A gar hit my spinnerbait last week. I was bass fishing. I've seen gar cruising this area a lot and I thought we had an understanding: I won't bother them if they don't bother me.

My question is, what the hell do you do with these things if you accidentally catch them with no net and on a bank? It was not happy with being caught (almost as unhappy as I was) and I had to pry its mouth open with pliers to try to get the hook out and that was unpleasant for me, as well.

First off, they don't "bite" but they do clamp down and "shake" their head aggressively, so be prepared for that. The best way to be prepared for dealing with the occasional gar is to bring some decent gloves with you. Then when you hook a Longnose Gar, simply grab them by the mouth (with their mouth closed) and lift them out of the water, or drag them out of the water, etc. If you have a smooth bank area, just drag/beach them with your rod.

Some people use a round stick and place it in their mouths while they're working to get the lure/hook out of the mouth. I've also seen peeps use a 3-4ft long pvc pipe and place the gar in there with it's head sticking out to keep the fish in place while they operate.

When taking pictures, hold the fish with the mouth closed with one hand, place your other hand toward the tail and hold on with a good grip. Keep them away from your face, they WILL more than likely flap/slap hard while being held. Other times they are very docile.

But..it's pretty exciting to have a good sized one on the hook, sometimes they will jump completely out of the water like a tarpon. woo hoo! lol..

Gloves, long handle needle nose pliers, round thick stick and you should be good to go.

Excellent. Thanks for the advice. I will add those to my gear. It definitely flopped quite a bit and every time I got near it, it flapped some more, making it even more tense.

For an instant, I thought it was the bass of a lifetime the way this sucker hit the spinnerbait. When it came to the surface, I said a four letter word out loud and hoped it would spit the hook. No luck and he got the thing pretty far back in its mouth. Can't believe it didn't cut the line.

If it didn't cut the line, that also could mean you did a good job playing the fish.

You know....I think everyone's first encounter with a Longnose Gar is something like "holy @#$% I just hooked bass-zilla!", only to end up seeing this crazy looking fish on the end of their line. lol...

You may say a 4 letter word now, but in the future after you've caught a few 8-10lb bass, you just might find yourself itching to catch something a little bigger, meaner, etc.

That's a good point, but I'm still working on a few 8-10 lb bass.

First one I ever caught (off a rattle trap) did the same thing as far as jump out of the water like a tarpoon. It was the coolest catch at that time....

Leave it's lifeless body at the boat ramp.

I once hooked an alligator gar in the Elm Fork(many moons ago) while tossing a spinner bait around a tree that had already given up several nice bass to me earlier that same day. The behemoth came COMPLETELY out of the water, standing on its tail and when he hit the water broadside, it sounded like a huge tree fell in the river! Splashed me good!!! When he hit that water full force, the spinner bait flew out of his mouth, he straightened himself out, and sauntered away from me as smoothly and as effortlessly as you please, not the least bit perturbed!

Nice memory. If I had to guess, I'd say he was in the 70-80 lb range. I have dealt with big gar in the Trinity from time to time, down around Malloy Bridge Rd between Seagoville and Ferris, and just outside Ennis near an old oxbow known locally as "the cutoff". Have never intentionally gone looking for them but have tangled with my share.

Rudy

That's a great story. I didn't have anything that exciting happen. I took it as a compliment when I caught mine because I heard they only really hit live bait and I thought that meant I was working the spinner well.

Do they leave bass alone for the most part? It seems like smaller bass would be on the menu (I still haven't looked into their habits yet).

I'd just cut the line. A spinnerbait is not worth my arm.

All you gotta Do is un hook the just like any other fish

Well, that's a baby lng, let's see how you handle momma lng in that kayak.

I usually fish by my self so don't get alot of pics , but next time I get a big one I will try an get some pics ,

Toss the spinner bait. Cheaper than a finger.

My cousin likes to eat gar, so he carries a machete with him. When he catches one, lops the head off, takes home the rest, problem solved. It's nice to have him with me when I catch one, I've had them shred the hell out of one of my fingers before.