Fishing Forum

[unsure]Me and my husband fish every weekend. We found a spot on Pleasure Island that is full of Gar. The first day we fished there we did pretty good. We brought home 3. But since then we have been having alot of trouble. We have tried several diff. types of bait, cut mullet, live mullet, shad, and even perch. We have tried setting the drag really loose and tried with it tight. Does anyone have any tips on catching these tricky suckers? As far as tackle, bait etc.. ANYTHING you could tell us would be greatly appreciated..

Thanks

Renee'
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Hey there FishFinAtIcs,

There is a site called gargetter or gargetters.com/techniques/ that says that the way to catch longnose gar is just like you catch needlefish. Get them to grab something that gets tangled in their teeth and pull 'em in.

There are three species of Alligator Gar, the longnose, shortnose, and the spotted gar in the US. Which species are you guys catching?

JapanRon
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Thank you so much for replying.. we are trying to catch the longnose species. I assume they are the toughest to catch.. And what are some examples of something that will get tangled in their teeth?

Thanks for replying,

Renee'[cool]
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[font "Arial"][size 2]Welcome to Big Fish Message boards. I have heard that you can catch Gars with fish guts. Put a cork on your line about two foot over the hook. A small treble hook works the best. Now for somethings that will get tangled in their teeth. I have never tried this but I have always heard it would work. Take a rope about 6 inches long and untwist it so it has a lot of fuzz on it. Also I heard that a woman's pantyhose cut in long strips would work. If you try this and it works let me know.[/size][/font]
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hey I know what what ya need bubba. You need a reel such as an ambasor with 40Lb steel leader and treble hooks. Alot of people hate gar in S.C. but there fun to catch.
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One of the biggest mistakes people make with gar is setting the hook too soon. You have to let gar knaw on it for a while. Long-nose gar especially don't have very much hook-setting area, hints their mouth is very skinny and long. You need to give them a minute and let them work your bait more towards the corner of the jaw. Treble hooks and steel leaders are a given, that is if you actually want to land the fish. If you ever watch a gar grab a bait on top of the water, they actually sit there and suspend, chewing away until they get it down. Take that into consideration. You can also try large, suspending lures worked slowy. Gar, among other things, are fearless. I know in the rivers around here they surface right at the boat, motor running and all. They're always hovering around the boat in the summer, however, they are not as stupid as they look and sometimes tempting a hit can be a frustrating feat. Make shure and use fresh bait. I've noticed that cut bait works better than live bait, atleast on my neck of the woods. And don't limit yourself to bottom fishing, i've caught more gar off of floating rigs than any other. Plus, I think it's way more fun to watch that bobber take of anyways. [cool] Good luck and I hope this helps out
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#ff4040]Shoot them with a bow![][/#ff4040][/font]
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Do It Yourself Gar Lures Yarn Jig
[url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tangleyarn.jpg"][/url]
1. Take 2-ply nylon yarn. Cut off about a 36” length. Unravel one end and separate into 2 strands. I use Needloft Plastic Canvas Yarn, it comes in any color you want and is available for 10 yards for $.37 at my local hobby store. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tangleyarn02.jpg"][/url]
2. I use a lead head jig, ¼ to ½ oz. In the picture, it is being painted with red fingernail polish. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tangleyarn03.jpg"][/url]
3. Meanwhile, I’ve tied off my binding thread on the jig. The bobbin is seen below the painted jig head. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tangleyarn04.jpg"][/url]
4. After smoothing out each yarn strand, I drag it between my thumbnail and index finger to straighten it. Then I wrap a strand about my fingers as shown. This will be the “tangle skirt”. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tangleyarn05.jpg"][/url]
5. I take the looped yarn and lay it on one side of the jig collar. Next wrap the binding tread a few turns around it to hold the skirt. Notice the arrow, the hook has been removed. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tangleyarn06.jpg"][/url]
6. The same operation is done on the other side of the jig. The thread is wrapped about booth skirts about 20 to 40 times and then tied off. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tangleyarn07.jpg"][/url]
7. The jig is removed, and the bottom of both skirts is cut in two. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tangleyarn08.jpg"][/url]
8. Loops cut out and ready for brushing. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tangleyarn09.jpg"][/url]
9. The skirt is then brushed with a wire brush. This unravels more of the yarn and makes it fluffy. Note the green colored object. This is a sponge threaded on the shank remaining after the hook was removed. Various attractants can be dropped on it. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tangleyarn10.jpg"][/url]
10. The final lure after being painted with a glitter nail polish Do It Yourself Gar Lures Spinner
[url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglespinner01.gif"][/url] 1. The material needed to make the spinner attractor. Colorado Blades, 2 styles shown. 2 clevis' shown. Wire, .035 stainless. Beads, silver, round, facet. Pliers, cutters, longnose. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglespinner02.gif"][/url] 2. Cut off about a 4 inch section of wire. Grasp the end with the longnose pliers, and roll the end into a loop. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglespinner03.gif"][/url] 3. Thread on the beads, place the clevis through the spinner blade, thread the clevis onto the wire. Follow with another blade (optional). Note the bullet weight. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglespinner04.gif"][/url] 4. Thread on the bullet weight. The size of the weight can vary from 1/16 to 3/8 oz. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglespinner05.gif"][/url] 5. Take a snap and add it to the spinners with a loop in the wire. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglespinner06.gif"][/url] 6. Attach spinner to a rope lure. Do It Yourself Gar Lures Rope Trailer
[url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglerope.jpg"][/url]
1. Start with 3/8 inch twisted nylon. Do not use braided line, as it will take you forever to unravel it. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglerope02.jpg"][/url]
2. Cut off a 5 to 6 inch length of line from the coil. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglerope03.jpg"][/url]
3. Notice how it is starting to unravel. Go ahead and unravel the three main strands from the cut off piece. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglerope04.jpg"][/url]
4. Finish unraveling each of the three strands. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglerope05.jpg"][/url]
5. Thread a zip tie through a split ring. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglerope06.jpg"][/url]
6. Bundle the strands together with the split ring threaded onto the zip tie. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglerope07.jpg"][/url]
7. Cinch the tie tight. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglerope08.jpg"][/url]
8. Trim the excess material off of the zip tie. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglerope09.jpg"][/url]
9. With a wire brush, brush the strands until they reach a hair-like consistency. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglerope10.jpg"][/url]
10. The finished lure. [url "http://savethegar.org/images/large_tanglerope11.jpg"][/url]
11. The finished product can be attached to the back of a spinner, Texas Rig, Carolina Rig, or whatever your imagination can conceive.The best time of the year in my experience is July through August. The hotter, the better, and the less rainfall the better. We 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. These gator gar congregate in these deeper holes.
We use cut bait such as carp, buffalo, and large perch. Our 330 Penn reels are spooled with a minimum of 40 lb. test line with a 24" steel leader. We hook the cut bait on a 6/0 treble hook and cast to the deeper part of the channel. The bait is free floating with the spool open and the clicker on.
When we hear the clicker go off we go and gently pick up the rod and turn the clicker off to allow the fish to take line easier. We believe that the reason these fish run with the bait is to get away from the other gar to eat his catch. Sometimes they may pull of 100 to 200 yards of the line on your spool, but be patient. If you set the hook too early the hook may not be in the softer area of his mouth yet. After the fish stops, engage the spool, reel in all of the slack line and when you feel tension on the line, set the hook as hard as you can. With so much line out you must set the hook more than once to ensure a good penetrating hook set. Then the fight is on! Make sure your drag is set correctly or you might get pulled in the water.
You can release the smaller fish by getting the hook out, but the bigger fish must be released by cutting the leader.
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