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Longnose Gar Update!


LostLure

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We all know that every fisherman has their own fishy tale, and their own Moby Dick. Gather around and get comfy as I tell mine. 
 

And for the sake of tradition….

 

Call me Ishmael,

 

Following the advice of a more experienced angler, Smerch, I concocted my own “Gar Rig”. Consisting of a 30lb steel leader, attached to 2 3/0 octopus hooks, either side of a treble hook. Due to the solid bone plating inside their mouths, my best hope was creating a tangle and one or more hooks pierce the lip to create tension. Topping the steel was a simple surface bobber, with the aim to keep the bait suspended in the top 6 inches of the water, where the Gar can see it and strike. Finally, a small supply of nightcrawlers to provide an irresistible meal. 
 

Heading out nice and early I setup at a different location, but near where I had spotted Gar previously. My spinning rod was setup ready to rig with bait and cast, meaning I would be sticking to working crankbaits along the cover with my Baitcaster (without success I might add). As the sun began to peak over the trees, I resigned myself to another skunk and started to reel in my line, ready to pack up. 
 

Ah, but this is where our story truly begins…who should show up, trying to look like an innocent piece of driftwood? The markings on this Gar are unmistakable, and stunning. And this time, I was ready for him. 
 

Threading a worm through the hooks in a way that allowed it to move without being able to free itself, hopefully creating a delicious looking target. My line went out, and I was thankful for Gar having bad eyesight, as I crawled the bobber past my target and pausing the bait about 6 inches in front of his nose, before crawling a little further away and pausing again. 
 

I flipped my bail and held my breath. The 5 seconds it took felt like hours. With a splash my line flew off my reel, my eyes searching for when the bobber reappeared. As soon as I saw that the Gar had stopped to chew, I closed my bail, preparing to set the hook (hopefully). 
 

The plan worked perfectly and by the time the Gar knew something was up, he was snagged. The fight was sudden and intense, the drag on my reel was getting a full workout. 
 

“Thus, I give up my spear.”
 

There was only one failure, and it was the knot from my line to my leader 😔
 

Once again I am bested by my personal Moby Dick. Until another day when we meet again.  
 

May you all have more success than I. 

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Good on ya , you hooked that rocket at last !   Thinking back I would try a steel leader & attach a couple or three trebles and would prefer 2 small live minnows or lively manure(leaf) worms that I have in my mulch pile . 

I have never heard of rope lures Ty ....so I checked it out ....very impressive and no hooks that could end up in your hide ! 

This rig looks easy to make with the right material ...a short vid of 2 gars caught on the "rope" . ( the guy seems a little excited lol !

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB8jHtyux_U&ab_channel=TFish

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28 minutes ago, Tyler0420 said:

Great story lostlure. There’s always next time. 
look up rope lures, give them a try. 


Coincidentally I have been looking how to make these. I’m also practicing tying better knots 😂. I was making good progress while he was fighting away from me, but he suddenly turned and charged in my direction. I’m frantically picking up line and I’m just about to get in front of him, when he did that instant 180 and accelerate that long tubular fish can do. The sudden whiplash on the line left me reeling in nothing but mono. I’m also pretty certain my steel leader and improvised rig is resting somewhere at the bottom of the pond, after the Gar used it to pick his teeth after the meal I offered 🤣
 

As you say, there’s always next time, and now I know I’ll be ready for him. Thankfully, I find a great deal of fun in the chase. I’m fairly confident that I’ll get him one day, maybe I won’t ever, but when I do, it’ll be so much sweeter for all the near misses. 

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4 minutes ago, smerchly said:

Good on ya , you hooked that rocket at last !   Thinking back I would try a steel leader & attach a couple or three trebles and would prefer 2 small live minnows or lively manure(leaf) worms that I have in my mulch pile . 

I have never heard of rope lures Ty ....so I checked it out ....very impressive and no hooks that could end up in your hide ! 

This rig looks easy to make with the right material ...a short vid of 2 gars caught on the "rope" . ( the guy seems a little excited lol !

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB8jHtyux_U&ab_channel=TFish


I’m thinking about which live bait would be best, at the time nightcrawlers was what I had to work with, but I’m grateful for the suggestions. I’ve heard leaf worms make excellent live bait when the fish are pressured or the bite is slow. 
 

And that’s an awesome video about the rope lures, much better than trying to quickly and carefully untangle a mess of hooks without hurting the fish. 

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I'm thinking that rope lure can also be used under a float &  "twitch" it a few inches every 10 secs. I'm going to check my 'junk stock' in the garage & basement for materials ....like minnow net  material etc.  It's fun to experiment . ....maybe some strands of cheesecloth tied to strands of braid line for strength ...my brain is now in gear ....

 BTW ...I have a small gar hanging on my bedroom wall that I found deceased near the shore of L.Gibson .  I used low grade expansion foam to fill the body cavity .

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I made a very crude gar rig using  wool and a spinner . I'll post a shot of it later on this post .

 

In the meatime , while having a bite to eat ,  I did some more googling on the subject and found a site that shows four methods for catching gar (which we have already mentioned here . I  don't like the lasso method but it may be worth a try for some . Strong line is a must as these rocket fish remind me of bonefish . From what I have read their teeth are round and don't 'cut' the line as pike  which have razor sharp edges between the teeth . The 'armour plated' gars are pike on steroids... with attitude ! 

I've seen most gars locally at Jordan Harbour as they bask in the shallow bays . ...had one hit a crank bait , and took off like a rocket only to get off the treble hook in 5 seconds ! That would be worth a day on the bay for you canoe/yak guys ....and pick up a few bass , etc. 

 

https://www.gameandfishmag.com/editorial/4-best-ways-to-catch-gar-fish/332295

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I’d heard they’re fighters, but honestly Smerch, was not expecting it to be from 0-100 from the go and without rest. Most fish, getting them hooked seems to be the challenge, it seems that fighting this guy is going to be the biggest obstacle to landing him. It’s easy to see how they can be a challenge to fish for. 

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6 hours ago, Cleithrum said:

I guess that fish is toast. shame.  Check your knots and gear


Fortunately, the hooks used were small and unbarbed (you can’t hook a Gar inside the jaw, only use tension to create a tangle and if you’re insanely lucky, maybe hook the outer lip to help keep the tension, as soon as the leader and line separated the tension was lost), so wouldn’t become embedded when the Gar spat the hooks and leader. 
 

Typically, I’ll use a Palomar knot as I fish braid on my Baitcaster, but I’ve been looking for a slightly less fiddly knot due a a partial disability in one hand. That was my first and last attempt at the Berkeley Braid Knot 😂

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We lose fish for many reasons , nicks on the line , using  weak lines, cheap swivels/hooks/ bad knots, spooled lines, and of course wild crazy fish that "spit" the hook . 

I have been doing 'fairly well' using barbless hooks for carp , probably getting 80% catch rate . ...and no worries about getting "another" hook in my hide !

I made up this rig to give it a try for those toothly gar . It is very strong (30# fl.carbon) & I used heavy wool , balled up tight for the 'meaty' part .

I want to get out soon ....but the next 2 days are supposed to be 32*C. with a humidex of 40 !  I'll get my fish from the freezer !

 ... here's smerch's "prototype" killer gar contraption ....worthy of a patent me thinks ...... and it's hookless  B)   

 

 

 

 

 

Gar Lure.jpg

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5 hours ago, smerchly said:

We lose fish for many reasons , nicks on the line , using  weak lines, cheap swivels/hooks/ bad knots, spooled lines, and of course wild crazy fish that "spit" the hook . 

I have been doing 'fairly well' using barbless hooks for carp , probably getting 80% catch rate . ...and no worries about getting "another" hook in my hide !

I made up this rig to give it a try for those toothly gar . It is very strong (30# fl.carbon) & I used heavy wool , balled up tight for the 'meaty' part .

I want to get out soon ....but the next 2 days are supposed to be 32*C. with a humidex of 40 !  I'll get my fish from the freezer !

 ... here's smerch's "prototype" killer gar contraption ....worthy of a patent me thinks ...... and it's hookless  B)   

 

 

 

 

 

Gar Lure.jpg

Nice smerch. That might just work. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
28 minutes ago, dave524 said:

Saw this in another forum, looks like the Ottawa River is the place for them https://bunksoutdoorangle.com/ottawa-river-gar-for-the-record/

Yes , "Moosebunk" has posted many great stories and photos of his fishing escapades over the years . He is a top notch writer and has been to many distant places to catch huge fish , from musky to sturgeon . I loved the colours on the beautiful arctic char he and his family caught in the far north . The St.Lawrence /Ottawa R.are well known for big musky and pike  as well . you might even encounter an orca whale !    

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