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SPOTTED
FRESHWATER FISHING
Spotted Gar
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Alligator Gar
Spotted Gar
(Lepisosteus
oculatus) Common Names
- gar, garfish, Florida
gar
Description
- Spotted gars are almost identical to Florida gars.
Both species are the only two gars that have dark spots
on the top of the head as well as over the entire body
and on all the fins. They can be distinguished by the
distance between the front of the eye and the rear edge
of the gill cover. If the distance is more than
two-thirds the length of the snout, it is a spotted gar.
If the distance is less than two-thirds the length of
the snout, it is a Florida gar. Spotted gars have a
single row of teeth in each jaw and has a much broader
snout than that of the longnose gar. The coloration
generally is darker than that of Florida gars, some fish
being almost black, depending on the color of the water.
Subspecies
- There are no recognized subspecies. However, they may
hybridize with Florida gars.
Range
- They occur west of the Ochlockonee River in the
panhandle of Florida. East of the Apalachicola drainage
and in the remainder of the state they are replaced by
its closest relative, the Florida gar.
Habitat
- They prefer quiet, clear pools and backwaters of
lowland creeks; small-to-large rivers, swamps, sloughs
and ditches with an abundance of vegetation or debris.
Spotted gars occasionally enter salt water. They also
use an air bladder to breathe air in oxygen depleted
water.
Spawning Habits
- Spawning occurs in the spring in heavily vegetated
sloughs. The adhesive eggs are dispersed in the water,
attach to aquatic vegetation and hatch within
six-to-eight days. Larvae adhere to vegetation after
hatching by means of a disk-like organ on the tip of the
snout while the fish develops. The organ subsequently is
lost as the fish develops into an adult.
Feeding Habits
- Young fish feed on zooplankton, small insect larvae
and tiny fish larvae. Adult fish primarily feed on fish
and crustaceans.
Age and Growth
- Growth is very rapid during the first year. They reach
a maximum length of up to four feet.
Sporting Qualities -
They can be caught on a variety of artificial lures;
however, dead minnows on a line fished just below the
surface are quite effective. Wire leaders prevent the
sharp teeth from cutting the line. Also refer to
sporting qualities under longnose gar.
Eating Quality
- Refer to Florida gar.
World Record
- 8.75 pounds, caught in the Tennessee River, Alabama,
in 1987.
State Record
- None exists.
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