You guys have any ideas for Gar flies?

[Zach Matthews]

I know there’s the standard rope but I’d be interested in knowing if anyone has come up with anything a little more conventional (and easier to cast!)

Thanks,
Zach

[Rob Snowhite]

I tie a Clouser out of Widow’s Web. The material gets all up in their maw as they bite the fly and then try to turn it to swallow.
The stuff is hard to come by now so I have started to use Near Hair. All of my gar flies are tied on hooks. You never know what is in the water with the gar around the Potomac River. We were filming gar fishing for Urban Lines a few years ago and a fish picked up the fly about 10′ down and started to pull the drift boat. No idea what it was but I consider it a lesson.

I caught my biggest gar ever this year on my size 10 damsel nymph. I was on the phone while fishing the Tidal Basin in DC. I had a Clouser with the damsel just under the surface and my rod under my arm. The fish came up vertical along the wall and ate the damsel. It took off and into my backing. After several minutes and a dozen plus tourists cheering me on it threw the hook.

This is the first round of them from a few years back. I’ll tie most with large bead chain eyes to keep them near the surface.

[Zach Matthews]

That’s really helpful, Rob; thank you. I am going to go to a spot I know holds a lot of them on Saturday and I’ll see about bringing some of these with me.

[Rob Snowhite]

Here is a batch of some cleaner and more balanced flies from last summer:

[Zach Matthews]

I loaded up and went looking for them on Saturday, Rob, but damn if the lake wasn’t dry! Like actually dry. I forgot they pulled it down so far in the winter.

Have to wait until spring, when I can pair a gar trip with a white bass search.

[mick mccorcle]

Later this month, I’ll be tying at Guadalupe River TU’s Troutfest in Sattler, Texas, alongside Casey Smartt, a local guide who specializes in catching gar on the fly. Casey dislikes rope flies and ties his as either standard streamer patterns or tube flies that incorporate a large circle hook. He’s got some great shots of his flies and video of catching big gar from his kayak on Canyon Lake at caseysmartt.com.

[Zach Matthews]

Mick what’s the thought process on hooking gar with the circle hook? Just let them take and run like normal? Does it stay secured in their hard jaws?

[mick mccorcle]

Zach, the circle hook goes around the bill/beak of the gar. It works well with spotted gar. Not sure about how it would work with the big guys, like alligator gar.

Alligator gar season has been temporarily closed on a couple of Texas rivers (e.g., Trinity River downstream from Dallas) so the gar can be protected as they spawn. They will only swarm and spawn when the rivers or lakes flood, and we have those conditions here now. Given the recent drought we haven’t seen flood stage or any alligator gar spawning in years, but reports say the big guys and girls are in spawning mode now.

[thad]

I have used these, or ones like these for GAR on the Chattahoochee.
it is basically frayed nylon rope tied onto short a steel leader. No hook, the teeth get caught in the rope.
I have a mouth spreader that I use to hold the mouth open and remove the rope from the teeth with my forceps. the lure usually last for one fishing trip or about 3 – 4 fish.

Hope this helps, share some pics.
Thad

Thad Spates
Sharpsburg, Georgia

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