GAR Question

[LGBASS20LB]

Today I was using a Storm Topwater CHUGBUG and I hooked into a fish which i thought was a Bass. When i brought it in, it turned out to be a nice sized GAR. I didn't know how to handle it, and I was lucky that i didn't hook it very good because when i brought him up, the lure fell out of his mouth. He flopped off the bank into the water. My Q is What is the proper way to handle a Gar???? If i ever hook into one of those again, i want to know how to remove the lure and return the fish safely for it and me? Thanks

[johnnie crain outdoors]

Cole, gar are hardly ever landed, their mouth is so thin and so tough, hooked don't get completely buried most of the time. However; should you actually have to land a gar I hope you have a dip net. Ger are long and thin and very stout, they have as you know, rows of sharp, pointed teeth, designed to shred food. The teeth are bad enoough, but the gar also has gill plates that will slice your hand open, and an their scales are like heavy sandpaper, very abrasive. When I catch a gar, I try to land the fish by grabbing it right behind the gill plates and hang on tightly, keep the gar right at your feet if bank fishing, or right against the boat side if in a boat. This limits the mobility of the fish, now try to find some needle nose pliars and force the lure from the fish's mouth. If you do use a net, expect the gar to twist violently until the net is wrecked, but it will wrap the fish tight enough for you to handle it. Again, if possible use pliars to dislodge the hook, watch those gill plates carefully, I've been cut more by gill plates than by teeth. Cole, the gar though faersome will nboy attempt to intentionally bite you, although it may snap its teeth. Many anglers will tell you to hit the gar over the head with a boat oar, or break its jaws. I don't like that. Someone else might derive great pleasure from catching the gar that you thorw back, same applies for all rough fish, not everyone is a bass angler, tho they should be. Hope this helps, you're going to be as great an angler as you wish to be. Johnnie Crain

[BASSGUIDEPA]

Cole,

Take the advice from Johnnie. I had the experience fishing down in Florida last year and I caught a few gars. Those "bad boys" would not hold still--kept flopping and twistin around. Without a net, I had to step on that toothy monster to get the hook out (I made sure not to hurt it)... What ever you do, do not lip it or pretend to be like Jimmy Houston and place a wet one on its lips.(ha ha ha).

[Eric]

Johnnie was right when he said that many gar are not actually hooked. Gar have very tough mouths and their shrp teeth often wont allow the lure to move forward during the hookset, meaning the hooks will not travel far enough to penetrate.

If you are interested in catching gar, I saw a technique used on tv that seemed to work very well. The angler used a length of nylon rope about 8 - 12 inches in length. The rope was tied at the head and the rst was frayed. It would resemble a squid lure used for saltwater fishing. I'm pretty sure he tied directly to the rope ( head ) and USED NO HOOKS. The gars teeth would get tangled in the frayed rope and be landed. He didnt set the " hook ", just let the gar attack the rope and start reeling, as you would with a circle hook. They landed every fish that bit. These guys were sight fishing for gar crusing near the surface, I'm not sure if blind casting would produce.
Just a thought. I have seen some big gar on the Potomac River and always thought it would be cool to fight one.

[dansfishntales]

I carry a pair of long "hook outs" like we use for musky and northern. You can usually grab the hook, and it will flop itself off. I've also used these for turtles, which is another subject.

Here is something related, if you would like to have some action catching these critters. A few years ago, Keith Lundahl, former owner of Lundahl Lures/Pops Spoons, was out experimenting for bass. However, he ran across a huge area of gar in the Mississippi River backwaters. It was a slow day, so he attached a piece of red cloth to the hook of one of his spoons. The gar would hit the cloth, and their teeth were like the hook part of velcro. He caught the gar on the cloth rather than the hook. This was done several times, so it wasn't a fluke for that day, or others afterward.

Just thought I would throw that out for some fun.
Dan

[The St.Croix Legend]

Grab the gar behind the gills with a firm grip and as another poster replied use a needle nose pliers go get the hook out.