Looking to hit Nueces for some gar. Never tried this species but figured I can at least try it. What kind of bait do I use for these guys? Any specific setup work?

I'm by no means an expert on gar fishing but I can offer a little knowledge. I mainly target catfish and catch a lot of gar by accident.

My suggestion on bait would be to catch yourself some carp and cut it into big chunks. Bluegill, drum, buffalo or other types of cut bait would work as well.

Get yourself some big treble hooks. The specific setup you use would depend on how you are fishing. A different setup would be needed for bank fishing vs boat fishing.

One thing to remember, gar like to swim away with their prey before they actually eat it. So don't try and set the hook as soon as you get some action. Let them run with it for 30-60 seconds, then set the $#!# out of it.

All what was said above for bait. Caught a alligator gar Sunday on chicken breast I was using for catfishing. Normally I use bluegill heads I have no luck catching carp.

+1

We caught all ours with cut shad a big circle hooks.

your setup will depend on what part of the nueces you are fishing and what kind of gar your after bank or boat?

This is perfect info! We will be on boat and fishing from 59 and below.

what kind of gar? alligator,long nose,short nose,spotted??? the species you target determines the rigs used.

what kind of gar? alligator,long nose,short nose,spotted??? the species you target determines the rigs used.

Spotted gar they will hit just about anything, just didn't catch one on the fly