I was poking around the canals and woods in the area and found a marshy area with a channel. I walked along the bank of it and noticed a large number of what looked to be alligator gars anywhere between 2-5ft long. Not real interested in keeping them but they look like they would be a fun reel-in. What do you use to catch these?
Answers:
" Gar feed primarily on fish but will also occasionally take waterfowl. Angling for alligator gar requires skill and specialized equipment. Cut bait such as carp, buffalo and large perch."
http://www.lmrcc.org/fish/alligator_gar_.
Those fish scare me!
They R A Protected Species The Last I Heard,The Game Warden Will Have A Blast Hauling Ur Butt To Jail,Check The Law First,Then If Its Legal,A Steel Leader Is A Must,Shrimp Is A Good Bait..Big Fine If They R Still Protected.
those giant minnows or large feeder goldfish
All gar, and especially the alligator gar, have hard, bony mouths bristling with sharp teeth. It is very difficult to hook them in the mouth, as you need to do if you wish to release them. Most of the time if you catch them on a natural bait you will find your hook buried deep in their throats or their stomachs.
An interesting and fun alternative is to catch them on a hookless lure. We used this technique extensively in South Texas for both long nose and alligator gar. You must use a stout rod and tackle in the 30 pound test range if there is any chance of catching anything in the 4 foot range or larger.
To make the lure you start with a thick piece of white nylon braid rope, about 12 to 14 inches long. Connect one end of the rope to a steel leader at least 18 inches long. We used to use a wire crimp to make a tight loop on one end of the rope, then loop the leader through the loop in the rope, and secure the leader with a second crimp. This ensures a solid connection while allowing the rope lure freedom to move in a natural, but erratic fashion. Finally, fray out the last six inches or so of the rope. This gives the lure a swimming motion as it is retrieved.
This technique is deadly on basking gar. Simply cast out past the gar and retrieve it past his nose in a jerking motion, similar to a stressed or dying baitfish. The gar will pound the rope, tangling his teeth in the mesh. Then it's just a matter of hanging on tight %26 enjoying the fight. Some gar will try to pound it out in the deep water, while others will jump completely out of the water. The only thing that's practically universal is that they slam the rope lure like crazy.
One of the best places to try this out is in the tailrace of a dam. For some reason the gar like to bask in the current below the dam, and opportunists that they are, they often dine on injured baitfish that have washed over or through the dam gates. The rope lure mimics the injured baitfish beautifully.
Once you have had your fun and landed your gar it is a simple (but time consuming) matter to pry his mouth open %26 untangle the rope lure. Please remove the lure completely before releasing the gar. Any gar released with the lure still entangled in his teeth would be doomed to certain death by starvation.
One more thing, there is a small, but dedicated, fraternity of fishermen in South Texas who target gar for the table. They clean their catch by skinning it, then cutting the meat into small cubes, about 1 inch to a side. The meat is then soaked in milk, dredged in seasoned flour, and deep fried. I have found it to be palateable, but all in all I still prefer catfish or crappie filets.
Eat, Sleep, Fish, Repeat.
We catch Gar all the time at Myakka with cut mullet and bass lures. I would guess that alligator gars would eat the same stuff. Or catch a blue gill and throw it on the line (or tilapia if they live where you are, we use the ones we catch for bait all the time as they are invasive and killing them is better for the native fish anyway.)
We release them as they are impossible to clean, I have heard the meat is good, but the row is poisionous.
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