Gar Pike Run On Grand River (Grand Rapids)

[msunolimit]

So I've been fishing quite a bit lately downtown and I've been noticing a ton of gar pike (never seen one before last monday and now I've seen more than I want to). The bass bite has slowed down substantially with them in the river (not sure if recent temp fluctuations have slowed the bite or what the real reason for the slow bite is).

Does anybody know how long the Gar stay in the river, and what they actually hit on so I can target them while they're still in there (there are some huuuuuuge fish in the river right now).

Thanks in advance

[West Side AK]

Hey, I'm not sure how long they stay but I've caught them on minnows... and when I head down south I slaughter them on shrimp... Lemme know if you get any... Those things get HUGE!

[walleyeman2006]

buy a hook sharpener if you dont allready have one their beaks are very very hard..large minow or slice of sucker will work catch enough of em by accedent on twister tails though..

not completey sure on their spawning cycle..

[waterfoul]

Dave, give me a call when you get a chance on Saturday. Earlier the better.

[axisgear]

So I've been fishing quite a bit lately downtown and I've been noticing a ton of gar pike (never seen one before last monday and now I've seen more than I want to). The bass bite has slowed down substantially with them in the river (not sure if recent temp fluctuations have slowed the bite or what the real reason for the slow bite is).

Does anybody know how long the Gar stay in the river, and what they actually hit on so I can target them while they're still in there (there are some huuuuuuge fish in the river right now).

Thanks in advance
Those are in fact "long nose gar" and they should be done with their spawning activities in a week or two.(be careful of the eggs as they are toxic to humans)

The best way to catch the ugly critters when they are not spawning(they aren't interested in eating while they are doing natures business) is to make a snare rig out of light strong wire(I like the high E- string from a guitar....I can still hear my father yelling at me:D ),but before you make the snare you have to thread the shiner through a point in it's back that balances it while suspended.Just run this rig 6 to 24 inches down in the slack water where you can see the gar surfacing/basking and ,if you are stealthy enough,you will be lassoing them in no time!

Oh yeah,let them run with it a while before you close the trap.They like to swim a little way before they eat and will carry the shiner at the tip of their "beak" until they stop.

I hope this helps and if you need some help with the snare rig(pretty simple),let me know.

[Rich215]

So I've been fishing quite a bit lately downtown and I've been noticing a ton of gar pike (never seen one before last monday and now I've seen more than I want to). The bass bite has slowed down substantially with them in the river (not sure if recent temp fluctuations have slowed the bite or what the real reason for the slow bite is).

Does anybody know how long the Gar stay in the river, and what they actually hit on so I can target them while they're still in there (there are some huuuuuuge fish in the river right now).

Thanks in advance

Were you fishing above...or below the dams?

[msunolimit]

Lately I've been fishing off the wall at 6th street and in the slow pools up closer to the dam... They seem to be everywhere and if you go down around 8-10pm you'll see them surfacing like no tomorrow.