Alligator Gar

[Delwingoss]

way back when I was in elementary school I used to read something called the World Book Encyclopedia and there was a reference to a Gar rodeo on the Mississippi River in which an 18 foot long gar was the record size captured. Has my brain deteriorated or is this a valid size for a gar 40 years ago?

 

[jlyle]

Sounds too big. Three hundred pounds and 7.5 feet long would be a huge fish even then.

Here are the state records for alligator gar:

Alabama 140 lbs 0 oz Blakeley River Billy Wildberger 7/3/1983
Arkansas 215 lbs 0 oz Arkansas River Alvin Bonds 7/31/1964
Florida Walton 123 lbs 0 oz Choctawhatchee River Zachary Phillips 7/8/1995
Mississippi 215 lbs Mississippi River near Natchez Earl Stafford 5/3/2003
Oklahoma 180 lbs 0 oz Red River Daryl Landers 7/25/2002
Texas 279 lbs 0 oz Rio Grande River Bill Valverde 1/10/1951

 

[adder70]

Did a little looking and came up with this.

Seems 10' and 300 lbs is about the max today, but attached is a pic of a supposed gar circa 1910. Guess they don't get left alone long enough to grow that big anymore, assuimng the pic is authentic.

 

[archman]

About ten years back I saw a 7-8 foot albino alligator gar in the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge. The thing was stuck within a salt pond not mucher bigger than it was... fortunately the tide was out.

 

[Delwingoss]

hanks for all the information. I think my next step is to try to find the time to hit a local library and see if that particular World Book is still around.

 

[caymaniac]

I remember the first time I went to Ginnie Springs, and after we were in the tunnel opening long enough, we went to the river where the clear water entered the tanic water. On the boundry there were big Gar, one nearly six foot the other maybe four. It was quite interesting to watch the Gar go in and out of the cloudy river water as if he was checking us out too.

Dive Safe,
Caymaniac

 

[ScottyK]

I remember the first time I went to Ginnie Springs, and after we were in the tunnel opening long enough, we went to the river where the clear water entered the tanic water. On the boundry there were big Gar, one nearly six foot the other maybe four. It was quite interesting to watch the Gar go in and out of the cloudy river water as if he was checking us out too.

Cool! I'm spending a day at Ginnie in early April, and will want to check that out.

Another great place to see big Gars in Florida is to do a Rainbow River drift dive. The river is crytal clear (spring fed) and relatively narrow, so the Gar can't really hide. We saw a group of six or seven, and were able to slowly swim up to within four or five feet of them. Once they spotted us, they turned to face us, and kept turning in unison as we went by. It was very interesting to see.