Scientific Name
Lepisosteus platostomus
Other Names
Billy gar, Short-billed gar, Stub-nose gar, Duckbilled gar, or Broadnose gar
Description
Shortnose gar have elongated bodies with a short, broad snout and spots on the tail. The underside is lightly colored with the sides and back of the fish having an olive green color. Shortnose gar may be distinguished from other gar species in that they lack the double row of teeth in the upper jaw of the alligator gar, the long snout of the longnose gar, and the spots of the spotted gar. Shortnose gar are smaller than other gar species in Mississippi, and rarely exceed a length of 3 feet or 5 pounds in weight. These are the smallest of the four different gar species, reaching lengths of 2 to 4 feet.
Habits and Habitat
Adults feed primarily on other fish, but also eat insect larvae and small crawfish, shrimp, and crabs. The shortnose gar prefers quiet back waters of large rivers and oxbow lakes. Shortnose gar spawn in the spring and early summer (April through June) or when temperatures are between 66ºF and 74ºF in vegetated shallow water. Shortnose gar eggs, like other gar eggs, are poisonous.
State Record
Mississippi’s Rod and Reel record for the shortnose is 5.83 pounds, caught by Robert Mills in Enid spillway in 1999.
Fishing Fact
Shortnose gar may be captured by entangling the teeth in nylon threads or by bowfishing. They are rarely fished for intentionally, but are caught accidentally on baits and lures intended for other fish.