# Alligator Gar on Escambia River



## mastercaster1997

Has anyone seen or heard of any alligator gar in escambia river ? If so then how large do you think the population is?


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## firespan1

Sounds like somebody is going after river monsters.I see alligator gars in the northern reaches of escambia or conecuh quite often,when the river is low in the summer many of the deeper bends will have one or two cruising around.


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## MikeH

Alligator Gar Are Few And Far Between In Escambia. The Few I Have Seen Haven't Been VeRy Big Either. You're Better OFf Going To Mobile And Shooting The Delta,OR SLews Right Off Of The CaUsway.


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## barefoot

We used to have a few on yellow river...but haven't heard of any lately.


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## CatHunter

Like sturgeon alligator gar are protected in Florida and can not be targeted. The Alabama river on the other hand they are open game and fairly easy to come by.


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## CatCrusher

CatHunter said:


> Like sturgeon alligator gar are protected in Florida and can not be targeted. The Alabama river on the other hand they are open game and fairly easy to come by.


Mostly in the Delta areas and lower Tombigbee. The biggest population is just above the causeway. I've caught most of mine on the Tensaw in sight of the causeway. Limit of 1 per day though I recommend turning them loose. If you put him in the boat with you get ready it gonna be on!! Almost forgot that most days you can see one in the marina at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear. They handle the salty water with ease.


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## CatCrusher

Here's a pick of one from the Tensaw from 2005. Probably the only one I ever killed. He is mounted and on the wall in my shop. He's actually tied up with some string it just looks like I'm holding him up.


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## skiff89_jr

sbarrow said:


> Here's a pick of one from the Tensaw from 2005. Probably the only one I ever killed. He is mounted and on the wall in my shop. He's actually tied up with some string it just looks like I'm holding him up.


I bet that's an awesome looking mount!


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## MULLET HUNTER

A friend of mine recently caught this one here locally... "Blackwater"


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## Chapman5011

mastercaster1997 said:


> Has anyone seen or heard of any alligator gar in escambia river ? If so then how large do you think the population is?


I have personally seen gar on smith lake up in north alabama as big around as a basket ball and between 5 and 6 foot long. 
Huge fish


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## johnsonbeachbum

Whether Brent Crawford has captured the world's largest alligator gar will never be known -- his scale bottomed out emphatically at 300 pounds and he filleted the prehistoric-looking fish after attempting to obtain its weight.

But this much is clear: The gar Crawford landed while bow-fishing recently in Texas' Lake Corpus Christi is among the largest specimens ever captured -- and it was captured in a manner like no other gar captured beforehand.

(The largest-known alligator gar caught while bow-fishing weighed 365 pounds. The largest caught on rod and reel weighed 279 pounds.)

Crawford, who has lived on the lake for 20 years, was alerted to the presence of several giant gar in a wide canal feeding into the lake: an enormous female swimming with about five smaller males.

His reaction, according to the Corpus Christi Caller Times, was simply: "Oh goodness. That fish right there was worth chasing."

The newspaper's outdoors columnist, David Sikes, produced a detailed account of what transpired next. The following is a condensed version:

Crawford, with his fishing bow, stalked the great fish carefully, knowing he might only get one shot. 

When he finally fired, he scored a direct hit, unleashing the fury of the 8-foot, 2-inch beast, which created an explosion of mud and water before it ran toward the lake.

Big problem, because the nylon cord had become tangled at Crawford's feet, and when he grabbed the line, as it began to tighten, it became wrapped around his hand. 

The line went taut and the fish yanked the fisherman into the water headfirst. That's when Crawford's dog, Bleux, grabbed him by the cuff of the jeans, creating a bizarre riverbank tug-of-war.

Crawford ultimately was able to free his hand from the cord and stand knee-deep in the shallow canal, gripping his fishing bow, the cord still attached to the mighty fish. "There was no doubt who was in control and it wasn't me," the fisherman recalled.

The gar stole 200 feet of cord in a battle that lasted 45 minutes, before Crawford reeled it to the bank. Soaked and exhausted, the fisherman straddled the fish, reached for his cellphone -- which he had kept in a waterproof case -- and dialed a friend.

The friend arrived with a pistol, which resoundingly ended the struggle, and the two men used a rope and an ATV to drag the quarry to Crawford's house. 

It wasn't until after Crawford had carved up his catch that he learned the Texas bow-fishing record for alligator gar is 290 pounds, and the overall state record is 302 pounds.

Record or no record, it was a monstrous gar and one of the wildest angling feats in Texas history. It's a shame that there isn't a category for that.


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## Catchin Hell

WOW! I've never seen that. Thanks for posting.


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## NoMoSurf

MULLET HUNTER said:


> A friend of mine recently caught this one here locally... "Blackwater"
> 
> View attachment 81255


That's not an alligator Gar. That's a Longnose Gar.

Probably same for those on Smith Lake. I've never heard of any there. Plenty of Longnose and Shortnose though. Longnose can get 6 or 7 feet long.

I live within a mile or so of the upper Alabama River and we have no Alligator Gar here. I'm on that water probably 35-40 weeks of the year. I sometimes target gar and hold a world record for Spotted Gar. 

I have been thinking of Kayaking the Tensaw or the Blakely River and targeting Alligator Gar, but haven't been able to find anyone that knows how and where to get em. Too many people think that ALL gar are Alligator gar. So info is often sketchy at best.


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## johnsonbeachbum

Are Gar the ones that come to the surface and roll as a mating "dance" ?


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## firespan1

MULLET HUNTER said:


> A friend of mine recently caught this one here locally... "Blackwater"
> 
> View attachment 81255


 Most definitely a beautifull young lady, and most definitely a longnose gar.


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## jackedup

I* caught this on the Ft Pickens pier yesterday. Pretty weird, I've actually seen 2 off the beach pier that looked just like this in the water that I thought were fat houndfish till I caught this one. I didn't know gar could swim in saltwater but after some research (and this catch) I guess so
*


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## Collard

Wirelessly posted (Not the droid youre lookin for)

There was an article a few years back in the PNJ about one caught in Escambia bay....I believe from the Santa Rosa bank on a mullet while the guy was shark fishing. Anybody remember that or know who it was?


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## Backwood

Seen a long nose off navarre pier years ago


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## MikeH

My DaD And I Have Been Bowfishing Our Entire Life. His Biggest Kill Was 7 Ft 2 Inches Shot Off The Mobile Causeway. We Routinely Let 5Ft + Alligator Gar Swim Away, I Will Only Kill One If It Looks To Be In The 6Ft/100 Pound Range Or Larger.They Take A Long TIme To Get That Big.. A 50-75 Year Old Alligator Gar Is Not Uncommon.


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## MikeH

johnsonbeachbum said:


> Are Gar the ones that come to the surface and roll as a mating "dance" ?


Gar Have Gills And Lungs And CaN Live For Hours Out Of Water


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## bite me fishing team

*gar*

alligator gar are protected on Escambia river which is dumb.there is so many its crazy,we have seen some this year 8 to 9 ft..the farther you go north the more you see..and the needle nose gar are even more..not alot of size but there everywhere..


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## CatHunter

I got this guy a few years back, not sure the weight it bottomed my scale out. Alabama River around Dixie landing. I disagree with alligator gar are everywhere. These big fish are hard to find and fairly rare, longnose gar however are everywhere by the tens of thousands. I can go up to the river and catch 50-60 longnose gar if targeting them, some up words of 40lbs. There is something else in our rivers that most aren't even aware of and they get big really big. I'm keeping it a secret until I go after them and its not sturgeon.


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## jcoss15

CatHunter said:


> I got this guy a few years back, not sure the weight it bottomed my scale out. Alabama River around Dixie landing. I disagree with alligator gar are everywhere. These big fish are hard to find and fairly rare, longnose gar however are everywhere by the tens of thousands. I can go up to the river and catch 50-60 longnose gar if targeting them, some up words of 40lbs. There is something else in our rivers that most aren't even aware of and they get big really big. I'm keeping it a secret until I go after them and its not sturgeon.


bullshark?


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## skiff89_jr

Paddle fish, spoonbill?


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## NoMoSurf

Yes, he was immediately released! I caught it while kayak fishing. I found a coke bottle floating by, so I got the great idea to play around with "jug" fishing. I stripped off about 30ft of line and tied it to the bottle, and baited it wit a chicken liver. The was an interesting ordeal, reeling him in on a coke bottle with 10lb line. haha


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## CatHunter

NoMoSurf said:


> Yes, he was immediately released! I caught it while kayak fishing. I found a coke bottle floating by, so I got the great idea to play around with "jug" fishing. I stripped off about 30ft of line and tied it to the bottle, and baited it wit a chicken liver. The was an interesting ordeal, reeling him in on a coke bottle with 10lb line. haha


Very nice..


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## MikeH

Sorry For The Dumb Question Buy What Is That?


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## CatHunter

MikeH said:


> Sorry For The Dumb Question Buy What Is That?


Thats a paddle fish.


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## CatCrusher

CatHunter said:


> Thats a paddle fish.


I must have missed a picture. Where's the paddlefish?


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## CatHunter

sbarrow said:


> I must have missed a picture. Where's the paddlefish?


5 post up. "Spoonbill" many call them. But thats not the fish I'm speaking of.


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## CatCrusher

CatHunter said:


> 5 post up. "Spoonbill" many call them. But thats not the fish I'm speaking of.


I see it on my phone but it didnt show up on the computer. Man them dang things jump like crazy up on the Alabama near Montgomery every morning. Back when I used J hooks on trotlines I hung them all the time. Bad thing is they will die pretty quick if they cant keep moving.


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## CatHunter

sbarrow said:


> I see it on my phone but it didnt show up on the computer. Man them dang things jump like crazy up on the Alabama near Montgomery every morning. Back when I used J hooks on trotlines I hung them all the time. Bad thing is they will die pretty quick if they cant keep moving.


Very strange fish, back when I used to help my gran-pah commercially run lines on the Alabama river he would also have them snagged from time to time. Usually they would be dead and white looking by time we found them.


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## mastercaster1997

I agree with jcoss15 it could be a bull shark


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