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A lone Florida gar hovers above a healthy grove of seagrass in the early morning light
 

While Florida is of course home to countless marine species, the Sunshine State is also where you’ll find a staggering number of freshwater fish—over 300 species, in fact. Among those, perhaps no group is more interesting and prehistoric than gar. Florida hosts four gar species: spotted, alligator, Florida, and longnose. The former two are exceptionally rare in the state and very range restricted while the latter two are widespread and can be found in just about every aquatic habitat, whether it be a crystal-clear spring, an Everglades spillway, or a drainage ditch.

Gar are an iconic fish: They are designed unlike almost any other freshwater fish, with their cigar-shaped body, and long, slender mouth lined with dozens of razor sharp teeth. Despite their fearsome appearance, most gar are actually quite shy, and the most difficult part about photographing them is finding an individual that will allow a close approach.
 

A quick tip: if you find a blind gar, it is far, far easier to approach! This one likely could sense my presence but the lack of vision in its left eye for sure benefitted me

Finding Gar

Fortunately, for those seeking out gar, in the right areas, certain species are downright abundant. Almost any freshwater ecosystem in the state of Florida plays host to at least Florida gar. Spotted gar and alligator gar are extremely range restricted to areas of the Florida panhandle, and longnose gar, while widespread, are facing a decline in the species and becoming more difficult to find outside of specific breeding locales.

While they can be seen year round, gar species generally breed in the winter months and will gather in larger numbers in springs and spring-fed rivers in preparation for spawning. Not only does this mean there are more of them around to be photographed, but generally, freshwater fish as a whole are much more easily approachable when their hormones are jacked up and they are looking to mate.
 

During the winter months, gar gather in large numbers in preparation for spawning. This can be a great time to attempt some gar photography as they are typically a bit less skittish when they have mating on the mind
 

My favorite places for finding and photographing gar are the springs, for likely obvious reasons. The crystal-clear water and beautiful aesthetics are hard to beat, and being able to incorporate the above-water habitat through the surface is a nice touch. However, it would be a mistake to overlook other habitats. The slow-moving rivers and swamps in the Everglades ecosystem are also fantastic places to find and photograph these fish and will give a bit of diversity to your portfolio. Spillways, while not the sexiest of locations, are often home to schools of gar, which will feast on smaller fish getting washed into the spillways by the constant march of the Everglades currents. Be aware that these habitats are also home to alligators, and I cannot wholeheartedly recommend exploring these habitats alone or without somebody who has experience in these areas.
 

Two Florida gar broke away from the larger group and allowed me a much closer approach than normal. Calm movements and a healthy dose of patience are a key component of successful gar photography

Photographing Gar

Of course, you are here to read about actually photographing gar! While I have harped on already about how skittish they can be, my go-to lenses are still always fisheyes. Wide-angle conversion optics are also a good choice, but I like capturing as wide a scene as possible and a fisheye gives that wider perspective. They also allow for showing off the often spectacular environments in which gar can be found. In fact, every image in this article was photographed with a fisheye lens, regardless of the camera system I was using. A healthy dose of patience and luck are required to get within fisheye range.

Perhaps the subject I get asked about most frequently are salmon, and I think one of the aspects of photographing salmon that people find most challenging is also applicable to gar. They are quite reflective, especially the longnose gar, and it can be difficult to avoid blowing out parts of the fish when photographing them with flash. Strobes with a wide, soft beam are best, and I always photograph gar with diffusers to soften the light just that little bit more and avoid ugly hotspots.
 

Typically, when longnose gar are spawning, they are a bit less skittish. Outside of breeding season they are an exceptionally difficult fish to approach and it took about an hour of freediving before this massive female allowed me to get within photo range. Longnose gar can approach six feet in length, an impressive and intimidating fish!

Final Thoughts

While they may not have the colors or “exoticness” of many marine species, gar are an exceptionally interesting and unique looking group of fishes. Good gar images are few and far between and they stand out as a subject in a portfolio. Be calm, deliberate, and most importantly, patient, and you may well come home from your first gar shoot with some exceptional pictures. Don’t get discouraged if it takes a while to make some keeper gar pictures. They are a challenging subject but perhaps this is half of their appeal!