re: Is the Increasing Popularity of Alligator Gar Fishing threatening the resource?

Definitely on decline, and I don't think it is solely due to fishing. Lack of education on the importance of gar, and the falsity of age old beliefs about the negative impact they have on game fish populations has just as much to do with it. Just look at this thread.

There is no GOOD reason to kill a gar, unless it be for food. They do not destroy game fish populations. In fact, the majority of their diet is composed of nongame fish, small native sunfishes that we do not typically consider game fish, frogs, lizards, etc.

The irrational fear of gar is another reason. People used to (and probably still do) tell stories about gar dragging children into the water, or attacking and eating people.

It's a sad state of affairs, and a lot of it, unfortunately, was due to false information promoted by game and fish agencies. And LDWF isn't doing any better now in educating people on the periles the species faces if bowfishing and senseless killing continues.

Bowfishing of alligator gars (or gars in general) should be outlawed (or severely limited), simply for the fact that you cannot release that fish. It is dead. And when it's one of those giants, a major dent has been put in the population.

There was surprise about an alligator gar being caught for the first time in maybe a century in Illinois...and it was arrowed. It's a real shame.

I bowfish a lot and I never shoot them. Something freaks me out about killing something that old.

I had two colleagues who trapped for turtles for 2.5 years with the help of locals who reportedly knew how to find them. I believe they only caught a half dozen alligator snapping turtles in that time frame.

So either the locals didn't really know how to find them, or there aren't that many out there.

But that is besides the point.

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They were spawning on Toledo about 2 weeks ago. We kept hearing thrashing on the bank that was way bigger than carp.

I trolled over there and as I was trying to determine what was making the noise a 5 footer came sliding by my boat into the orgy. The fish was at least 5' long, probably 10 to 12" wide and I'd guess near 100 lbs.

The more we watched they were porpoising for air and shaking the flooded bushes like crazy. I guess one would lay eggs and the males would all charge in and inseminate.

It was a pile of at least 6 or 7. All of them beast around or over 100 pounds.

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Man if only i could have been there in the bowfishing rig

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I had two colleagues who trapped for turtles for 2.5 years with the help of locals who reportedly knew how to find them. I believe they only caught a half dozen alligator snapping turtles in that time frame.

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I don't know where they were but I can catch six easily. Recently I had one net with 3 in it. Released them all cause they were smaller than my cut off but the fact they were < 25 lbs says they're thriving; otherwise there would be no youngens. One was less than 10 lbs.

I can't understand why people would shoot big bucks - letting non-!shooters walk. Same thing with Aligators. The bigger they are the more outdoorsmen want to take them; but have a problem with taking the trophy alligator gars and turtles.

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I can't understand why people would shoot big bucks - letting non-!shooters walk. Same thing with Aligators. The bigger they are the more outdoorsmen want to take them; but have a problem with taking the trophy alligator gars and turtles.

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As far as deer and alligators go, reproduction is much lower at older ages. Deer mature at a much younger age.

Most sources place sexual maturity for snapping turtles, alligator gar, and alligators at 10 to 12 years. The difference is, alligator harvests are heavily regulated, while turtle and alligator gar harvest are not, and have never really been in Louisiana.

The limited information on population status across the range of both also leads to a lot of the problems people have with it. The general concensus is that the population of alligator gars and snapping turtles are in decline across their ranges, with few places (like Texas for A. Gar) reporting strong populations.

Many places, like Illinois (until the recent "catch"), report that the gar is extirpated.

Solid basis for your position and very informational.

Bump cause curious if you had that convo...

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black poon



Really do not want.

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Particularly not one that would be given up for a nasty trash fish.