Fishing for Alligator Gar

Fishing for Alligator Gar

Not many anglers go out with the intention of landing an alligator gar, but the ones who have will likely never forget it! Alligator gar are quite different from other fish. They are huge and if you are lucky enough to get one in your boat, you will probably never forget it.

Alligator gar fishing trips are gaining in popularity, especially in the southern states. Alligator gar are prehistoric beasts and are believed to have barely evolved at all over the past 100 million years. They are truly dinosaurs living in front of our eyes. They can grow to be around 300 pounds and over 10 feet long. If you hook one of these fellas, you had better have some help to pull it in.

Gar swim close to the top of the water and are sometimes easy to spot from your boat. This makes them a popular choice for bowhunting fishermen. But, for the most part, people that fish for the alligator gar respect the living fossil and do not kill it. They catch it with a hefty hook and whole fish as bait, and then they lasso the head to pull it into the boat. Once the fishing is over, the alligator gar are released back into the water.

The alligator gar actually has a primitive lung. It can live and breathe outside of the water for hours. This ability to breathe fresh air plays a big part in the alligator gar's survival. Low oxygen levels in the water and droughts that threaten most species barely affect the alligator gar.

The alligator gar has a lot of huge teeth, two rows on the top jaw and its mouth closely resembles the snout of an alligator. They can be quite ferocious and great care and attention to safety should be taken when fishing for these fierce fighters. Alligator gar are not known for attacking humans. The meat is very bony and widely thought not to be very tasty, but is fairly popular in Texas and some other southern states. They are mainly fished for sport by fishermen who love the fight of this giant opponent.

Alligator gar have not really been protected because they do not hold any commercial value. Populations have started to diminish and fishing restrictions have recently been placed on them. In most states, you can only take one or two alligator gar. This is primarily because alligator gar do not reach spawning age until they are twelve years old. Overfishing is a huge threat and populations have already been wiped out in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

Habitats of the alligator gar are also affected by humans. Without areas to spawn, the alligator gar simply won't. This is why many states employ professional lake and stream managers to ensure that the alligator gar and other vulnerable species have safe places to hunt and breed. Wildlife managers use large fish attractors to create safehavens underneath the water. These large, permanent structures are quickly becoming more and more popular as their effectiveness and ecofriendliness becomes more apparent.

If you fish for alligator gar, consider going with a guide. Respect the importance of the population by practicing catch and release fishing. Be safe and you could be in for the fishing trip of a lifetime.