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Spotted Gar

Spotted Gar

Spotted gar are native Missouri freshwater fish with an abundance of dark spots covering their head, fins, and dart-like body. They're one of the smaller gar species with diamond-shaped, thick ganoid scales and elongated mouths filled with needle-like teeth.

Scientific Name: Lepisosteus oculatus

Physical Characteristics:
  • Typically growing 2-3 feet in length and weighing 4-6 pounds, with diamond-shaped, thick ganoid scales and elongated mouths filled with needle-like teeth.
  • They have an abundance of dark spots covering their head, fins, and dart-like body.

What to know

Habitat Distribution

  • In Missouri, they inhabit clear, slow-moving, shallow waters of creeks, rivers, and lakes, occasionally entering brackish waters.

Key Locations

  • Found throughout the Mississippi River basin waters in Missouri's region.

Specific Spots

  • They prefer shoreline-oriented areas with submerged branches as cover, avoiding exposed banks.
  • Look for fish lying stationary near structure or suspended just below the surface - these are actively hunting.
  • Target areas near fallen logs, trees, or brush cover.
  • Focus on shoreline areas with submerged cover rather than exposed banks.

Spotted Gar FAQ

Answers from onWater's species guide.

What flies work for Spotted Gar in Missouri?

Clouser's Swimming Nymph (tied in olive or orange with extra flash), damsel fly nymphs for weedy areas, woolly buggers (weightless versions), Crazy Charlie patterns for piscivorous behavior, and terrestrial patterns like beetles and grasshoppers.

When is the best time to fish for Spotted Gar in Missouri?

Target during warmer months when they're most active. Avoid April-June spawning season. Movement rates are higher during summer than fall and winter.

How do you catch Spotted Gar in Missouri?

Effective techniques include drift fishing, still fishing at the surface, bait casting, spin casting, and fly fishing. When sight fishing, place flies behind their line of sight, then strip into their vision zone. For moving fish, cast perpendicular and strip when the fly reaches their eye level.

What do Spotted Gar eat?

Spotted gar are voracious ambush predators with a diet consisting primarily of crayfish (47% in studies), along with fish species like golden topminnow, warmouth, bluegill, and spotted sunfish.

Where do Spotted Gar live in Missouri?

In Missouri, they inhabit clear, slow-moving, shallow waters of creeks, rivers, and lakes, occasionally entering brackish waters.

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