OT: Saw an alligator gar at the beach

crushing

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Aug 29, 2012
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I was in Watercolor at the beach a couple of weeks ago and saw an alligator gar in the shallows. I got about 2 feet from him to take a good look and it definitely was an alligator gar. Never seen that before.
 

uptowndawg

Senior
Jul 15, 2010
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Caught a big one at what they use to call the Ranger Station in the marsh south of Cat Island when I was a teenager. Had no idea they could live in saltwater until then.
 

Jgbishop

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Oct 9, 2012
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My dad told me stories growing up about that being where you had to register your catch when he worked on a shrimp boat in the 70's.
 

natchezdawg

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Oct 4, 2009
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I know gar can get into the back bays...

so I suppose they could get into the Gulf on occasion though.

You sure it was not a houndfish?
 

FreeDawg

Senior
Oct 6, 2010
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Last summer I saw a 4 footer at Cat Island and this summer we saw a few in the marsh west of brush island. That's a long way out

ETA- now that I think about it, I saw a bunch in a pond on the northern part of the marsh that's west of isle au Pitre. Again, that's still a 10ish miles ms shore. They're out there in the salt water
 
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TicosTicos

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Jul 29, 2014
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It is rainy season here in Costa Rica and hundreds if not thousands of crocs get washed down stream to river mouths in the Pacific Ocean coast where I live. One surfer in Tamarindo, near where I live, was bitten by a 2 to 3 meter crock not long ago. It happens! Here crocs end up at river mouths and that is where some of the best surf breaks are. Even one beach between The Four Seasons and Allegro Resorts was closed for a while as there was a 3 to 4 meter female hanging out there all the time. They eventually trapped her and took her couple hundred KM up river (hunting of any kind is now illegal in this country, but I still did some duck hunting on some of my property in the middle of no where last year).
 

mcdawg22

Heisman
Sep 18, 2004
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They are caught off of Ft Pickens in P'cola Beach every now and then. Caught one in the sound and the way it felt I thought I foul hooked a big Spanish. That was not the case.
 

Uncle Ruckus

All-American
Apr 1, 2011
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You'll know where I'm about to be talking about then.
Last summer myself, girlfriend and a couple of friends were catching whites and specks underneath the trestle across the 90 bridge in bsl. We're drinking a little, catching trout after trout and my girlfriend has to use the bathroom. I say hop in the water, nothing is gonna happen. After 20 minutes of complaining she gives in. When she's about to hop in the water a gar rolls up beside the boat that was 5-6 foot long. She didn't get in the water. We tied up a steel liter and hooked up it with a love white trout. I had 17lb fluoro, didn't carry anything with braid, and fought it for about 2 minutes, it snapped the line and we saw it one more time that night. Couple of months ago my girlfriend showed me a post on Facebook where someone caught a 5 foot gar real close to where we were at. The guides I've talked to say that they stay at the docks where people clean their catch, you'll see some monsters.
 

Shmuley

Heisman
Mar 6, 2008
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DS, I make a motion for a filter that blocks any use of the metric system. Get that foreign **** outta here.
 

Lettucexxxx

All-Conference
Oct 16, 2012
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Semi related and not to highjack thread but I swear I have a picture of two small sturgeon in Red Creek in Wiggins Ms. Is that common? I don't know how to post a cellphone picture.
 

Uncle Ruckus

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Apr 1, 2011
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There's a species of sturgeon that inhabit the mississippi, they almost look like a paddlefish, maybe they made it's way over there. They're endangered I'm sure but I don't think their caviar is any good. I've never had any but I'd probably think that all caviar is no good.
 
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ShrubDog

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Apr 13, 2008
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Gar can breath air

Gar can live in all kinds of water. When the oxygen is low in a pond you can see them opening their mouths out of the water to get air.

They can live on the bank for a long time so salt water doesn't bother them.
 

gptdawg

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Jan 23, 2007
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Pretty sure all the big gar entered in the deep sea fishing rodeo are caught in saltwater. Most I think in shore close to mainland.
 

fishwater99

Freshman
Jun 4, 2007
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How far south do the gator's go? Can they live in brackish water? I know they can't stay in true saltwater..
 

uptowndawg

Senior
Jul 15, 2010
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I saw a gator just south of Lafitte on the northern end of barataria bay. Swimming around with a dead redfish in his mouth.

I also had some friends with a camp on Cat Island that use to catch gators in the bayous inside the island.
 

crushing

Redshirt
Aug 29, 2012
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so I suppose they could get into the Gulf on occasion though.

You sure it was not a houndfish?

Definitely not a houndfish. I had to look up houndfish to see what one looked like. They are much too thin to be mistaken as an alligator gar. This gar was 4.5 to 5 ft in length, and probably about 10" in diameter. This was definitely an alligator gar.
 

archdog

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Aug 22, 2012
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Alright, people in this thread are taljing about 3 different thing, alligator gar, alligators, and one about crocs. Confusing as hell.
 

MeridianDog

Freshman
Sep 3, 2008
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The Gulf Sturgeon lives in the gulf and travels up the Pascagoula river each year to spawn in the Bouie River, North of Hattiesburg. Then they go back to the gulf after spawning.
 

Lettucexxxx

All-Conference
Oct 16, 2012
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10/4. The two I photoed swam right between my legs in prob 3foot of water. I guess they have a fall spawn. The largest was around 17/18 in..prob weighed a 2pounds
 

Uncle Ruckus

All-American
Apr 1, 2011
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Maybe before Katrina but there ain't anymore. I fish horn regularly and have never seen one.
 

TicosTicos

Redshirt
Jul 29, 2014
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We're headed down to guanacaste region next summer. Is that same area?

Yes, you would be correct.

Tamarindo, Playas del Coco, Playa Hermosa (one of three playa hermosas i might add), Playa Avellanas, Playa Guillones, Playa Samara, Playa Danta (where Matt Damon owns a home and spends a lot of time).

Have no fear of the crocks, unless you are a professional surfer in search of 10 meter (yes I used he metric system you antiquated donkeys) waves, they do a great job of trapping and removing them in tourist areas after that tourist was bitten in Tamarindo last year.

I have lived here about 9 years now and love the place, happy to share the place that has changed my life so much with anyone that is coming down here for vacation, feel free to pm me anytime if you have any questions.