[rockinmichigan]

I am looking for someone here on the site that's caught gars before on rod and reel, whether you were trying to or not. I guess specifically longnose gars, but really any specie of gar. What did you catch it on and how big was it? Where did you catch it at? I've hooked into two, one I landed and one that got off the hook as my buddy was trying to net him up. That one that got off the hook had to be a good 40", the one I landed was 26". That bigger one that got off I hooked him using a gobie as bait in deeper water in the middle of this past July. I had 15 lb. test line on, and a 3/4 ounce sinker.

 

[Steven Arend]

I have caught them here on the St. Joe river trolling for walleye with body baits and also while jigging for walleye through the ice on Muskegon Lake. I also like to target them once in a while. I will use just a small hook with a chunk of crawler on it, cast it out into a school of feeding gars and let it slowly sink, wait for the line to tighten up and then set the hook. Hook sets are only around 25% because of their boney jaw.

Steve

 

[shametamer]

we take one, say every 3rd or 4th trip to Kent lake. Biggest about 34 inches(seen them bigger in the shallows). Never targeted, but they do hit our body baits, trolled or casted. found the gang trebles on flatfish to be the best lure for tangling up those toothy critters!

 

[CubanFisherman]

In my reading, I have found that the best lure to use is a bucktail jig or spinner with the treble removed. Alternatives would be a piece of colored nylon rope tied to a jig without a hook. Supposedly, the fibers get caught in the gar's many teeth and don't come off. It always seemed like a fun thing to do.

 

[rockinmichigan]

I've heard of using a peice of colored rope before. I think one idea I heard was using one in red or something like that. My buddy was catching them up on minnows while trying more for perch or whatever.

 

[fishineddie]

huron river spring and fall... you can see them from up on the bank..not very big though.. last fall i saw probably 20 of them in between 20-25 inches

 

[rockinmichigan]

Some of the ones my buddy was catching last year mostly were in the 34-44" range. One was 26" and a couple pounds, but he caught a few others that were in the 34-44" area, all on minnows that he caught on minnows.

 

[redneckman]

I hooked into a gar around 25-30inches not sure though, but I was using a soft jerk bait. It was a natural shad color. I lost it 10 feet from the boat. It was on green lake up by T.C.

Redneckman

 

[bluefishing22]

I know of a lake in the allegan area that has a ton of gars in it, i found out when i was kayak fishing weeds using large power baits on top of the surface, the first few times they just expoded on the bait and i didn't exactly know what was hitting until i went to set the hook and would end up with half of my bait (clean cut) gone. i landed a few fish that were in the upper 30 inch mark but to be honest it really doesn't appeal to me, the fish are a real pain to get of the hook expecially in a kayak, but they do put up a great fight. if your in the area and want to try the lake out give me a pm and i'll let you know where to go!

 

[rockinmichigan]

bluefishing22, I'll have to look you up when I decide to road trip to a fishing hole. Might do some road trippin' this summer. They are a pain in the butt to get off the hook, but to me it is worth it since they aren't caught a lot on rod and reel, and they do fight pretty good.

 

[SeanJB]

I caught a Long-Nosed Gar in the Thornapple River this summer. I was using a minnow and a bobber after dark. I had a lot of fun reeling him in. This year I plan on getting out and strictly targeting them. I enjoy catching fish that put up a good fight.

 

[rockinmichigan]

I'm going to be doing the same thing, Sean. Since hooking into my first two gars ever in '05, I'm planning on targetting them more this year. Whether its doing stuff I haven't done much before like using live shad or using steel leaders, or whatever. The one I almost landed that was pushing 40" bit on a gobie I had caught earlier in the day.

 

[PIKERPETE]

May 2002 in Lake St Clair mid afternoon near St Lukes. Two boats me and cousins, sunny hot and calm... rolled into school of no less than a couple hundred gars 6-8 fow. Fished them with everything rattles, spinnerbaits etc...they hit the suspending rattling rogue, they liked to hit the lure when it was suspended, I guess a suspending husky jerk would also of have worked. We fished the school for 45 minutes..Lost 15-20... Caught 3....Average size of 36-44". I marked the GPS spot..never ever saw them in that type of numbers again. Every spring do always cruise thru to see if they show again..Good Luck

Pete

 

[DangerDan]

I have caught many gars (aligator gars) in my day but none as describe in these posts. The gars I caught were in brackish water and ranged from 24" to a little over 60" some of the larger having teeth a lot like a aligator or dog. These fish were caught in southern Mississipi of the back bays of Bay St Louis and Pass Chistian. I've caught them on anything from a Zebco to a Penn senator/ deep sea rig. using cut bait croakers and shrimp. Different type of gar I'd imagine but I haven't seen the gars up here yet so...

 

[phisherman]

http://www.geocities.com/rdvtavssvjnm/Fish/Page_9x.html

 

[rockinmichigan]

DangerDan, let me know if you've ever seen a longnose gar in a photo, I'll have to send you a link to see what one looks like if you've never seen one. Two different kinds of gars, alligator gars get MUCH bigger, and meaner from what I hear. Never seen one in person, since they're nowhere near here. Seen plenty of longnose, usually range 26-44" and very slender. You can have a three footer and weigh a couple pounds, where as a northern that length usually has quite a few more pounds on it.

 

[rockinmichigan]

Now that's a big ol' gator gar, phisherman!

 

[James Dymond]

I have speared a few gars out of Black Lake, they usually are up fairly close to the ice slowing moving I actually rubbed the side of one with the spear and then lifted the spear and stabbed him. Jim

 

[rockinmichigan]

I've never gone spear fishing. I think it would be cool to do that sometime, but to be honest I think it would be more of a challenge to go for gars with rod and reel. What's the challenge factor in spearfishing, especially for gars, compared to rod and reel, do you think, James Dymond?