I have never fished for gar but would like to try and catch some. The creek below the spillway is full of gar about 2' long. What techniques do I need to know to catch some of these? Bait, Hook type and size, etc... basically I need to know everything. Gar Fishing for Dummies. Thanks for advice and tips to help me catch some Gar.

It is pretty easy. Just go buy a saltwater float with a steel leader (or make one). Put on a small treble hook with a live shad, big minnow, or small sunfish. A small treble hook will tangle in the teeth. Throw it out near the gar and hang on. Let the gar run with the bait before setting the hook. You can add another section of wire and a stinger treble hook if needed. You can increase or decrease the hook size depending in the size of gar you are after.

You can also catch them on a fly rod with a streamer or muddler minnow.

Make sure you know the species you are dealing with. Alligator gar have harvest regulations.



Let us know how you do.

Plus #1.

Side Note: I have caught small gar on regular 6 pound line with no leader using worms and a size 6 cricket hook . I have also caught larger gar on the same tackle using cut bait. Granted I am not using the right tackle for gar. If I was, I would be catching a lot more of them.

Thanks. Perfect eating size right there!

I have a freezer full of red snapper, so my gar catches get released.

If you catch some let us know, and let us know how they taste.

Jug lines. 50# leader line. Big hook and a hunk of chicken

A rope lure is hard to beat for gar, might be a little hard to see but there is one hanging from the fish my guy is holding. Burn one end of 3/8-1/2 in nylon rope, cut a 3-4 in length, hook the burned end onto a small jighead, and fray the back end. Then a gar strikes, give it a couple of seconds to chew on it and its teeth will get stuck in the frayed end. Very versatile, can hang it under a cork, jig it fast or slow, bounce it on the bottom, or use a plain hook and throw it as a topwater. Helps to have some pliers around to get the rope out of all those teeth.

This morning I went and fished a section of the Trinity in Fort Worth. I had a treble hook with a freshly caught live shad on it, about 6" of steel leader, then a bobber about a foot or so above that. I was fishing above a spillway from about sunrise until 10am or so. Two seperate times I saw some kind of gar surface, one of which was within feet of my bobber! I was so sure that it would bite it and run with it, but it didn't even touch the live shad. Is there something I'm doing wrong here?

Those gill plates are razor sharp .... he is just asking to get cut wide open!

This morning I was out at the spillway behind Lake Worth, Sansom Park. Saw a decent sized longnose gar surfacing and splashing around in the middle of the river. I had a live bluegill on a treble hook, steel leader, and about 3-4 feet of line underneath a bobber, not sure if the gar was interested much. I got there about 7am and the gar activity started around 8 or so, the sun had been up for about 30 minutes. I've never caught a gar before, is there anything I should do differently to get a bite? I know sort of what to do once the gar does actually grab the bait, but not sure how to actually entice the fish to bite in the first place.
What sort of rig should I use and should I be using cut bait instead of live bait?

99% of the Gar in the Forth Worth Trinity river system is going to be Longnose Gar. I would not recommend a treble hook when fishing for these fish. Like others have said a strong small single hook works fine combined with small bait fish. However... the most popular method of catching just about any Gar other than Alligator Gar is simply a nylon rope lure. I used to rig mine with cutbait on the hook for scent. Let them take the nylon rope slowly, do NOT set the hook, slowly apply pressure as the rope gets tangled in the teeth and then hold on. A longnose gar tail flipping on the surface is an incredible sight. And 100% yes, Longnose Gar (which are in no danger of being over harvested, same with the smaller spotted gar) are delicious when prepared properly.

Here's a few links to fast forward your research.

https://www.ms-sportsman.com/content/frayed-how-to-catch-hard-fighting-gar/

http://www.flyfishga.com/gar.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLFdDYG79lc

How to clean longnose/spotted gar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_D8PFO9mF4

Thank you! I appreciate this a lot. Any other tips or advice? I haven't considered the rope lure idea, would they be more likely to hit that in oppose to cut bait?

No prob. Your mileage may vary, but in my experience over the years.......

* Fishing with rope lures on the surface results in more action but with a mixed bag of typically smaller more active fish. Spray some minnow/shad scent on the rope if you have some!
* Fishing with cut bait or live sunfish on a hook / bobber about 2ft below the surface results in slower action but typically larger fish.
Fishing on the bottom with a cutbait/rope hybrid lure is the slowest action but has always yielded the largest Longnose gar.

* I actually enjoy these methods better because it involves walking around sight fishing for the fish first. When you see them on the surface, coming up for air, etc, cast out 20-30ft in front of them and slowly bring the lure to them. I also like to add some frayed rope that dangles on the hook below the cut or live bait. Just something extra to get those teeth snagged into. If you're not using any rope then you should wait a while before setting the hook. Typically the larger Longnose Gar will swim, stop, position the bait before they swallow it. Timing is important, if you're catch and releasing be prepared to lose alot of fish. Because in this case you don't want the fish to swallow the hook. If you're catching for the grill, you can wait a little longer before setting the hook. The timing issue is similar with Alligator Gar as well, but the waiting period is typically a bit longer before setting the hook.

And btw...get some gloves asap. Handling a decent sized longnose gar (for a photo) can be challenging. One hand clamping down his mouth, the other hand supporting the lower belly toward the tail. And finally...one of the most exciting things you can witness in Texas freshwater fishing is a large Longnose gar tail dancing on the surface.

I'll have to try this then! I hadn't thought of the rope lure increasing the amount of action. The cold probably has slowed the gar bite down a ways though, I'm just assuming since that's the case for most fish. Should I just wait for warmer weather to try again?