Shortnose Gar
Shortnose Gar are primitive freshwater fish that inhabit Mississippi's large rivers, oxbow lakes, and backwaters throughout the Mississippi River basin. They're the smallest of Mississippi's four gar species.
Scientific Name: Lepisosteus platostomus
- typically reaching 2-4 feet in length and rarely exceeding 5 pounds, though they can grow up to 35 inches.
- These prehistoric-looking fish have elongated, torpedo-shaped bodies covered in diamond-shaped ganoid scales, with brown to olive-green coloration above fading to yellowish sides and white undersides.
- They're distinguished from other gars by their short, broad snout (lacking the long nose of longnose gar), absence of spots (unlike spotted gar), and single row of teeth (versus alligator gar's double row).
Fishing in Mississippi
Pearl River
Yazoo River
Mississippi River
Leaf River
Bouie River
Ross R Barnett Reservoir
Lake Castle
Big Black River
Pelahatchie Creek
Lake Dockery
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- inhabit Mississippi's large rivers, oxbow lakes, and backwaters throughout the Mississippi River basin.
Key Locations
- Focus on oxbow lakes, bayous, slow delta rivers, and calm backwater areas of large rivers.
- Mississippi's state record is 5.83 pounds, caught at Enid spillway in 1999.
Specific Spots
- where they're commonly found near vegetation and submerged logs.
- They prefer quiet backwaters of large rivers and oxbow lakes, often near vegetation and submerged logs.
- Target areas with little current, around walkways and bridges, points and break lines, sunken objects, and spring holes.
Shortnose Gar FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
What flies work for Shortnose Gar in Mississippi?
Effective fly patterns include specially designed gar flies made with unbraided nylon rope fibers that tangle in their teeth - try the Nylon Shad Fly (hookless with white nylon rope fibers, mylar tubing body, and living eyes) or the Godawful Garish Gar Grabber (with yellow spun deer hair body and white nylon pantyhose...
When is the best time to fish for Shortnose Gar in Mississippi?
The best time to target Shortnose gar in Mississippi is during the hot summer months from May through September. Avoid fishing during their April-June spawning period when water temperatures are 66-74°F.
How do you catch Shortnose Gar in Mississippi?
The key technique is patience - cast your offering close to but not directly at a visible gar, then let it remain motionless except for occasional subtle twitches. Gar will approach slowly and deliberately like a floating log. Continue the slow, steady retrieve even if they miss initially, as they often strike again.
What do Shortnose Gar eat?
Shortnose gar are efficient ambush predators feeding primarily on fish, but they consume more invertebrates than any other gar species, including insect larvae, small crawfish, shrimp, crabs, and crayfish. They're opportunistic feeders that will exploit seasonal food sources like periodical cicadas.
Where do Shortnose Gar live in Mississippi?
inhabit Mississippi's large rivers, oxbow lakes, and backwaters throughout the Mississippi River basin.
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