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Longnose Gar

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Longnose Gar
(Lepisosteus osseus)

Common Names - gar, garfish

Description - They are olive-brown or deep green along the back and upper sides, with silver-white bellies. There are a few irregular, large dark spots on the body. The young display scattered spots over both sides, the upper and lower jaws and on their ventral fins. The longnose is generally distinguished from other gars by its longer, more slender body, and especially by its longer, narrower snout. The snout is twice the length of the rest of the head.

Subspecies - There are no recognized subspecies.

Range - They are one of the most widespread and numerous of the gar species in Florida. They generally are found north of and in Lake Okeechobee.

Habitat - They inhabit sluggish, sometimes poorly oxygenated water, backwaters and oxbows of medium-to-large rivers and lakes. Longnose gars as well as other gar species are able to tolerate poor water quality by breathing air through its air bladder. They usually are found near vegetation and occasionally in brackish waters.

Spawning Habits - Spawning occurs between December and March in Florida. Adhesive eggs are scattered in shallow water over vegetation or other structure and hatch between six and eight days later. The larvae attaches themselves to the substrate shortly after hatching by means of a disk-like organ on the tip of the snout while the fish continues to develop. The attachment organ subsequently is lost as the fish develops into an adult.

Feeding Habits - Young fish mainly feed on zooplankton while larger ones feed on small fishes, frogs and crustaceans. They feed by stalking their prey or lying in wait for it to come within striking distance.

Age and Growth - Females grow faster, bigger, and live longer than males and can attain lengths in excess of five feet.

Sporting Qualities - Gars are sporty fighters; however, they are not fished for to a great extent. They can be taken with minnows and artificial lures or during daylight by spearing (although not by speargun) and snagging them with treble hooks. They are popular with bow-fishermen and anglers using frayed nylon cord as a lure snag, which entangles the gars teeth.

Eating Quality - Although the flesh of longnose gars are edible, it is not popular. However, the Seminole Indians reportedly prefer gars over other fish. They roast them whole in the coals of open fires. The roe is poisonous to humans, animals and birds.

World Record - 50.31 pounds, caught in Trinity River, Texas, in 1954.

State Record - 41.00 pounds, caught in Lake Panasoffkee, Sumter County, in 1985.