Hey WiskerWrangler,
I think the trick to hooking up is a sharp, stout hook & lots of patience. Give them more time to work your bait past their teeth. You'll hook up more if you wait for them to swallow the bait. To me the hardest part of Gar fishing is resisting the urge to set the hook. The time can vary so grab a Snickers bar & be patient. Fish size to bait size is a factor. When fishing with a good sized perch I found that they will almost always swim off w/ it between their teeth so the other gar don't try to steal it. Whenever i set the hook too early I am simply pulling my hook from the bait & leaving the Gar w/ a mouth full of fish. I think that when the perch is no longer moving, the Gar will begin working the bait past their teeth. So give them some slack to allow this to happen. Although they seem to prefer live bait, we've caught them on just about everything.

Good Job Bro!

Thanks man.

I have had luck using a small square piece of panty hose around the perch. However, you dont want too big of piece, it may affect the perch swimming. Put a piece of panty hose on first then the perch. Wrap the hose around the perch. Their teeth will get caught in the hose. It may sound weird but it works.