Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations How did they get there?

Gars!!!!!

I have pumped out my stock tank three times and each time I remove some gars. The last time I pumped it dry was just over a year ago and it remained dry for over three months. I thought everything would be good. I put some tilapia and Golden Shiners in it this past spring. Thinking I could pull some out I have pumped it down and pulled out over 18 gars and nothing else besides a couple of copperheads. Where did they come from? How do you git rid of them? The only water that might run into is from a well or rain run off. No creeks or streams.

The biggest one weighed over 4.5 lbs. That seems pretty large for less than one year growing time.

Any chance a neighbor likes to help you grow gar ? I have a Fisheries Science Prof friend who's Univ. BG growout pond (10 acres) was used by helpful neighbors to grow out FH cats - until there were few BG left but some very nice FHC (10 to 40 lbs).

Do the neighbors like to catch gar? If so, grrrrrr......

I can't answer your question TEXAS715, but I got some advice from a University of Florida professor who recommended using Gars in my WM pond. He thought that they would help keep the WM numbers to a reasonable level without taking over the pond. He mentioned certain types of Gar that don't get too large, and said they wouldn't prey on large fish.

I just wonder if having Gar in your pond is a bad thing. Could they represent an alternative to (stunted) LMB for a trophy bream pond? I don't know what you manage for T175, but maybe the Gar are actually helping you.

I'm looking forward to reading about peoples experiences and opinions about Gars. Also, what's the abbreviation for Gar? G?

Considering we've had to go to three letters for many species (SMB, RES, etc.), I think Gar can be abbreviated "GAR".

That's it! Gar = GAR.

Now I understand why you're a mod Theo.

Be sure not to add one these or it may control the human population. Have you seen your neighbor swimming in the pond ? If they don't this may be the reason.

Okay, that could eat any LMB...

GAR=grr

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/AlligatorGar/AlligatorGar.html

This is the GRR that was recommended by the Prof for my WM pond:

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/floridagar/floridagar.html

Gar can breath air and possibly survive in pond mud can't they? Could that be why they keep showing up? I thought this was the same with bowfin.

I just read that they can tolerate low water quality and they can get O2 from their air bladder. I didn't get the impression that they could survive in mud or anything like that though.

Spotted GRR are native to my county and the angling record is only 8.75 lbs. I've seen either these or Florida GRR in the creek that runs through our place. There is a good chance that these fish will be stocked into my little pond, and probably into Cindy's pond as well. I'm differnt.

PS. GRR can be eaten, but the roe is toxic.

Eric, do you know what body of water they caught that in?

I have seen a lot of big ones when I was a Kid fishing at Texhoma. But nothing even close to that. Of course no one fished with tackle that could bring that one in.

No one wanted them. Considered a trash fish that people cut there lines and left them the bank to die.

They have real nasty teeth.

Do some people actually eat them?

GW, Those don't look so bad to have around as the A'GAR's. In fact the pictures were pretty and maxing out at 7lb helps.

Gar fish balls are a delicacy in Sout Luziana, not the actual....you know, but the flesh mixed with other stuff and fried. Good stuff!

GW, et al.

I have added acronyms for the four Lepisosteus Gar species to the archives.

LG = Longnosed Gar
SG = Spotted Gar
FG = Florida Gar
AG = Alligator Gar

Bill IIRC that pic was from the Texoma area.

I'm not surprised with it being fed by the Red and Washita Rivers, both good sized rivers that have pretty good sized flood plains and slews in the spring, and from the links posted saying they like flood plains to spawn in.

Striped Bass also like to spawn in rivers and actually reproduce in Texhoma. It has been a long time since I read the piece but I think it is the only lake or one of a very few where there is documentation of stripped bass spawning in a lake. It also said that although Texhoma is fresh water is has a higher salt content than most fresh water impoundments.

I remember fishing at night AG's would swim so close to shore in the clear shallow water you see their outlines as swam by. Like that one link said they would just sometimes float in one place on the surface for a long time before moving on. There were gobs of them. I was surprised to read they were endangered in so many places. At Texhoma back then it was common to catch while catfishing at night and their dead corpuses were everywhere stinking up the shore line hooks still in their teethy monster looking mouths. As a young boy I always wanted to catch one because they looked so dangerous, I am different too GW, but when I mentioned it was scolded.

Burgermeister, the rare times I get down that way I am too busy eating crawfish pies, yummy!

I like to drive south of N.O. and in the little towns find their equivalent of a greasy spoon. But some of the best seafood with the most generous portions were in places like that.

Not fancy but those folks know how to chow down with ice cold beers! And I have admit I am one of those folks that go through one of those great big bottles of Tabasco every month.

All this making me want to travel...could be south of N.O. by breakfast...could be in Shreveport a little after mid-night but it just isn't the same. But I am definetly going to grow me some red swamp crawfish next spring.

It would seem to me if they can stay moist and breath air they could potentially survive in mud.

Big gars in Lake TEXOMA (spell check)...

Give me a break warden (GW) , I go blind about that time at night......in fact I still am, it's early (working on second cup of coffee). To think of it I always am even with lots of coffee.

I do know there is an "h" in there. Back then I lived on the "homa" side.

Bill, only someone from Texas (see:George) or Oklahoma would care how you spell Tex(h)oma.

Theo, I just searched "acronyms" and there was no obvious acronym thread. Since the list keeps growing* maybe it would be helpful to have a thread titled "acronyms and abbreviations" or something like that.

*Sooner or later I'll be talking about Chain Pickerel and maybe Grass Pickerel.

It's titled Commonly Used Acronyms