Arkansas State Fish: A Southern Behemoth for 2025

Apr 29, 2025 | 4 minute read Comments
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If you’re looking for a state that has a variety of things to offer, Arkansas tops the list. Known as the capital of quartz, spinach, archery bow production, and folk music, the Natural State is also home to the Watermelon Capital of the World, an alligator farm, and the World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest.

Just when you thought you’d heard enough about unusual Bear State things, enter the Arkansas state fish! Alligator Gar is exactly what it sounds like – a dinosaur fish whose parents could definitely be an alligator and a Pike (they’re not, though). Don’t believe us? Continue reading and see for yourself!

One Boy’s Dream

A large Alligator Gar, Arkansas State fish, being held on top of a cooler on a boat by an angler in a green shirt.

When we say that the Alligator Gar is a dinosaur fish, we’re not kidding. They’re native to southern states of the US, where they’ve lived for more than 100 million years. Even though they look very scary with their elongated jaws and sharp teeth, they’re passive towards humans.

Arkansas declared the Alligator Gar its state fish as recently as 2019, thanks to a young boy named Henry Foster. When Henry was just 10 years old, he launched a campaign, named “Support #GARkansas” to make Alligator Gar the state fish of Arkansas.

Henry’s selling point was “Don’t be a copy-catfish! Vote for Alligator Gar!” and he constantly pointed out how tough and unique Gator Gars are. Just a couple of months after Henry launched the campaign, Governor Hutchinson signed the bill, making Alligator Gar the official state fish and one young boy very happy!

Arkansas State Fish – The Looks

An Alligator Gar swimming in freshwater with sun rays, plants, and water bubbles in the back of the picture

As mentioned before, an Alligator Gar looks like a cross between a Pike and a crocodile, and they’re just as strong! They have elongated jaws, with razor-sharp teeth. The rest of their body is shaped like a torpedo, and they’re usually olive-brown. Even though they don’t attack humans, their eggs can be poisonous if ingested. Although, who would want to eat an Alligator Gar’s eggs?!

The fish regularly grow up to 6 feet in length, and they can weigh more than 100 pounds. Alligator Gar have been around for a very long time, and as you can imagine, they’re very persistent. The scale of an Alligator Gar is so tough that people used to use them as arrowheads!

If that’s not tough enough, then let’s let you in on another cool fact. They can survive out of the water, just like Snakehead! We hear you, Henry! This fish is ferocious and deserving of the state fish emblem.

How, When, and Where to Catch Alligator Gar

Lake Catherine in Arkansas where you can catch Alligator Gar

Alligator Gar are native to the lower Mississippi River basin. Besides Arkansas, you can also find them in Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma. They’ve also been introduced to Thailand and Central America. These fish love slow rivers, landlocked lakes, reservoirs, oxbows, and brackish estuarine waters.

The best time to catch them is during July and August when the warm weather creates small, landlocked lakes. At this time of year, you’ll easily notice them in the shallows where they prey for their next meal.

The best bait for catching Alligator Gar is large whole bait, such as shad, carp, perch, mullet, shiners, or suckers. In addition to this, you should use a bobber to keep your bait close to the surface. You can find more information on how to fish for these monsters here.

Can I keep my catch?

An angler in a baseball cap and sunglasses chest deep in a muddy river, lifting a huge Alligator Gar above water
This photo was taken by Milton Nieto of Giant Alligator Gar Trips.

Alligator Gar meat is edible, and some say it’s tasty. However, they’re very hard to clean and fillet because of their tough skin and scales. Their eggs are highly poisonous and you should avoid them at all costs.

You can keep one Alligator Gar a day during the open season, as long as it measures less than 36 inches. The season is open for most of the year, with a closure running from May 1 to noon on July 1.

In order to keep an Alligator Gar larger than 36 inches, all anglers and bowfishers must have a permit from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. They’re free but there’s a catch! The AGFC issues only 100 of these permits every year between November 1 and December 31. You can apply for one here. The permit helps AGFC biologists gather important details on the Alligator Gar harvest in the state.

Arkansas State Fish: A Freshwater Monster

A flag of Arkansas waiving in the air, blue sky in the background

Alligator Gar didn’t become the Arkansas State Fish by accident. It took an exotic fish and one boy’s dream to make the fish a legend around here. This remarkable fish offers great freshwater action and a rush of excitement to everyone who tries to catch it.

Have you ever caught an Alligator Gar? What do you think is the most fascinating thing about this fish? Let us know in the comments below!

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Jenny

Jun 16, 2024

Hi, I’m 16 and I just started fishing last month with my dad and just today I ALMOST caught an alligator gar. I think it was about 3 years old. It was really scary because I’ve only caught medium and small sized fish. It would pull and tug really hard and I had no idea what to do because It was my first time seeing a fish that big. At first I thought it was a huge snake in the water and was really scared, I was waiting for my dad to tell me whether to pull it out because I had zero clue on what to do but he just stood there in shock. Once I started pulling it out, it escaped when it got to my feet. I was using liver to catch other fishes and it just came across me. My dad told me he had never been able to catch an alligator gar or at least get one stuck on his rod. It was a really cool but scary looking fish. This is in Arkansas up in Fayetteville.

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  • Marko

    Jun 17, 2024

    Hi Jenny,

    That’s a great story, thank you for sharing it! Love how your dad was just as shocked, now you both have a great memory to look back on.

    Here’s hoping both of you get another opportunity to wrestle the mighty gar!

    Tight lines,

    Marko

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Mike Chambless

Feb 10, 2022

Last year I decided to bass fish in Bois d’ arc lake over in Springhill. I was just using a H&H tossing near some underwater cover when I got the largest hit I’ve ever felt. This guy was tough. My crappie pole nearly took a 90° turn when I tightened my line. As I brought him up to the bank I was able to see it was only a Gator gar no larger than 3 feet! I was really surprised a young gar like him was able to put up such a powerful fight. Fortunately for me I never had to remove my bait as he spit it out. My hook was completely bent but it all worked out. The little guy hung around for a few minutes to catch his breath then swam back to his spot. All in all, it was an exciting and surprising experience. I look forward to getting a permit so I can fish for these beasts again.

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  • Lisa

    Feb 11, 2022

    Hi Mike,

    Thank you so much for reaching out and sharing your story! How powerful these creatures are! Do you by any chance have some pictures?

    Lisa

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John Liles

May 20, 2021

1979 as a 3rd grader at Hardin Elementary in Redfield, Ar. A local man named Charlie Oliver brought one to show off at our school. His boat must have been 16 feet long at the least and this fish I swear as God is my witness was as big around as a telephone pole and every bit of 8 feet long. If I remember right it was 202 lbs. A sight to behold

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  • Rhys

    May 21, 2021

    Hi John,

    Thanks for reading and for sharing your story with us! Alligator Gar are true monsters, so I’m not surprised to hear it grew to 8 feet/ 202 pounds! Quite how Charlie managed to pull it in, however, is a mystery to all of us. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime catch, for sure!

    Tight lines,

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