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Scientific Name
Atractosteus spatula
Other Names
Mississippi alligator gar, Great gar, Gator, and Gator gar
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.
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
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!