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Fishing Fact
Shortnose gar may be captured by entangling the teeth in nylon threads or by bowfishing. They are rarely fished for intentionally, but are caught accidentally on baits and lures intended for other fish.
Description
Shortnose gar have elongated bodies with a short, broad snout and spots on the tail. The underside is lightly colored with the sides and back of the fish having an olive green color. Shortnose gar may be distinguished from other gar species in that they lack the double row of teeth in the upper jaw of the alligator gar, the long snout of the longnose gar, and the spots of the spotted gar. Shortnose gar are smaller than other gar species in Mississippi, and rarely exceed a length of 3 feet or 5 pounds in weight. These are the smallest of the four different gar species, reaching lengths of 2 to 4 feet.
Habits and Habitat
Adults feed primarily on other fish, but also eat insect larvae and small crawfish, shrimp, and crabs. The shortnose gar prefers quiet back waters of large rivers and oxbow lakes. Shortnose gar spawn in the spring and early summer (April through June) or when temperatures are between 66ºF and 74ºF in vegetated shallow water. Shortnose gar eggs, like other gar eggs, are poisonous.
Other Names
Billy gar, Short-billed gar, Stub-nose gar, Duckbilled gar, or Broadnose gar
Scientific Name
Lepisosteus platostomus
State Record
Mississippi’s Rod and Reel record for the shortnose is 5.83 pounds, caught by Robert Mills in Enid spillway in 1999.
Fishing Fact
Spotted gar may be captured by entangling the teeth in nylon threads or by bowfishing. They are rarely fished for intentionally, but are caught accidentally on baits and lures intended for other fish.
Description
Spotted gar have elongated bodies with a long, broad snout and spots on the head, fins, and body. This gar is a whitish color underneath and olive green on the sides and the back. Spotted gar normally weigh between 1 and 5 pounds, but can reach weights of 20 pounds. Spotted gar can reach lengths of over 3 feet. The spotted gar can live up to 18 years.
Habits and Habitat
Adults feed on insect larvae and small crustaceans, but mostly fish. Spotted gar feed in shallow water at night while staying in deeper water during the day. Spotted gar prefer slow, clear waters of rivers and lakes and will spawn in shallow water with heavy vegetation and little water flow. Spawning season lasts from April to May.
Other Names
Bill fish, Garfish, and Shortnose gar
Scientific Name
Lepisosteus oculatus
State Record
The Mississippi Rod and Reel record for the spotted gar is 8.1 pounds, caught by Chuck Herring at the Enid Lake spillway in 2012.
Fishing Fact
Longnose gar often tangle themselves in nets, and are caught by using nylon threads to snare the teeth. Longnose gar often jump repeatedly when hooked. They are also targeted by bowfishers. Some people prefer gar meat fried or smoked.
Description
Longnose gar have an elongated body with a long, narrow snout and black spots on the fins and sides. The sides and back are dark brown or olive green with the belly a white color. Longnose gar normally grow longer than 3 feet, and often reach lengths of over 5 feet. Their weight is usually around 20 pounds, but they can reach weights of up to 40 pounds. Females grow faster and live longer than males. Males usually live 11 years but can live up to 17 years. Females, on the other hand, can live up to 22 years with most living longer than 17 years. In fact, longnose gar can live up to 30 years in captivity.
Habits and Habitat
A longnose gar’s diet consists of fish, particularly shad and sunfishes. Longnose gar are normally found in medium to large rivers but also inhabit oxbow lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries. These fish spawn in the spring in shallow water ranging from 62ºF to 70ºF.
Other Names
Needlenose gar, Billyfish, Pin-nose gar, and Scissorlips
Scientific Name
Lepisosteus osseus
State Record
Mississippi’s Rod and Reel record is 40 pounds, caught by J.E. Bennett in Grenada Lake Spillway in 2004.
Fishing Fact
Alligator gar are sometimes targeted on rod-and-reel by folks after a true trophy. These fish pull hard, jump often, and fight all the way to the boat and in it!
Description
The name reflects the shape of the alligator gar’s head which resembles an alligator. Alligator gar have a short, broad snout, and the upper jaw has two rows of large teeth. These fish have a cylindrical body that is olive-brown on the back and on the sides. The belly is lighter in color, and dark spots are seen on the fins. The alligator gar is the largest of the gar species. Alligator gar can reach over 9 feet in length and weigh over 300 pounds.
Habits and Habitat
Fish are the main component of the alligator gar’s diet. Alligator gar may also eat ducks and cormorants. Gar in brackish water near the coast prey on blue crabs, mullet, and other fish. Spawning occurs in late spring, in and around dense areas of aquatic vegetation. Alligator gar typically inhabit large river systems, but can also be found in oxbow lakes, bayous, and estuaries. Alligator gar have declined precipitously throughout much of their former range and are most common in south Mississippi.
Other Names
Mississippi alligator gar, Great gar, Gator, and Gator gar
Scientific Name
Atractosteus spatula
State Record
In 2011, the new trophy record alligator gar was caught with bow and arrow; this gar weighed 234 pounds. In the same year, a commercial fisherman in Lake Chotard caught a 327 pound alligator gar in his gill net. It measured 8 feet 5 ½ inches long. Mississippi’s Rod and Reel record is 215 pounds, caught by Earl Stafford in the Mississippi River near Natchez in 2003.
Fishing Fact
Since the Magnolia crappie are sterile, triploid hybrids, they are suitable for small lakes and ponds.
Description
The Magnolia crappie is spawned in a fish hatchery and is a cross between a male black-striped black crappie and a female white crappie. The eggs are subjected to several thousand pounds of pressure resulting in the formation of three sets of chromosomes. The fish are sterile hybrids unable to reproduce.
Habits and Habitat
Habits and habitat are similar to white and black crappie.
Other Names
Blackstripe, Blacknose, Speck, Speckled perch
State Record
The current state record Magnolia crappie was caught by Tom Box from Lake Charlie Capps and weighed 3.46 pounds.
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Wildlife & Hunting