Frustrated Gar Fishing!!!!

[Tarpon4me]

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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