Fishing Holidays for Giant Alligator Gar in the USA
Alligator Gar - Bull Sharks
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We are deep in the knowledge that when fishing with us for Giant Alligator Gar Fish you will not be disappointed. We have the Best Alligator Gar Guides, tackle and equipment deployed in the best locations giving you a real chance of setting the species record books alight. Destinations for these phenomenal specimen freshwater predators are few and far between, eventually we will bring you them all starting with the wild waters of the Trinity River in Texas USA.
The alligator gar is the second largest freshwater fish in the United States and a misunderstood one at that due to its ferocious appearance and appetite. There are very little true things in print about these great fish, they are believed to live to a ripe old age and have no natural predators other than man. They grow very fast in the first couple of years being able to obtain weights up to 20 lbs by year one, after this spurt of growth they slow down and grow all the rest of their days, with life spans being upwards of 75 years. They will mainly feed on water birds to fish with anything in between being taken due to its inquisitive nature. They are at the top of the food chain in their environment; they are also a very fast hitting hunter with the head of a crocodile and the body of a pike. They have disappeared from a lot of their former habitats, not due to over-fishing, but mostly due to habitat changes, gars are unable to tolerate the colder waters and migrate up stream during spring and winter floods.
On a normal day where we fish we will see an average of 20 to 100 gar turn in the surface. Gars regularly reach 200+ lbs with numerous fish being taken above 100 lbs weekly. The maximum size of this giant is probably around 400 lbs - Kirk's biggest Alligator Gar weighed 365 lbs and it was 9 ft 6 in long!
Alligator gars are one of the largest fish found in the freshwaters of North America. They are widely sought after by the bow hunters in the Southern parts of the US and an average alligator gar weighs in the region of 100 lbs, but larger fish have exceeded 350 lbs and measured over 8 feet long. It is rumoured that alligator gar grow to 12-24 feet in length and there have even been reports of gars fighting and eating alligators. Alligator gars are also called as gator gars. The typical characteristic feature of the alligator gar is the long cylindrical body that is covered with hard sharp scales. These scales are diamond shaped and also interlocking. The upper part of the body is typically olive brown in colour, with the lower part of the body being almost white. The anal and dorsal fins of the fish are located towards the rear and are nearly opposite to each other.
The alligator gar derives it name from a large "gator-like" snout that has two rows of large sharp teeth in the upper jaw. The double row of teeth is an easy way to identify alligator gars since they are the only Gars with a double upper row of teeth. The teeth of the alligator gar are small in relation to head size but very sharp. Small sharp teeth allow them to easily catch other fish and secure. The two rows of teeth are then used to shred its victims. The big ones are usually aggressive, solitary fish. They mostly lurk silent between reeds and drift plant life waiting for food to pass by. Despite their size and their ferocious appearance, alligator gars pose no threat to fishermen. Gars are typically found floating like driftwood in sluggish waters of rivers, swamps and lakes. In the wild, alligator gars feed on fish, waterfowl, and small animals like turtles and crayfish. Spawning usually occurs in April, through till June. The alligator gars prefer slow moving ponds and lakes for spawning and deposit their eggs in shallow waters.
The IGFA All-tackle World Record is 126.55 kg / 279 lb 0 oz from the Rio Grande in Texas, USA

Your guide Kirk Kirkland, to view Kirk's profile - click here
View more Aligator Gar images in our photo gallery - click here

Awesome Alligator Gar
This is a combo of pictures and film of some Alligator Gar caught August 2008 with live footage of a Gar over 200lbs in weight. - click here to view