Gar are ambush predators with long, tooth-filled snouts designed to snatch fast-moving prey. In Nebraska, both longnose gar and shortnose gar feed on a variety of animals, mostly other fish.

Primary Diet

• Small fish – Their favorite food, including:
  

  • Shad

  • Minnows

  • Sunfish

  • Carp and young game fish

• Crustaceans – Like crayfish (occasionally)

• Insects – Especially aquatic larvae when young

• Amphibians – Frogs or tadpoles, if they’re slow enough

Gar spawn in late spring to early summer, typically when water temperatures reach around 68–80°F (20–27°C). In Nebraska, this usually happens between May and early July, depending on the weather and the water body.

In Nebraska, you can catch gar—primarily longnose and shortnose gar—in warm, slow-moving waters with plenty of structure. They thrive in backwaters, oxbows, sloughs, and side channels of large rivers, especially in the eastern part of the state.

1. Missouri River (Eastern Nebraska)

• Best spot in the state for big gar, including state records

• Focus on backwater sloughs, slow side channels, and areas with submerged logs or riprap

• Fish near Omaha, Nebraska City, or Rulo

2. Platte River (Lower sections)

• Gar are common in the slower-moving stretches

• Look for sandbars, undercut banks, and side pools

3. Elkhorn River

• Especially around backwater pools and oxbows near the confluence with the Platte

• Great spot for shortnose gar

4. Sandpit Lakes and Oxbows near Rivers

• Many sandpits and oxbow lakes near the Missouri and Platte Rivers hold gar

• Examples: Lake Wanahoo, Lake Wehrspann, and sandpits near Fremont or Ashland

5. Flooded Ditches and Sloughs (Spring/Summer)

• During high water, gar often move into flooded vegetation, ditches, and shallow coves to spawn or feed