Delaware Fish Facts for The Recreational Angler

The Longnose Gar has a very long and narrow snout, containing many needle-like teeth.

They have a thin, long body covered with hard diamond-shaped scales.

Longnose Gar are greenish brown, with dark spots on the fins and sometimes on the body.

Illustration by Duane Raver, Jr.

Season	Open Year-Round
Size Limit	No Size Limit
Daily Limit / Person	No Limit
Delaware Range	Mostly found in the Nanticoke River and Broad Creek
Abundance in Delaware Waters	Common
General Habitat and Food Preferences	Longnose Gar prefer sluggish areas of rivers and estuaries. They prey only on small fishes.
Did You Know?	Longnose Gar have an air bladder that functions as a lung does, extracting oxygen from air that is gulped at the water's surface. Gar eggs are poisonous. The Longnose Gar, a Delaware native, has been around since the time of dinosaurs.
Common Lures and Baits	Longnose Gar will hit slowly retrieved fish imitating lures at the water's surface or large live minnows fished under bobbers but landing one this way is terribly ineffective. The problem with Gar is that their mouth is mainly bone and teeth and even the sharpest hook will seldom penetrate. Many Gar anglers use specialized entanglement baits, or rope baits. These baits are hookless fish imitating lures made of slightly unbraided nylon rope designed to entangle in the gar’s teeth.
Typical Sizes Caught	In general, Longnose Gar caught by anglers are in the range of 24 to 36 inches in length.
Citation Minimum Length and Weight	Longnose Gar are not currently eligible for a Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament or Live Release award.
Delaware State Record	Longnose Gar are not currently eligible for an individual Delaware record.

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