Species › North America · Freshwater › Longnose Gar

Freshwater

Longnose Gar

Lepisosteus osseus · Alligator Gar, needlenose gar, billfish

Water temp
72–86°F
Peak season
May–Aug
Best light
Daytime
IGFA record
43 lb 0 oz (19.50 kg)
Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus - MHNT - ICHT.1995.22.jpg)

Photo: PierreSelim · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

Longnose gar are living fossils, with a slender cylindrical body wrapped in diamond-shaped ganoid scales and a snout more than twice as long as the rest of the head. They are the most widespread of the North American gars, found from Quebec and the Great Lakes down the Mississippi basin to the Gulf Coast and Texas. Their much larger cousin, the alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula), has a short broad snout and lives in the big rivers and bayous of the lower Mississippi, Gulf states and Texas, where it can exceed 8 ft and 300 lb. Spotted and shortnose gar round out the family.

All gars can gulp air through a modified swim bladder, so they thrive in warm, sluggish, low-oxygen backwaters where other predators struggle. They hang motionless just under the surface and slash sideways at baitfish, which makes them a visual, almost sight-fishing target in summer. Once dismissed as trash fish, gar are now valued as native predators, and states such as Texas protect alligator gar with limits and tagging. Anglers chase longnose gar for the spectacle of a 4 ft fish thrashing on the surface, and alligator gar as the biggest freshwater trophy in the United States.

Typical size3–10 lb (1.5–4.5 kg); 28–44 in
Trophy15 lb+ longnose; 100 lb+ alligator gar in Texas and Louisiana
Table fareFair — edible backstraps, but the roe is toxic and the hide is hard to clean

Where & when

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Gar feed hardest once water passes 70°F (21°C), so the peak is May–August across the Midwest and South; spawning in shallow weedy margins in late spring concentrates fish, and the season runs nearly year-round in Texas and Florida.

Trinity River, TXHome of record longnose and giant alligator garLake Texoma, TXBig longnose and alligator gar in the Red River armLake Champlain, VTNorthern stronghold; summer sight fishing in weedy baysAtchafalaya Basin, LABayou backwaters hold all four gar species

How to catch

Rope lureTie a 4–6 in length of unraveled nylon rope to a swivel and cast it ahead of a surfaced gar, twitching it like a wounded minnow. The fish's teeth tangle in the fibers, so there is no hook to set; just keep steady pressure and bring a glove and pliers for the release.
Cut bait under a floatHook a 2–3 in strip of shad or carp on a small treble or octopus hook and suspend it 1–2 ft below a float in a slow eddy. Gar grab bait crosswise and swim off; give them a slow 10–20 count before tightening to let them turn the bait.
Sight casting live minnowsOn calm summer mornings, scan slack water for fish finning at the surface and pitch a lively minnow on a size 1 hook a few feet in front of them. Set only after the fish has stopped and swallowed; premature hooksets slide right out of the bony beak.
Heavy bait fishing for alligator garWhere legal, soak a whole 8–12 in carp or buffalo fillet on an 8/0 circle hook with a float in deep river bends. Use 80 lb-plus braid, let the fish run with the bait, then wind down tight; expect a long fight and jumps from fish over 100 lb.

Gear

Rod7' medium-heavy spinning for longnose; 7'6" extra-heavy for alligator gar
Reel3000–4000 spinning; 6000+ spinning or 30–50 size conventional for alligator gar
Line20–30 lb braid with a 40 lb steel or heavy mono leader; 80–100 lb for alligator gar

Lures

Rope luresUnweighted soft-plastic jerkbaitsInline spinnersSmall suspending minnow plugs

Baits

Live shiners or shadCut shad or carpWhole carp or buffalo (alligator gar)

Regulations

Longnose gar are unregulated or lightly regulated in most states, but alligator gar often carry strict daily limits, size caps, tagging or harvest-reporting requirements, especially in Texas; bowfishing rules differ from rod-and-reel rules. A freshwater license is required.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: 43 lb 0 oz (19.50 kg) — Trinity River, Texas, 2017 (Rock Shaw). State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

How do you hook a gar when its mouth is all bone?

You mostly don't try to penetrate it. Either use a rope lure that tangles in the teeth, or fish bait on a small sharp hook and wait until the fish turns and swallows it, which lets the hook catch in softer tissue at the back of the mouth. Treble hooks snagged in the beak slip out on the first jump.

Are gar dangerous to handle?

They will not attack you, but the teeth are needle-sharp and the beak swings hard, so wear a glove, control the snout with one hand and support the body with the other. Never eat the eggs; gar roe is toxic to people and pets.

Bite forecast — Longnose Gar

Recent catches

Posted by anglers on the live map, filtered to Longnose Gar.

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