Thread: Trash fish control

Rope lures WORKS! Take a 6" pc. of nylon rope. Frazzle one end about two-thirds way up the short rope and brush it out until it becomes really kinky. Use a small bullet weight in front of the rope tied to your fishing line and work it like a bass lure. Trick is....when the gar hits DO NOT set it like you would on a bass. Rather give it line and let the gar get a good mouth full of the frazzled rope and then he WONT come off. I've fished for 'em a few times during the summer months when everything else is dead and it's alot of fun on med. light action gear. Carry along a pair of leather gloves and you can untangle the rope lure fron the gar's teeth. Once you catch a couple fairly big gar you'll find out how hard they pull. If you can take the summer heat fishing for them you'll find it's pretty fun.

I would use a #4 wire leader hook they use for blue fish great holding hooks

AND, get a gaff, do not use your net less you need a new one. I am gaffing all predator fish, grinnel and gar! and then releasing.

Looks like pattern that is repeated in nature, lots of rabbits then lots of foxes then lots of rabbits. Seems like them same goes with little fishes.

Originally Posted by gabowman

Rope lures WORKS! Take a 6" pc. of nylon rope. Frazzle one end about two-thirds way up the short rope and brush it out until it becomes really kinky. Use a small bullet weight in front of the rope tied to your fishing line and work it like a bass lure. Trick is....when the gar hits DO NOT set it like you would on a bass. Rather give it line and let the gar get a good mouth full of the frazzled rope and then he WONT come off. I've fished for 'em a few times during the summer months when everything else is dead and it's alot of fun on med. light action gear. Carry along a pair of leather gloves and you can untangle the rope lure fron the gar's teeth. Once you catch a couple fairly big gar you'll find out how hard they pull. If you can take the summer heat fishing for them you'll find it's pretty fun.

Sounds like that would be an interesting technique to try!!! :D:D:D
Blake

Originally Posted by gabowman

Rope lures WORKS! Take a 6" pc. of nylon rope. Frazzle one end about two-thirds way up the short rope and brush it out until it becomes really kinky. Use a small bullet weight in front of the rope tied to your fishing line and work it like a bass lure. Trick is....when the gar hits DO NOT set it like you would on a bass. Rather give it line and let the gar get a good mouth full of the frazzled rope and then he WONT come off. I've fished for 'em a few times during the summer months when everything else is dead and it's alot of fun on med. light action gear. Carry along a pair of leather gloves and you can untangle the rope lure fron the gar's teeth. Once you catch a couple fairly big gar you'll find out how hard they pull. If you can take the summer heat fishing for them you'll find it's pretty fun.

Dagonnit Gabowman, that was gonna be my post. lol
They had an article in In-Fisherman a long time ago on gar fishing. They had a diagram of a hook with a noose like contraption. A snare I guess you'd say,
and also the nylon rope trick. They showed a spinnerbait, like one for bass, with the skirt replaced with a length of frazzled rope. We tried it, and it works, but like you said, then you have to untangle a toothy fish.

Originally Posted by ShellQuacker

Dagonnit Gabowman, that was gonna be my post. lol
They had an article in In-Fisherman a long time ago on gar fishing. They had a diagram of a hook with a noose like contraption. A snare I guess you'd say,
and also the nylon rope trick. They showed a spinnerbait, like one for bass, with the skirt replaced with a length of frazzled rope. We tried it, and it works, but like you said, then you have to untangle a toothy fish.

(Its called a mop rig) I catch them right at sun up on the mattoponi mid to late may after all night catfishing with bream,,,you can see them chattering their teeth at the surface ,,,kinda groosum looking ,,,what I do is remove the bream heads and fish with them and you can tell when it them cause they surface unlike a cat when near the boat I use a rag and grab their motor (tail) and wrap my line around their snoot using the rod of course go round and round then lif5t them to the live well and cut the line,,,,

It takes two to clean the shell like scales seem to wrap back around the fish so one hold the scales back and the other filet it free,,,when done there are two long tenderloins of meat, the scaled shell resemble catchers shin guards.
I keep everyone I catch and give them to this indian down the road and he swears by them tells me his ancestors considered them luck and used their beaks for combs...

Originally Posted by slabenomics

(Its called a mop rig)what I do is remove the bream heads and fish with them and you can tell when it them cause they surface unlike a cat when near the boat I use a rag and grab their motor (tail) and wrap my line around their snoot using the rod of course go round and round then lif5t them to the live well and cut the line,,,,

That is how I would do it... take a lot of rigs and just get them back once that toothy rascal quits snapping!!!:D:D:D
Blake

I fished for gar in Texas because the river had millions of them. The rope technic is by far the best. Their teeth get caught up in the nylon. I used an old top water bait and put the nylon rope on instead of the back hook. It worked great.

I have an idea we could have Gar Bash.

I have tried Gar and they are not bad, so people like them. I just like alot of other fish better. You have to fillet them a little different. The best way is similar to filleting them like a northern.

They make really good fertilizer.