It's strange. I've walked the banks of Benbrook a good bit and have yet to see a gar of any species. Does anyone know where there might be a gar or two hanging out anywhere near Benbrook? Thanks.

lots of talk of gar lately. are they good to eat?

They might be. I know there was a post a while back that explained how to cook em up. I hear gar balls are good.

Honestly, I caught one a couple months ago and it was the best fly fishing experience I've had. Since then, I've walked Benbrook and talked to some old timers out there that have told me there are no gar in Benbrook. I have trouble believing that but I haven't been able to prove em wrong yet either.

I have never seen or heard of a Gar come out of Benbrook.

never seen one out there

maybe in the creeks

the gar are spawning at lake cleburne. i fished there today and saw 100 gar along the dam in about 10" of water

i've seen then in the trinity from University all the way to Legacy park in Arlington.

I have also seen them along the same location as Brazosjoe stated. As far as eating them, yes you can and they are very good. You need a sharp knife. The only part worth eating is the back strap. Cut it into madalions and cook it up like scallops with garlic. I have eaten it a few times but never cooked it myself.

Donny, my reply is a little late, but I've never seen gar at Benbrook either. I think of the some bowfishermen who drop in at our usual section have mentioned seeing gar there, but I've never seen 'em myself.

What do you use to catch them, bait wise..

i've never caught one before, but i've seen my line take off before using a cut up piece of perch. Im told you should let them run off with it and wait a few minutes as they toy with it. I read somewhere that you might consider letting them run off with it about a 150 yards or so then set the hook hard and the fight is on.

Seems like the Trinity up from Benbrook is where I'll have to go.

I want to catch some on the fly and I'm not sure you can eat fish in the Trinity between Fort Worth and Dallas. I wasn't planning on eating em anyway. They are just a blast to catch on the fly.

As low as Benbrook gets in the summer, I'd think the Trinity upstream of the lake is little more than a dry drainage ditch most of the year. Anybody know otherwise?

I haven't fished Benbrook in a few years. If you want gar try Village Creek in Arlington out of the north side of Lake Arlington. They seem to feed very aggressively on shad in the early morning and I've had more than a few Rat-L-Traps with the paint completely removed. They're hard to hook on those but you'll get a bite practically every other cast. They're a nuisance when they're not what I'm trying to catch, but when you do hook into one, they can put up a good fight. All of the teeth remind me of the northern pikes I used to catch up in Minnesota.

now you guys have got me wanting to catch one. Anyone up for it soon? To be honest, i'm not sure how to remove the hook??? Carefully, i guess.

i used chicken qrts.cut theighs from legs and hook it! you have to let them take it for a while or you will never hook them. they naw on it for a while then set the hook and hold on!!!!! they are good eating also if you dont get into the huge ones.

back to the original question,....anyone seen gar in Benbrook?

You will not find a single gar in Benbrook or on the Clear Fork, has something to do with the lack of salinity, don't guess there are any in Lake Weatherford either. I have been in and on the water at Benbrook since 1958 and never have seen a gar there. Used to be a ton of them below the dam at Lake Cleburne along with a ton of snakes. A few years ago I saw a 6 footer at Steele Creek hanging out to dry.

Thanks, what bubbled it back up was an article in star-telegram about a study in Caddo to determine if the gar may be stressed due to mercury. Course this has nothing to do with B. brook., only to make me think of the gar or no gar there...........If we did have Benbrook Gar, most likely there'd be no Alligator Gar like the long lived giants of Caddo and the Trinity further down.....Side note.....has the sunfish population in Benbrook decreased since the invasion of yellow bass?.......Something to dream about during breakfast.

That is a good question since they are in a feeding competition with sunfish, crappie and sand bass. What about the impact they will have on all the other species good, bad, otherwise? I am sure the Hybrids and LMB feed on them as well as big cats.

where i live, gar are everywhere. feeding competition shouldn't be a problem for gar, most likely salinity. gar will eat any fish in their way, if they're hungry. catching gar, on another note, is tricky. they will run for a while, and then nothing, but usually they are just getting started. you have to be patient because your best chance of a hook set is when they totally swallow the bait. the mouth of a gar is so boney that the only way to get landed without them swallowing the bait is if the hook gets snagged in their teeth. they are good to eat, but hard to clean. you'd have to use a machete to cut a strip of skin from the tail to the head, then a knife to cut the skin from the flesh, then fillets off the bone. grind the meat in a food processor, mix with an egg, chopped green onions, bread crumbs, garlic and seasonings. form balls or patties, then dredge and fry in a cast iron skillet.

i dont know if ther good eatin but i sure will try it

My son and I bankfish the Trinity from the Lake Worth dam down to Trinity Trails access across the street from George's Imported Foods. I see TONS of gar in there, look like spotted but it's hard to tell.

have any of you guys seen gar in lewisville or grapevine lately?

gar all over thick in trinity near benbrook

[quote=Sumfish]You will not find a single gar in Benbrook or on the Clear Fork, has something to do with the lack of salinity, don't guess there are any in Lake Weatherford either. I have been in and on the water at Benbrook since 1958 and never have seen a gar there. Used to be a ton of them below the dam at Lake Cleburne along with a ton of snakes. A few years ago I saw a 6 footer at Steele Creek hanging out to dry. [/quote. +1 I've fished BB for several years from the bank and from boat and have never seen or caught a gar in BB. If you drive up 377 to Granbury you can caught plenty from the bank. They are hard to clean but are very tasty when eaten fresh out the grease, but i don't care for it once it cools off because meat texture gets rubbery. Imo