information about the Shortnose Gar please share...

Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus)

The Longnose Gar or Lepisosteus osseus has the typical Gar shaped body, long and slender with a mouth that is packed full of sharp teeth. This freshwater fish can grow to about 61" and weigh in at almost 80lbs max. They are said to live to about 20 years old. This species of Gar can be differentiated by its super long snout, which is at least 10 times the minimum width of the fish.

The Longnose Gar goes by a few different names including the Needlenose Gar, Billfish and Billy Gar. They are found in many places in the Eastern United States, Southern Quebec and even in some places in Mexico. Longnose Gar often can be caught in rivers, streams and backwaters using nylon threads that attach themselves to their teeth, or by bowfishing. You can check out the Longnose Gar and Spotted Gar underwater in the video below...

Spawning activity for Longnose Gar often occurs April or later in shallow water. The female Gar, which is larger than the male will often have multiple partners. These fish don't build nests, instead the female spreads her eggs in several locations. The eggs are sticky and will adhere to gravel and other items. NOTE: Do not eat these eggs as they are poisonous. Once the fry hatch after about a week, they feed on insects and small crustaceans. It doesn't take long though before these ferocious predators are eating small fish.

If you have any more information, fishing tips or Longnose Gar recipes that you would like to share please do so below by posting a comment...

Spotted Gar (Lepisosteus oculatus)

The Spotted Gar or Lepisosteus oculatus is a vicious predatory fish. These fish are found from Lake Erie south to the Mississippi River basin and even in Florida and Texas. Spotted Gar are normally found in drainage type areas, and even brackish water. As a type of Gar they are one of the few surviving species that have ganoid scales. These scales are considered to be very strong and lay over the already present cosmine layer of scale. They are diamond shaped, shiny and very tough.

The Spotted Gar is a long slender fish that can grow to 3' (0.9 meters) and weigh in at 8lbs (3.6 kg). This species can be distinguished from other Gars by the dark spots on the top of their heads, pectoral fins and on the pelvic fins as well. This fish has a special swim bladder which enables them to gulp air and live in very poorly oxygenated waters. They can live to about 18 years old although they reach sexual maturity in only 3 to 4 years.

To see the Spotted Gar in action check out this video below...

The Alligator Gar or Atractosteus Spatula is by far the largest of the Gar Fish. This massive fish can grow up to 10' long and weigh in at over 300lbs! This massive size has bred rumors of man eating Alligator Gars! This freshwater fish gets its name from its alligator like head and mouth full of razor sharp teeth. Another gator like attribute is the amazing ability to survive out of water for up to two hours!

As you can imagine, this predators teeth along with its enormous size combine to make it one dangerous fish to catch. Fish tales tell of Fisherman getting the Alligator Gar into the boat and mistakenly thinking it is dead. The fish gets its revenge by biting off a finger or two! Always handle with extreme care!

Alligator Gars are found throughout the Southeastern United States, but have also been reported in Jakarta, Indonesia and Bera, Pahang. Like the Pike, this fish will lie in cover and wait for its prey to swim by and then quickly attack! To check out these huge Alligator Gars in action watch the videos below...