Long Nose Gar?

Saltwater Inshore Discussion
1

Hello Friends

Is this a long nose gar I caught in the creek off the Wando?

Ive caught a couple of these in the past week while casting for shrimp.

Id like to know if they are a local or invasive species.

Thanks for any replies, and I apologize for the poor picture quality

2

Looks like a needlefish.

3

Needlefish

'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki

4

Yep, needle fish. Local species. Sharp teeth. Gar are a much bulkier fish and normally proportioned.

Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats

“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose

5

Pipefish…related to seahorses. Pretty common around here.

6

Not likely a needlefish, I think fishcrazy is right. It’s a pipefish. There are scads of them along the seagrass.

If you happen to have a fine-meshed dip net, just brush it along any grass at high tide. They hang out on the blades of the grass, eating small plankton type stuff.

Tangling one up in a cast net is a little unusual but not too big of a surprise.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Syngnathus+floridae&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=ZkaWU_zmE8KZyATd2oHYDg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1691&bih=885

… The Cross of Christ is the anvil upon which the hammer of evil wore itself out.

7

x3, i think the most common species here are the dusky (as matt said) and the northern, Syngnathus fuscus

8

I stand corrected [:I] Always called them needle fish. Not much for fillets anyway :smiley:

Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats

“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose

9

Syngnathus fuscus, a northern pipefish

Yessir, I think that would be the one.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge, and thanks to all who took the time to respond.

I kept him alive for a couple hours in a bucket, then returned him to the creek

Vegas Dave

10

I have kept them in an aquarium. Caught some at Folly about 7 years ago, gave it a shot. No luck, they are fairly difficult to feed or to wean on to frozen stuff like frozen cyclops or mysis shrimp.

… The Cross of Christ is the anvil upon which the hammer of evil wore itself out.

11

I caught a big one last night w/ a castnet. Something told me not to eat it, so I threw it back. That’s one oogaly fish. Just don’t look right for eating, plus I’m anchored in the Sampit near things I’d rather not be near & I’m having a hell of a time figuring out what sort of advisories are in effect here now.

<Christ returned in 1844>