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The Cuban Gar fish identification, its habitats, characteristics, fishing methods.
The Cuban Gar is sometimes confused with the Alligator gar. Not as large as the alligator gar; males are commonly 100 cm in length, but may be as large as 2 m.
A combination of understanding the fish and the techniques used to catch them will help you to hook more fish to the end of your line. Better knowing and understanding of the fish that you are trying to catch will make you a more successful angler, whether you are fishing for trout on a river or surfing on the beach or trolling on the open water.
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The Cuban Gar (Atractosteus tristoechus), also known as Garpique cubain, Alligatorhecht, Kaimanfisch, Manjuari is a huge and rare Gar species, it is one of the most primitive skeletal fish, first vertebrates of the planet and possibly the biological joining between the fish and the mammals. They are found in the rivers and lakes of the Western Cuba and Isla de la Juventud.
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Description
The cylindrical and lengthened body of the Cuban Gar which is similar to a reptile. Instead of flakes, it is marked by points. The head is flat like a crocodile and the skull has external bones extremely hard. Their mouth is powerful arm, three lines of small but sharp teeth. They have prominent second row of teeth in upper jaw. This is a characteristic of the genus Atractosteus, shared by Alligator, Cuban, and Tropical gars. This is one trait that separates Atractosteus species from Lepisosteus species. Lateral line scales. They have short and very broad snout. Gars separated from each other mainly by skeletal (specifically, skull) characteristics along with gill raker and scale counts. Cuban Gar has 67-81 gill rakers on first arch, outside row. Alligator Gar has 59-66 gill rakers on first arch, outside row, 58-62 lateral line scales, and 49-54 predorsal scales. Skulls lack enameled patterns on the dermal roofing bones of the skull.
The long body of the Cuban Gar is covered with natural oil, it can move through the water with astonishing speed, to attack their prey or to escape from their enemies. The species that survives in Cuba is of green dark color, with a maximum longitude of 2 meters. Body generally lacks pattern, yellow bronze in coloration. Fins have striated pattern. Caudal fin has a distinctive color pattern, with the fin outlined with a thin line of dark pigment.
Habitats
Considered an inhabitant of the rivers and the swamps, Manjuarí is one of the more primitive skeletal fish, first vertebrates of the planet and possibly the biological joining between the fish and the mammals. Freshwater, brackish, tropical; Backwaters and pools of large rivers, lakes, swamps; rarely marine. They feed on other freshwater fishes and even birds.
Spawning
Spawning occurs from April to June, concurrent with spring flooding, when they move into backwaters and flooded lowland swamps. It is thought that females are attended by several males as they lay large, sticky eggs in vegetated shallows. The parents offer no protection to young fish and the eggs are reported to be toxic to warm-blooded creatures.
Fishing Methods.
Bait casting, Bow fishing using bait fish. Whole mullet is preferred bait, and many believe in scaling the bait before using it. Because of its huge size and great strength, the alligator gar is popular with anglers. Obviously, it is not a fish that is easily caught, as its sharp teeth will cut most lines in an instant.
Gar fishing may be quite an exciting and enjoyable sport. Use large treble hooks attached to a steel leader. The leader is tied to the main line with a bobber usually attached above the leader. The best time of the year for fishing Gar is July through August. The hotter weather and the less rainfall, the better fishing is. Look for big bends in the river with a deep hole. It is even better if the water above and below the hole is shallow.
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