After missing so many gar the previous evening, I switched it up to a Woolly Bugger fly to try for gar again. Caught some! Likely all Shortnose Gar. One measured 25", and Missouri Master Angler size is 23". Cool!
2 or 3 gar had a 2nd row of teeth in the roof of their mouth. This is supposed to be a feature that only Alligator Gar have. So....I'd be surprised if any of these were Alligator Gar, but some DID have that 2nd row of teeth. If not Alligator Gar, they could also be hybrids or mutant Shortnose Gar.
Also, I caught 2 small White Bass and 2 Grass Carp.
Wow! great job on the gar! And once again your attention to detail has paid off. I haven't paid enough attention to know if some of the gar I catch here in Des Moines have that double row of teeth or not. And look how the skin across the bottom of the lower jaw is kind of baggy and gatorish. Occasionally I will catch a shortnose gar that's broad shouldered and has that slightly baggy chin skin and just looks a little gatorish. I would say these are still shortnose gar, there's just a lot more genetic variation because they have always been wild, never tampered with and homogenized by human interference and because the time when all North American gars could interbreed probably isn't all that far back. Maybe they still can, I don't know. Nice grass carp too.
ReplyDeleteThanks! As it turns out....my presumption that only Alligator Gar have the 2nd row of teeth is incorrect. There is information available that says Shortnose Gar CAN have a 2nd and even 3rd row of teeth. So...based on everything.. I agree with you: these are all Shortnose Gar.
DeleteSomeone was showing me a picture of a melanistic gator gar a while back that was just about the most badass thing I'd ever seen.
ReplyDeleteBeavers have dammed up all the channels at Purple Martin lake. I spotted a melanistic shortnose on the backside which is now isolated from the lake by a beaver dam. Drew a strike, but lost him. But since I know he's stuck back there I'll probably try again if the weather ever warms up.
That's cool! I look forward to seeing a picture of it when you catch it. :)
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