Spotted Gar in Illinois
IDNR limits, the state record and Illinois waters for spotted gar.
- no statewide rowlimit
- 8 lbs 14.7 ozrecord
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Illinois spotted gar in brief
None of the 13 statewide rows in the 2026 IDNR digest is written for spotted gar. A water's own digest entry may still set gear or harvest rules that reach it.
At 8 lbs 14.7 oz, the hook and line record came from Kidd Lake Canal (2022). Rend Lake lead the 1 Illinois water pages that name it.
Illinois state-record spotted gar
| Division | Weight | Water | County | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hook and line | 8 lbs 14.7 oz | Kidd Lake Canal | Monroe County | July 6, 2022 |
| bow and arrow | 11 lbs 1.28 oz | Rend Lake | Franklin Aux County | April 23, 2025 |
IDNR Illinois state record fish list (keeper: Illinois Department of Natural Resources; no angler names printed), read November 4, 2026.
Illinois lakes and rivers where spotted gar turn up
Illinois lakes for spotted gar
- Rend Lake18,900 acres
IDNR IFishIllinois outlook ratings and species lists, the IDNR stocking table and IDNR record waters; largest waters first.
Relatives of spotted gar on the IDNR list
- Alligator Gar1 a day
- Longnose Garno statewide row
- Shortnose Garno statewide row
How the shoreline by Spotted Gar looks
Photo: Ron Frazier, CC BY 2.0
Photo: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
Photo: bradhoc, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Tripp, CC BY 2.0
Short Illinois answers on spotted gar
How many spotted gar can go on an Illinois stringer?
The 2026 digest prints no statewide row for it, so check the site-specific entry for your water.
Which Illinois lake or river produced the top spotted gar?
Kidd Lake Canal produced it in 2022: 8 lbs 14.7 oz. The angler is not printed.
Which Illinois waters hold spotted gar?
It appears on 1 pages, Rend Lake among them.
Is the spotted gar rule the same on every Illinois water?
No entry changes its rule by name, but all-fish entries still count.
Which Illinois waters got spotted gar from IDNR?
IDNR listed no stocking of it from 2021 to 2026.
Must a visitor buy a license for Illinois spotted gar?
Anglers 16 and older carry an Illinois fishing license ($15 a year for residents, $31.50 for nonresidents in 2026).
Does the Illinois spotted gar record list count bow fish?
Two: hook and line, and bow and arrow. For it, IDNR shows 2 record rows.
Where do IDNR biologists rate spotted gar?
The IDNR outlooks on these lake pages give it no grade.
Plan an Illinois trip for spotted gar
Open a lake or river above for launches and local rules.