Field guide · 3 species
Some North American fish have changed little since the age of dinosaurs. Gars, the bowfin and sturgeons belong to ancient lineages that predate most modern fish, protected by armored scales or rows of bony plates.
Gar and bowfin can even gulp air from the surface, which lets them survive in warm, stagnant water that would suffocate other fish.
| Fish | Family | Water | Region | Body shape | Max length | Max weight | Diet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longnose Gar | Gar family | Freshwater | Southern waters | Long & slender | 79 in | 50 lb | Carnivore |
| Bowfin | Bowfin family | Freshwater | Southern waters | Long & slender | 43 in | 21 lb | Carnivore |
| White Sturgeon | Sturgeon family | Both | Pacific Coast | Long & slender | 240 in | 1390 lb | Carnivore |
The longnose gar is an armored, needle-nosed predator from a lineage far older than most modern fish, common in rivers, lakes and backwaters across the eastern half of North America. Bowfishers hunt them on summer nights, and a growing crowd of rod-and-reel anglers chases them with rope lures and cut bait for the long, thrashing fights they put up.
Read the full guide →The bowfin is a living relic: the last surviving member of a group of fishes that dates back to the age of dinosaurs, able to gulp air and thrive in warm, weedy swamps where little else can. Long written off as a 'trash fish,' it has won a following among anglers who prize its savage strikes, bulldog fights and willingness to hit lures and flies in the heat of summer.
Read the full guide →The white sturgeon is North America's largest freshwater fish, a bottom-feeding giant of Pacific Coast rivers and estuaries that can pass 10 feet and live more than a century. Hooking one is a once-in-a-lifetime event for many anglers, and it is also a conservation story: several populations are endangered, and most fisheries today are catch-and-release.
Read the full guide →Think you could name them from a few clues? A new mystery fish drops every day.
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