# Gar Fishing on the LMR?



## Bearcat Hopper (Feb 16, 2005)

Hello All,

I am new to your forum so please bear with me. I typically fish the LMR between Morrow and Loveland and the amount of alligator gar in the river has become increasingly annoying these last few years. Has anyone ever thought about trying to catch these guys?


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

First of all, welcome to the site Bearcat Hopper! I think you will find your time spent here very enjoyable.

I am not one of the fortunate guys to catch these gars but there have been some talks in the past about them. I believe many have made up their own lures. Hopefully someone will chime in with their design.


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## flytyer (Jan 3, 2005)

Bearcat hopper: check out the web site for the miami valley flyfishers (www.mvff.us) go to the message board and sign up. Some of the guys in the club fly fish for gar around the dayton area. if you don't sign in on the message board you may not be able to read the posts, it's a freebee!!!!


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## Live2Fish (Apr 7, 2004)

Caught a small one in the Darby by accident on a black-nosed dace. It stunk!!!!  Never want to catch one again.


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## Teeray (Apr 11, 2004)

I'm with you Bill....if I ever caught a gar of any kind it would put me off fishing for good, and I'd be gettin' out my plaid pants and dusting off the golf clubs! I'm not kidding...those things are worse than that 2 ft. long mudpuppy that I drug up off the bottom of Alum Creek a couple years ago. You'll never catch me wet-wading the LMR or the Darby!

teeray

(although I did get chased by a gator while playing golf in South carolina once...might have to take up chess or something!)


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## Live2Fish (Apr 7, 2004)

Teeray - when I said it stunk I mean the smell was horrible. The fish itself doesn't bother me I think they are interesting. Like any other fish they take-off when you get close to them. My only problem with wet wading is if I stand in a spot too long I get gills going after my leg hairs. Talk about a freaky feeling!


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## lark101_1999 (Apr 12, 2004)

there is a way to fish for them u use a pice of rope about 3 inches long with fine cotten threds tie a knot in one end the fray out the other there teeth get tanggled the the rope have fun be carefull they can cut u like a knife


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## Bearcat Hopper (Feb 16, 2005)

Thanks for the input. If nothing else is biting I may have to give it a try stinkin or not.


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## jsalkas (Feb 18, 2005)

Just to add my two cents, I don't believe those are alligator gar. Alligator gar are enormous, and if you hooked into one you wouldn't be worried about the smell -- pretty sure they are limited to larger rivers like the Mississippi and the Snake (maybe the Wisconsin?). Usually we see short nosed and long nosed gar, which are pesky (they have teeth that bite through line easily, and they don't put up much of a fight, except for a couple of initial jumps). That being said, everything I've ready about them around here (sorry, from Illinois) is basically that they are just a nuisance to fishermen, and don't compete with other fish (Smallmouth around here). I've fished the Vermillion River in Illinois going after Smallies, and basically in two hours of fishing, I hooked into three, two of which bit me off, and the section of the river I was in was loaded with them. I'm not an expert (just reciting what I've read on similar forums / web sites), but the idea that a 100 lb alligator gar gets the same label of being a garbage fish with the max 4 lb short nose gar doesn't seem right.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I did not catch that in the original post but I believe Jsalkas is right that we are not talking about the alligator gar. I believe the alligator gar are mostly in southern US. The ones in Ohio are the longnose gar.


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## flathunter (Apr 5, 2004)

Yes, no aligator gar in Ohio.


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## Live2Fish (Apr 7, 2004)

I hear many call the alligator gar and yes they are long-nose gar. Got tired of correcting people and just let it go. 

"and they don't put up much of a fight, except for a couple of initial jumps"
That is the truth!


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## flathunter (Apr 5, 2004)

I have caught many gar by accident, and they do not put up much of a fight at all..Kinda like reeling in a stick.


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## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

THERE A HOLE NOTHER BREED! IVE LOST HALF DOZEN 3-5 LB BASS DOWN SOUTH! CHOMP IT IN HALF NEXT TO THE BOAT!.   LOVED IT! NOT TO MANY LONG NOSE. ANYONE GOT A PIC OF ONE? THANKS JIG


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Greetings, I been gone for a week ( fishing the San Juan River BTW!!) and almost missed this post!! Anyway, Yes, the Dayton group, MVFF has a die hard group of Gar Fly anglers! I consider myself the leader of this crazy clan and even advertise guiding for this underrated gamefish! All the Gar you will catch in SW Ohio will be 99% Longnose Gar, and possibly 1 % Shortnose since a few are taken in the Scioto River Valley yearly. Since the 1930's only two documented Alligator Gar have been reported and both were in the ohio River near Cinci and none since the 50's.

Spring is when these guys move upstream into the tribs and provide great sport for sightfishing and yes, some fight kind of lame but others are leapers and will take many runs in a bulldog fashion. Last year I hooked 1 on my 5 wt with 10 lb tippet and he made 3 runs well into my backing before he pulled off my special fly. Talk about bummin.... I have quite a few places where i can get many in the 2-4 LB range and 2 places where i can regularly get what is referred to as "Firehose" gar which are ones in the 40-50" range and weigh from 7-12 lbs. Dont know about you but Im pretty stoked when I get a fish that size on my long rod. 
Something else to consider is that the LN Gar are freshwaters oldest living fish which resembles a dinosaur. Ever consider that Mother Nature created such an efficient fish the first time around,it didnt need to evolve it much?? Just a thought. Also consider that the more warmer the water, (80-90 degrees) the more active these guys are when everything else, even Carp are seeking shade and non feeding. They fill a great spot to fish for them in July and August when all else is but dormant.

With my drift boat, Im gonna hit them hard on my guiding trips on the Lower LM and Whitewater rivers and whoever said they stink, or thinks there slimy is telling me they never caught one since they are neither... Shame on any fisherman who doesnt think these great fish dont belong in an eco system and comparing them to a Mudpuppy is quite the compliment as these creatures are very rare and dying off in vast numbers and really a neat critter. I cant wait for the day I catch one and can add it to my Life List before there extinct.

My mission in life is to make the LN Gar a Gamefish! and if Ohio continues to degrade our waterways, it will be in our lifetimes that only Carp and LN Gar will be survivors, see who will be fishing for them then...... Something else to consider is the LN Gar is actually a "Native" fish unlike all those trouty,saugeye, hybrid white bass types.

Sorry for the rant but it really hits a sore spot when ignorant fishermen spout off about trash fish, ever think the Gar population wouldnt be higher if it werent for all those sport fish eating there fry??? Try that for some reverse psychology  

For more info on one of our greatest sportfish, be sure to check out the GASSBAG Website, ( Gar Anglers Sporting Society, Bowfin Anglers Group)
find them at: http://www.garfishing.com

Regards and if anyone is interested, Ill more then happily share a day teaching/showing you about this great fish ( Free, not a guiding plug) and Im sure you like all others before you will find the experience one youll never forget!!

Bring on the nonbelievers....
Salmonid


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## stonefly71 (Apr 14, 2004)

You all want some big gar go down to the Muskingum River just below the Rokeby Lock the use to be a sand bar that you could get to just off the road with a 4x4. Was catfishing down there one night and had around 15 to 20 swimming bout 5 ft off the bank hooked up with one on an open faced rod and it almost spooled me. Just when I got it to the bank it tossed the hook. These fish were every bit 4 1/2 to 5 ft long. I told my friend if anotherone came up real close I was going to shoot it with my pistol. I really wouldn't do it but That big boy p'ed my off bad as I fought it for close to 45 minutes. The area I'm talking about if you look accross the river there is a big sand bar that everyone fishes and camps on in the summer time. Another story about down there, Was fishing one night and some young Idiots had one of them water balloon sling shots the ones that are about 5 ft long. They were trying to hit us by shooting rocks accross the river. We had 3 rocks come with in a few feet of us. If we would have been hit byone of them I probably wouldn't be here today. I ran up to my jeep and turned on my Fire Lights and you could see there silouites haulling ass back to there car to get out of dodge. Wish I would have had a cell phone at that time. As my hand held fire radio wouldn't get out from down there. So if you all should go down that way watch yourselves.Later Matt


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## Live2Fish (Apr 7, 2004)

I don't anyone was really calling them a "trash" fish, just most of us don't fish for them. Interesting reply you posted. I knew they were one of the oldest fish around and now I know why I see them more when it is hot and the water isn't moving much.


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## Teeray (Apr 11, 2004)

"Sorry for the rant but it really hits a sore spot when ignorant fishermen spout off about trash fish,"


Sort of hits a sore spot with me when someone calls me an "ignorant fisherman", but you have made it clear that no one should question your superiority in these matters, so imagine my dissapointment to find out that I am ignorant.


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Teeray, I wasnt calling you ignorant, just spouting and didnt even realize your comments were from you. I often spout without thinking, Just ask my wife, my sincerest apologies to you. Just caught me wrong I suppose as I hear it constantly about roughfish in general and I was just trying to make a point but should have done so without pointing fingers. This after a 10 hr trip to get home from Albuquerque and ready to tackle the next person I meet from the airline industry. Lost luggage, delayed flights, over booked maintenence etc.

I just need to relax sometimes. I need my boat.......

Again, I apologize with no harm meant your way.

Please let me make it up to you with another trip, just tell me when.

Salmonid (hiding in my hole)


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## Live2Fish (Apr 7, 2004)

I think we are all cool here  

Sort of figured you were having a bad day. That post was not in your usual tone. I'll smack Teeray over the nose with a rolled-up newspaper and he'll be fine! (He likes it!!!!)


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## Teeray (Apr 11, 2004)

I suppose I have a lot to learn about fishing, and I notice that really die-hard fisherman make no distinction between species....any fish on the line is a good fish. Maybe I just have not evolved to that stage yet, but to be truthful there are still some species of fish that I'm not too happy to see on the end of my line...maybe that goes away after a few more years, but until then I reserve the right to think that some fish are prettier than others! But everything is cool and thanks for responding - no need to offer your guide services for free. I still owe you lunch and a half-dozen Holy Grails anyway!

Teeray


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Teeray and others:
I believe as one evolves through various stages of fishing that one gets to flyfishing and then to go even further, tries to catch various species by fly. This is where that respect for certain species will come in. Im battling that hurdle now. The more frustrating a fish is, the more respect I have for them, strange I guess but yes, its taken me 25 + years of fishing to get here and for me to implore my beliefs on all others is wrong. Time will do it naturally.
Lately been trying to get a Grass Pickerel from some of my old spin gear haunts.

Mother nature has a way of working things out as long as humans (Read "ME") dont screw things up.

Seriously, this summer we'll go out and Ill make sure you get a LN Gar  then a Ugly ole carp, then maybe a sucker or a bufalo or two and then there is the Bowfin and lets not forget some catfish on the fly......  

Salmonid (heading back into hibernation)


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## Live2Fish (Apr 7, 2004)

Carp are a ball on the fly! Make sure you have plenty of backing though.

Grass Pickerel are interesting. I have had them run like crazy and others that a stick would have given more of a fight. I like fishing them with a 3wt since you never know what they will do. The largest I have caught was a 8" out of the Darby and it was wound up! Thought for sure I would lose it, and I did just as I got it close enough to get it.  I have yet to figure out exactly what weather they like though. Most of the time it's been toward the end of summer when the water is low and it is still hot.


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## big_fish (Dec 21, 2004)

this is just my personal opinion but if it swims I'm probably going to try my damnest to catch it (sorry to all the scuba divers)on a fly rod I'm on a mission so load up your rod and fallow me    big_fish


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## steelheader007 (Apr 8, 2004)

Bowfin smelly, and they fight like heck the have a mouth thats as powerfull as a snapping turtle Custards Swamp in Pa is loaded with them, not to mention there great walleye lake also on the Fly! The Bowfins body is really more different than any other fish I have targeted with those long fins on there bodies! Buffalo, Quill back, Red Horse, and a host of other bottom dwellers is how I learnd to nymph fish! hmm I love when the red horses run out of lake erie .. wheew heeeew...Also there are some nice huge gar in the upper stretches of the Huron River! I just want to fish, and the only fish to ever ever to take me into my backing fresh water has been a Grass Carp! Soon I will test out those lil feeshies called stripers in Sept in Maine whoo hoo cant waite! Is it summer yet!


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## jsalkas (Feb 18, 2005)

I realized I didn't mention that the shortnose gar I've caught have been of the one or two pound variety. I appreciated the first couple of jobs, but after that there wasn't much to them. I'm sure the four and five pounders I've spotted put up a much better fight.


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## Teeray (Apr 11, 2004)

Tom,

You mean that not one of those tail-hooked Kings on the Salmon River NEVER took you into your backing? 

teeray


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## steelheader007 (Apr 8, 2004)

..dont make it sound like I tried to hook them in the tail  !


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## Teeray (Apr 11, 2004)

Oh no, that is not what I meant at all! I was just messin' with you. That is not something you would do, but we sure have seen plenty of guys doing it! It's almost impossible not to get the occasional salmon by the butt in certain spots on the Salmon River, but if you recall, you are the guy who taught me how to break them off when that happens. 

LET IT HEARBY BE KNOWN THE STEELHEADER007 HAS IMPECCABLE FISHING ETHICS!
besides being a darn good teacher as well.

Teeray


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## steelheader007 (Apr 8, 2004)

Now iam merely a nice guy thats all who is willing to show others about if it werent "nice word huh" for dumb luck I would have no luck at all!


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