Custom Baits - Forum
Fishing News and Reports => Fishing Techniques and Rigging => Topic started by: AJayToRemember on 02/02/15 02:04 UTC
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One thing I haven't been able to find any info on this forum about is "lures" or rigs or techniques on how to catch gar, specifically longnose gar. Anyone besides me target them from time to time with something other than a bow and arrow? If so, what do you use to catch them? Depending on how or where I am fishing I will either use a live sunfish on a no. 4 or 6 treble hook, with a braid or wire leader under a float, or if I've been in the mood to tie them, I'll use a rope lure.
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My Step Son loves to target Gar...
with a bow and arrow.
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I remember reading an article some years ago about guys fishing for Gar with strips of velcro. They were using the looped side attached to spinner baits.
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I remember Al Lindner using a wire loop/lasso with a minnow threaded onto the bottom... No hooks. He was catching them lasso style around the snout and teeth would keep it from slipping off.
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I've seen wire loops and unraveled pieces of rope. Depends on the Strain of Gar.
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A very small treble hook. Gar are the best tasting fish that swims!
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I've never ate one yet, but I hear there good. People on "Swamp People" talk about smoking them. Youtube has video's on how to clean them.
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I fly fish for them with a nylon rope fly. I tie them on a large bass hook and then cut off the bottom of the hook (so they don't hook me). You need a pair of long handled scissors and a comb to get all the nylon strands out of their mouth before you release them or otherwise they will not be able to breath or eat. Make sure you wear good gloves because their scales are very sharp!
And since those mean critters can gulp air...they don't slow down when they get in the boat and they will try to wack you with their snout!
They like to lay in the warmest water along weed lines during the summer and I can sight fish to them.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Gxz2BZ8knD4/VNEBA3aLZnI/AAAAAAAAJMk/v4IkViBhnEI/w426-h320/DSC00103.JPG)
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(http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/moqwack/trashfish005.jpg) (http://s136.photobucket.com/user/moqwack/media/trashfish005.jpg.html)
His one was mmmmm good! I'll take every hat I can get!
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Them things we eat you
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Don't worry I will not tell them your scared crapless of those things justin I promise lol
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Good to see there's at least a few other people out there that like to catch these toothy critters. They're one of my favorite fish to catch, other than the bowfin. I've always been partial to a little more of a challenge, especially when it involves strong fish with sharp teeth. ;D around where I fish I've spotted gar that were at least 6 feet long..and there's no gator gar here in NC. I've never eaten one but I plan to try it out this year!
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Can someone tell me how to catch gar and where to find them? No weeds in my lake...
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I tend to find them most in areas with lots of fry or small minnows that are otherwise good areas for crappie (in back waters) and white bass (in the main lake areas).
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I see them in backwater areas a lot and especially where the warmest water is.
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Backwaters, small rivers. If You see them rolling, there they will be.
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BKJ's got it! In the hot days of summer they love the shade on the edge of the banks of a river. They're very fun to catch, and when they're very active it's even pretty enjoyable watching them just swim around and just be gar for a little while lol
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I am definitely going to be trying to catch some this summer.
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I am definitely going to be trying to catch some this summer.
You should definitely give it a try! Can be frustrating sometimes but well worth it once you get a good hook up!! They like to jump all the way out of the water and give a great fight.
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It would be cool to catch one, but I've never even seen one around here since they don't really hang out in the waters I fish regularly. Bowfins are fun though, they put up a damn good fight.
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I have only almost caught a gar. Snapped the line at the boat. Fun while it lasted though.
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I remember years ago while station at FT Benning and fishing lake Eufaula, I hooked into a Aligator Gar on a crank bait in the river. What a blast that fish was and still remember it today 17 years later. It was also the first time I caught a stripper. Two completely different fights in the same day. One thrashed and one pulled. It's was awesome!
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It was also the first time I caught a stripper. Two completely different fights in the same day.
Nuttin' quite like fightin' with strippers. ::)
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So....what was the stripper pulling on?
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Strippers smell to fishy for me :o :P
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Oh god you guys make me fell special.
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It was my first and only Stripper. Caught her on a worm that I bought from some shop down on Victory Drive better know as VD lane. She pulled so hard I thought she was going to break my rod. I dipped it into the water to keep it lubed while the line was singing. After landing her, had the quivers and learned to smoke.
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I have only almost caught a gar. Snapped the line at the boat. Fun while it lasted though.
A wire leader helps a lot.
Nuttin' quite like fightin' with strippers. ::)
Jerry, same advice. 8) :P
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The gar was an accident. Never complain about fish that I catch, even the strippers! ;D
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It would be cool to catch one, but I've never even seen one around here since they don't really hang out in the waters I fish regularly. Bowfins are fun though, they put up a damn good fight.
Whereabouts are you located? I tend to see gar and bowfin in the same general areas of waterways, or at least similar backwaters. But bowfin certainly are strong. They'll trick into thinking you've hooked the bass of a lifetime, too.
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The gar was an accident. Never complain about fish that I catch, even the strippers! ;D
Depends on the size of the stripper. :o
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Roe! Roe! Roe, Kemosabe!
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Whereabouts are you located? I tend to see gar and bowfin in the same general areas of waterways, or at least similar backwaters. But bowfin certainly are strong. They'll trick into thinking you've hooked the bass of a lifetime, too.
SE Wisconsin. I fish a few waters where gar can be found, but not many. Bowfins are more widespread and can be found in most waters whereas gar prefer slow water and more marshy habitats. Some of the waters I fish would seem to be perfect for gar, but they don't seem to be present. Probably because of the pike in those waters.
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Rock Lake in Lake Mills WI has Gar in it. I have seen them in the 50 inch ( maybe longer ?) range in that lake. I've seen them in shallow water at night while fishing for crappies off the old trestle on the south end of the lake and have had them cruise by just under the ice in deep water out on the main lake. I tried to gaff one that went 40-45 inches that was hanging out right under the holes in our ice shack once. End result of that deal was no Gar and a bent hook on my gaff = those fish are tough as nails. LOL
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Wisconsin is far from my area. Although we don't have them here, I'm sure the pike probably do have something to do with the lack of gar in those waters. At least you seem to have no problem finding bowfin there. There's a private lake behind a restaurant in a city about 20 minutes from me that a cousin of mine used to have access to. Apparently bowfin are all you can catch, 12-14 pounders being almost common and while other people might turn their noses up, to me it sounds like a gold mine. Too bad no one can really get out there nowadays. Might have to sneak out there sometime :-X
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I just mentioned that lake more to show that you can find Gar in shallow water or suspended one foot down in 30-40 feet of water. That lake is gin clear with a fair number of Northerns, bass and a few walleyes in it. Lots of panfish for those fish too.
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Most of the waters I fish they simply aren't known to be around, 2XL. (Doesn't mean they aren't there, just that they aren't known to be) Once in awhile I fish Winnebago or the Wolf river. They're somewhat common in the Wolf, but I fish it so seldom that I have yet to come across one.
I know they can be found over deep water like you mention. I've always wondered what they're doing there? They're ambush predators, not hunters. I wouldn't expect there to be much to ambush 1' down in 40' of water.
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Re: Open water location. I know when we had our permanent shack set over deep water on Rock lake jigging for Perch there would sometimes be tiny inch to inch and a half minnows in the jigging holes when we first opened the shack for the day. Some days just a few and some days there would be 3-4 dozen and other days none at all. It was a surprise to me that those tiny fish were so far from any sort of weed cover at all. Then again, the wide open empty spaces of the main basin could be considered a form of cover I suppose. Those minnows would be a usable explanation as to why the Gar were hanging around.
Gar were/are always an accidental sighting for me. Put enough time on the waters that hold them and your bound to see one sooner or later I guess. I have seen a few Gar mounts that were caught on the river system here but in 30+ years of fishing it I've never caught or seen one myself.
I've caught them by accident on the Wisconsin River in the Spring Green area but to actually target them, I wouldn't have a clue where to start. They put up a great fight once you do tie into one.
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There's a lot of algaes and other micro-organisms that float up off the bottom and gather on the underside of the ice. Small minnows will often hang right tight the underside and feed on this stuff.. That's why crappies are often caught right the bottom of the ice hole. Crappies will cruise right under the ice facing up and pick these little guys off as they are looking up eating salad.
Only 4 or 5 years ago a buddy and I stopped along a backwaters where it looked like some kind of jamboree was taking place but it turned out to be disgruntled ice guys. It was a community hole and there were probably fifty guys on pails that day because it was very nice weather to be out. We walked back to the truck and each of use tied on a JBLures 1/16 Gem-N-Eye and stuck a Little Atom Nuggie plastic on the hook and walked back fishing in holes that had been drilled and the people had moved off. We fished no more than two feet under the ice and put an whumping on crappies while all these other guys fished the bottom and got an occasional 4" sunfish. Way larger bait and profile, right under the ice....crappies to beat it. No flasher needed. About two people caught on to what we were doing. The rest...brain dead.