Longnose Gar

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Beverly riffles
Longnose Gar
<p>I subscribe to several DNR news feeds. Today I got a notice of a new record longnose gar in&nbsp;Maryland. 17lbs 9 oz. That’s&nbsp;a pretty good one. &nbsp;We’re pretty cold here in Iowa. Time to paint some jigs and tune up the tackle bag</p> <p>Dave</p>
Birddog
Birddog's picture
I'm one of the few people

I'm one of the few people around my part of Western New York state who actively pursue gar all spring and summer.   I would love to know how long that 17lb gar was, if you have any other information.   Considering that gar are about half the weight of a northern pike of similar length, a 17 pounder is an absolute monster.   I've seen several in the five foot range, but they are few and far between.    One of the few charts I could find calls a 17 pounder about 53 inches.   That is a great fish.   Thanks for sharing.  

Joel Spring
Author of "The Ghosts of Autumn" 2016 and "The Ultimate Guide to Kayak Fishing" 2017. New book in 2018, just released is "Strong is the Current: A Grieving Father's Meditations on Life, Loss and Fishing" (West River Media).

andy
andy's picture
Here's a 51.5" longnose gar

that we guesstimated at 15 pounds, just for reference.  It was pretty thick and chunky too.  I bet a 17-pounder would stretch to 55".

Beverly riffles
Longnose Gar

I went back and reread the press release and a couple other news articles on this fish and the length was not given. Too bad but it did give the location of the catch and a. Few other details. I suppose a fellow could contact the Maryland DEC and ask if they measured it. It is listed as a new state record already on that web page. 

Dave

Birddog
Birddog's picture
That's really interesting.   

That's really interesting.    Your post made me look up our state record (New York) gar and it's 14.10 pounds and 52.25 inches.    It's also a pretty beefy gar.   A 17 pounder is a tremendous fish.   I'm very curious about this because I have access to a great gar river and have seen some monsters, including a couple that I'm sure could beat the 52 inch mark and possibly set a new record.  I am not by any means a competitive fisherman, but setting the new state record does intruige me just a little....

 

Joel Spring
Author of "The Ghosts of Autumn" 2016 and "The Ultimate Guide to Kayak Fishing" 2017. New book in 2018, just released is "Strong is the Current: A Grieving Father's Meditations on Life, Loss and Fishing" (West River Media).

Beverly riffles
Gar

I don’t think I’ve ever caught a longnose gar. I’ve caught some shortnose below the old dam at Palisades State Park near Mt. Vernon Iowa. They can be pretty aggressive too. I pitched a leopard frog into a pool below that dam and watched him head for land. He did not make it. That was about a three pound shortnose that looked like a torpedo in clear water. 

Dave

 

Birddog
Birddog's picture
The May 2018 fish is the only

The May 2018 fish is the only gravid female longnose I've ever caught.   I've seen a few, but this one actually came out of nowhere and grabbed the rope fly from in front of another large female.    She was only out of the water for a second.   I have my GoPro set to take photos every two seconds.   I lift the fish out, let the camera take a frame or two, and then right back over the other side of the kayak.   Enjoy.   Image may contain: one or more people, outdoor, water and nature

Joel Spring
Author of "The Ghosts of Autumn" 2016 and "The Ultimate Guide to Kayak Fishing" 2017. New book in 2018, just released is "Strong is the Current: A Grieving Father's Meditations on Life, Loss and Fishing" (West River Media).

Beverly riffles
Quick release

You’re a good man and your concern for the welfare of this and other fish is appreciated by all sincere sportsmen. Thanks for sharing the photo. I checked the Iowa longnose record the other day. A little north of 20 lbs! 

Dave

Garmaster Bob in WI
Longnose gar

We have caught, measured, and weighed a couple dozen 50-54" longnose in Wisconsin. I have caught three 17# longnose. that were 51 to 52". My longest longnose was 54.75" was 16.5 lbs. There is a lot of variance in girth and we've never got any gravid females because we generally dont catch them until late summer. My brother caught a 54.5" longnose that was 19.5 #.