Alligator Gar

The Alligator Gar can grow to over 300 lb, and it is called Alligator gar because it has a head that looks very much like an alligator’s.

Region

South

Catch ease

Hard

Habitat

Bay, Lake, River

How to identify an Alligator Gar

The Alligator Gar is certainly one of the most distinctive freshwater species of fish. It can be distinguished from all other gars by the two rows of teeth in the upper jaw, its broader snout, and its size when fully grown. All other gars have one row of teeth in the upper jaw. In most other respects all gars are very similar in appearance, with a long body, a long, toothy snout, and a single dorsal fin that is far back on the body above the anal fin and just before the tail.

The tail is rounded and pectoral, ventral, and anal fins are fairly evenly spaced on the lower half of the body. The gars most closely resemble the fishes of the pike family (muskellunge, northern pike, and the pickerels.) in body shape and fin placement. In the pike family, the tail is forked not rounded.

Where to catch Alligator Gar

The Alligator gar is an inhabitant of large rivers, bays, and coastal marine waters from the western Florida panhandle west along the Gulf of Veracruz, Mexico, and north in the Mississippi River drainage as far as the lower reaches of the Ohio and Missouri rivers. It has been reported from Lake Nicaragua and the Sapoa River.

The following list includes places where you can catch Alligator gar:

Inside Turns and Coves

Points and Break Lines

Spring Holes

Walkways and Bridges

how to catch Alligator Gar

Because of its huge size and great strength, the Alligator gar is popular with anglers. Obviously, it is not a fish that is easily caught, as its sharp teeth will cut most lines in an instant. They are edible but are not highly rated by most people. The following are fishing methods you can use to catch Alligator gar:

Drift Fishing

Still Fishing

Bait Casting