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TALE WATERS & TIDES · POCKET FISHING GUIDE
ARKANSAS SPORTFISH
LEGENDARY

Alligator Gar

GO100SCORE
LOWER WHITE RIVER
🔥 SPAWN NOW

Living fossil. Apex predator of slow southern water.

SIZE
4–6 ft
MAX
8+ ft
WEIGHT
Up to 300+ lbs
HABITAT
RiversOxbowsBackwatersReservoirs
Lower White, Arkansas, Mississippi systems. Slow muddy water.
DIET
Whole fish — buffalo, carp, gar. Opportunistic.
BEST BAITS
Cut mullet · Cut buffalo · Rope lures (frayed nylon)
SEASONAL PATTERN
🌱SPRING
BEST☀️SUMMER
🍂FALL
❄️WINTER
Summer: PEAK — cruise the surface in heat.
ANGLER INTEL · RIGHT NOWHIGH CONFIDENCE
DEPTH
2–6 ft
shallow cover
TIMING
Any time today — steady bite
TOP LURE · LURE
Cut mullet
reaction strikes on bed — aggressive
TACKLE
Very heavy — 100 lb braid + wire leader
TECHNIQUE · Slow presentation in shallow cover
ANGLER STATS
SPAWN 6882°F TEMP MATCH
BITE
60
FIGHT
99
STEALTH
72
FUN FACT
Alligator gar predate the dinosaurs by about 50 million years. Their scales are hard enough that pre-contact peoples used them as arrowheads — and they can breathe air from the surface when water goes anoxic.
STATUS
Vulnerable
Native · Lepisosteidae
LIVE PFG SIGNAL69°F · Beaver LakeGO 100
YOUR CARD · ACTIONSNOT YET COLLECTED
🪪 ID marks
  • Alligator-like snout with two tooth rows
  • Olive diamond scales
  • Blunt head
💡 Tips
  • CPR — catch, photo, release
  • Use a bite guard
  • Give them time to swallow

🌙 Lunar profile

LOW-MED Lunar ImpactBest phases: Full Moon
☀️ Daytime
Apex ambush predator in slow, warm backwaters. Spring spawn shows some lunar correlation. Target large structure.
🌙 Nighttime
Occasional nocturnal hunting but not strongly lunar-driven. Primary feeding is opportunistic.
🔗 Source: AGFC Alligator Gar management; gar spawning biology

Regulations

Always verify current rules at agfc.com before keeping fish.

Statewide
Statewide Alligator Gar Regulations — Arkansas
Daily limit: 1Min size:
Requires: Fishing License, Alligator Gar Permit
Statewide — all public waters in Arkansas
AGFC source ↗