Gar on the Fly

[Zach Matthews]

Hey y’all –

This summer I want to catch a gar on the fly.

[Carter Simcoe]

You want shallow-ish, slow water with lots of sun shinning on it.

[Roger Stouff]

Two words: Shiny, and slow.

It will look like bait to them…minnows, shiners, little bream. Sparkly fish, moving slowly, tempting them. When you set the hook, hit ’em hard, their long jaws have little soft tissue. I’ve never really targeted them, but I’ve seen them take flies like bendbacks and Clousers enough that sometimes, when bored, I’d hookset just for the fun.

That’s not to say that other things won’t work…I’ve had them hit at poppers while idle, and they will also chase a bugger, but never had one hit it. This is south La. gar, your mileage may vary elsewhere.

Incidentally, speaking from my Cajun-half, gar is SERIOUS good eating.

[Carter Simcoe]

If you start targeting them on a regular basis you’ll switch to a hookless rope fly, trust me.

[brian dunigan]

Zach, have you seen this site?

[Roger Stouff]

Born and raised in Baton Rouge and I’d rather eat shit on a shingle.

Carter,

[none]

These gars in your heck of the woods look very prehistoric!
Kinda like a pike/musky too

Jay

[Mike Anderson]

I used to catch some really big ones below Lake Sinclair in GA on spinning gear. They were great fighters. The ones I’ve caught below Centerhill and in Priest here in TN were like reeling in a stick.

How do you remove the rope fly

[Carter Simcoe]

I pry their mouthes open with a piece of flat steel stock and then pull it straight up out of their teeth.

[Mike Cline]

More Gar’ish information

http://hipwader.com/2006/gr-pike-fishing-fly-pattern

[Phil Landry]

Here is one I caught this past summer on a zonker that had no weight in it, fished with an intermediate sink-tip (5wt).

[Phil Landry]

This is why nobody swims in the lakes in Oklahoma

[Mike Cline]

My Grand Father grew up in the Broken Bow area and he couldn’t swim.

[Mike Anderson]

Jesus that things a beast. I want one. ;D

[anonymous]

I’ve heard stories of people catching HUUUUUUGE Gar, (Alligator Gar?) in the New River, WVA. Could this

[brian dunigan]

The gar in the New River are probably longnose gar.

[robert_lee]

Zach – Kent Edmonds http://www.flyfishga.comchases GAR on a fly down in Lagrainge on the Hooch.  I think he also fishes the Coosa river system for them.  As for lakes in the area,  you can fish for them on Lake Allatoona just north of Atlanta

[Kent Edmonds]

Hey guys. It’s pretty hard not to find gar in this part of the country. I catch `em on the Hooch, the Flint, & the Coosa & Tallapoosa over in Alabama. Crazy fun…..

(The rubber band on the rod butt is to stow the hookless fly).

It’s a little hard to find, but there is some info on the flies on my website – http://flyfishga.com/gar.htm

Here’s why the rope flies work so well…

At least half the fun of gar fishing is the big question they inspire as you get `em to the boat………..

Kent - FlyFishGA

[brian dunigan]

Does anybody know if gar will take a fly when they are spawning?

I know a place that gets a big spawning run of some gar that are easily up into the 10 pound plus range.

[Anonymous]

I have a favorite hole in the Harpeth River in the Nashville area where I see alot of gar.  I caught 2 of them on dry flies one day after watching them come up and sip the surface repeatedly during a hatch!  And I always thought they were scavengers or bottom feeders!!!  One broke me off, and the other I pulled up onto the bank and was able to get my fly back, but he had completely mangled it.  Fun stuff on a 4wt !!!

😎

[Author]

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