Last few times I've been out, I have had a heck of a time keeping gar off my baits.. I even try relocating and it seems to make no difference.. Deeep water or shallow doesn't seem to matter..Could just be the time of year I guess.. Anyone else having this problem?

I think that is what has been running with my baits over here on Eagle Mountain but I never get a hookup or see a fish sometimes a big boil but no fish.

Yeah, usually that's gar. They're the worst on lake Pat in Cleburne. They have actually learned to mouth the bait so that they don't have the hook in there mouth. Then they run straight away from the bank so that when you pull on it to set your hook it rips the bait off tha hook. I know this because the baits that do stay on the hook will have teeth marks outside the hook only! I hate gar and usually kill them if I catch them.

My neighbor has been catching them over on the Brazos this week. One was over six foot. He's been using shad and taking some nylon fishing line and shredding it. Then ties it on the hook. The nylon gets hung up in the teeth and the fight is on. I've tried it before and it does work.

I used to stick thier bills in the oar lock on my small boat and break them off, It dont kill them tho. I have seen the longnosed gar with no bill feeding on the baitfish under lights at night! Hummm Old friends come back to visit I guess. I dont have a problem with you killing them, but I kill Rattlesnakes

I went to Eagle Mountain this evening and got bit off by at least 3 gar. I pulled up two messed up shad and actually drug one of the monsters up to the boat for a looksee before he spit the hook and hitailed it. If I'd had it ready I would have gaffed that sucker and beat him dead with a billy. I'll have it ready next time. I used to have a 'bang stick' when I used to fish deep sea a long time ago. I may have to get another one if the gar keep this business up. Rattlesnakes are only killed around the house. If I see one elsewhere he is relocated to live another day.

Dont care for the rattlers, Dont like the vett bills on my livestock and dogs, so thier history here. To each his own, My dad never would kill them, guess I took after grandpaw I live on a rocky hill , If you need any , I can spare them.

Nope, like I said if they are close to the casa they get wasted. I got 700 acres full of em out west and have only killed a couple that would'nt leave me alone dove hunting. Copperheads are another thing, I'll cross two fences and half a mile out of my way to kill a copperhead.

shhh the rough fish nazis will hear you

I love rattlesnakes! I grew up in the panhandle and I always caught them when I was a kid. My mom would get pissed at me for bringing them in the house! I usually don't kill snakes unless they're close to the house. I almost stepped on a copperhead the other day coming back from paintball. It was dark and we were using a headlamp to see. All of a sudden there was a 4 foot copperhead about 2 feet from my foot! We were gonna shoot it with the paintball gun but my friend couldn't figure my safety out so he got away.

Never seen a 4'0 copperhead?

They didn't learn to mouth the bait, that's how they eat. They come up on shad or small brim, slash sideways and grab the fish. Their teeth are for holding, not ripping. Then they leave the area, and open and close their mouth whipping it back and forth and basically turn the bait around until its head is pointed at their throat. Then they swallow the shad (or whatever) in one bite.

Sorry you hate gar. I think they're kind of cool. They're native fish, never stocked by TPWD like most fish that people go after, and they thrive and reproduce naturally in their habitat. As far as looks and toughness go they're kind of the biker gang of the river! Their scales are enamel. Sometimes you might see where one has died and the animals have cleaned off the scales on the bank and it's just a pile of hard, shiny white diamond shaped scales.

I actually fish for them sometimes. I'm not very good at it, but it's fun to watch them jump. I've heard they're good to eat but I'm too lazy to get through those scales so I always throw em back!

I have a few times. I'm just saying it was a pretty good size one that I almost stepped on. The biggest I've seen we measured at 4' 7".