Florida Gar

The Florida gar, like other gar species, are very popular as sport fish.

HOW TO IDENTIFY A FLORIDA GAR

Like the spotted gar, the Florida gar has spots on top of the head a well as over the entire body and on all the fins. Other gars have spots on the fins and usually on the posterior part of the body only. The gar's body is covered with enamel-hard, diamond-shaped plates called ganoid scales. The Florida and spotted gars can be distinguished from each other mainly by the distance from the front of the eye to the back of the gill cover. In the Florida gar, the distance is less than 2/3 the length of the snout, and in the spotted gar it is more than 2/3 the snout length. The only other gar that is known to occur within the Florida gar’s range is the longnose gar which is found throughout much of the eastern half of the United States, including Florida, at least as far south as Lake Okeechobee. The longnose gar, however, lacks spots on top of its head and its beak is 18-20 times as long as it is wide (at the narrowest point), while the Florida gar’s beak is probably less than 5 ½ times as long as it is wide.

 

WHERE TO CATCH FLORIDA GAR

The Florida gar can be found throughout peninsular Florida and in the panhandle as far as the Apalachicola River drainage, where there is evidence that it may hybridize with the spotted gar, its closest relative. The Florida gar also occurs through part of southern Georgia to the Savannah River drainage. Further beyond this species’ western limits, the Florida gar is replaced by the spotted gar and the only overlapping territory for these two species is in the Apalachicola drainage. The Florida gar is relatively common in medium to large lowland streams and lakes with mud or sand bottoms and an abundance of underwater vegetation. It is also abundant in canals throughout Florida. The following list includes additional details on where to catch this fish:

 

CLIFFS AND STEEP SHORE BANKS           GRADUAL SHORES

INSIDE TURNS AND COVES                 POINTS AND BREAK LINES

SHORELINE SHALLOWS                                            SUNKEN OBJECTS

FRESHWATER LAKES AND PONDS                     INLETS AND OUTLETS

ISLANDS OR SAND BARS                                 ROCKS

SPRING HOLES                                                        WALKWAYS AND BRIDGES

 

HOW TO CATCH FLORIDA GAR

These fish are usually taken using natural baits like cut bait and minnows or artificial baits like spoons or spinners. The following are fishing methods used to catch this fish:

 

DRIFT FISHING                           TROLLING                                 STILL FISHING

FLY FISHING                     BAIT CASTING                            SPIN CASTING

 

FLORIDA GAR LURES, TACKLE & BAIT

The following are lures, tackle or bait that can be used to catch this fish:

 

CUT BAIT                                   JIGS                       SPINNER BAITS

FLIES                               MINNOWS             SPOONS