Research from the University of Missouri's Jason C. Vokoun may lead gar anglers to a better catch of shortnose. In Shortnose gar foraging on periodical cicadas: Territorial defense of profitable pool positions (American Midland Naturalist 143, no. 1, Jan 2000), Vokoun reports on observations of feeding behavior of shortnose gar. He found that "the largest gar in each pool of an observed stream reach was positioned a the upstream pool lip." That position then would be a prime spot, able to be taken and defended by only the largest gar. So, when searching for those fat, five- or six-pounders in a stream, give extra casts to that area just below a riffle at the beginning of a pool. Vokoun also noted that during a emergence, shortnose fed exclusively on cicadas. Hooking one on a #4 treble and floating it along the surface would be a wise move during those times that cicadas are prevalent.