World Record Alligator Gar

[svnmag]

http://www.fieldandstream.com/photo...-gar-monster-huge-mississippi/?src=SOC&dom=fb

 

[Long Range Hunter]

You think they bite?

 

[Still_Learnin']

You think they bite?

Not really all that aggressive. They are more interested in eating something dead most of the time.

 

[dean nelson]

The key with gar is they need to swallow the hook or you screwed to much bone in their mouths. If they could be hooked easily in the mouth guys around here would be shocked how many hit their lines well chasing walleyes on the river. Problem is they grab the bait then hold it in there mouths for a few seconds before rebiting to get the minnow pointing in the right direction.

 

[CatDaddy]

The key with gar is they need to swallow the hook or you screwed to much bone in their mouths. If they could be hooked easily in the mouth guys around here would be shocked how many hit their lines well chasing walleyes on the river. Problem is they grab the bait then hold it in there mouths for a few seconds before rebiting to get the minnow pointing in the right direction.

Spot on. I caught a 20 lb gar in Oklahoma that never did get hooked - just held on until I got it to shore. Once there, it opened it's mouth and let go of the bait - quick hands grabbed the fish and weighed/released. Really cool fish!

 

[svnmag]

I had a hell of a time in Florida one winter day catching 10-15lbers on a firetiger jerkbait. I'd never seen them act so aggressively. These were the shortnose variety.

 

[CatDaddy]

I believe what I was catching were short nose as well. What a prehistoric fish!

 

[BDub]

During the 2011 flood my yard was full of baby gars that got stuck in puddles as the water receded. Probably way more gar in the river than a person thinks.

 

[svnmag]

I may have exaggerated with the weight a bit but most fish were approaching a yard in length.

 

[dean nelson]

During the 2011 flood my yard was full of baby gars that got stuck in puddles as the water receded. Probably way more gar in the river than a person thinks.

There are lots and lots of them in the river. Don't see them much when I'm fishing but as soon as you switch up to carp hunting with a bow they are one of the most common fish you will see. The gar here don't get vary big...maybe three feet and as big around as a coke can. Also see allot of them off the wingwalls up at the tailrace.

 

[svnmag]

Just thinking back to that day because I have no life. Off the same dock in two days, casting to the same downed tree; I also caught LM, mangrove snapper, some species of jack, a small barracuda and snagged a bullhead. Nothing remarkable in size except the gar which where all caught with the jerkbait. Everything else was caught on a shallow ShadRap.

 

[Still_Learnin']

Just thinking back to that day because I have no life. Off the same dock in two days, casting to the same downed tree; I also caught LM, mangrove snapper, some species of jack, a small barracuda and snagged a bullhead. Nothing remarkable in size except the gar which where all caught with the jerkbait. Everything else was caught on a shallow ShadRap.

Good lord! Can I get a map to this dock?

 

[svnmag]

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Good lord! Can I get a map to this dock?

Grandad owned a house on the Steinhachee river about five miles upstream from it's mouth into the Gulf.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steinhatchee_River

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Situations like this are why I call for more species stocked in the Tailrace, redfish in Devil's Lake (probably not deep enough and too cold)--and am totally enamored with zander in Spiritwood. I love to match wits with a target species but may love more not knowing what has just smacked my Rapala.