# Monster Gar on Ultralight!!



## docrich52 (Feb 15, 2012)

Went out to see if we could hook a few white bass and caught this toad yesterday fishing from the bank on the Little Miami. This is our biggest gar that we have ever caught not to mention we caught it using my sons microlight reel on a 5ft ultralight rod with 4lb test mono on a mepps spinner. Took us 20 minutes to wear it out! Boy were we pumped up!


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## BlueWater (Feb 13, 2005)

Way to GO! You have a fisherman for life there.


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## Skish (Nov 4, 2008)

I'll bet the little guy is gonna look like that for the next couple days. Nice fish!
Nice picture!


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## BassAddict83 (Sep 21, 2010)

That's awesome! His little arms probably can't even stretch far enough to lie about the size of that one. He'll be telling the story of that gar for the rest of his life. Nice job!


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## zachxbass (Jun 23, 2011)

That is awesome.... can't wait til my son is old enough to take out. Good job!

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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

Its awesome to hear the sound of excitement/panic in a kids voice when they hook into something that big. Any guesses on what hes talking about in school today?
Great job!!!


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

Congrats. It can be tricky to catch gar at times, and that makes it even more special when you do manage to bank one. That's a heck of a fish, probably 10 pounds.


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## docrich52 (Feb 15, 2012)

I was thinking in the ballpark of 25 lbs ish. Im 6'6" and weigh 250 lbs if that helps you determine the size of the fish.. we didnt measure it or weigh it but I can tell you that that fish crushes 10 lbs. That or he was eating gravel all morning


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

docrich52 said:


> I was thinking in the ballpark of 25 lbs ish. Im 6'6" and weigh 250 lbs if that helps you determine the size of the fish.. we didnt measure it or weigh it but I can tell you that that fish crushes 10 lbs. That or he was eating gravel all morning


I'm sorry, I was way off. I was going off of a picture I had of a gar and compared the two. Although I am not 6'6, so that would make a good bit of difference. Mine went just shy of 12lbs and was thicker than a softball. I'm 6' 260lbs for reference. I'd guess it bigger than mine now knowing your stature, 18 pounds if I had to guess again. 










I believe the state record stands at around 25, so that would be a fish of a lifetime for sure. Either way its a heck of a fish, 4lb test would have been quite epic. We use 20 lb. test and catfish rod and reels when we target gar with cut bait.

Gar typically weigh really light for their size, honestly I have had serious doubts about the weight and length of our current state record.


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## freedomsoldier86 (Jul 23, 2011)

That's awesome, great pic.


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## firstflight111 (May 22, 2008)

what a great picture


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## docrich52 (Feb 15, 2012)

Man thats a nice on too sean! I just looked at the ODNR records list and I am severely kicking my self in the butt for not taking it somewhere to be weighed and taped... Guess who will be second guessing that fish for years to come... This guy. Either way he was a biggen and we had a great time! I cant wait untill my lttle boy's buddies ask to see pictures of the infamous river monster!!!


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## yakfish (Mar 13, 2005)

Awesome!! Love the look on your boys face too!


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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

That first picture is awesome. That kid looks like he was having the time of his life with you out there. That is one of the biggest gars I've ever seen!


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

Here&#8217;s a longnose gar length to weight ratio table. I caught a 46&#8221; gar last year; my guess is that mine was probably in the 10 ~ 12 lb range. 

http://www.garfishing.com/weighttables.html


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

SeanStone said:


> Gar typically weigh really light for their size, honestly I have had serious doubts about the weight and length of our current state record.



Just to clairify this statement the current Ohio Record stands at 25 pounds even, and 49" even. If you spend any time looking at the other records you'll note that some fish are measured up to 1/8th of an inch....not gar. And the fact that it was 25lbs even is a bit shaky too. 

Heres a 52.25-inch, 16.42-pound fish, the record for West Virginia.
http://www.outdoorcentral.com/mc/pr/06/08/28a1a1gg.asp

Here's the Ohio bow fishing record at 19.21 pounds, 53.1 inches long with a 20.47-inch girth.
http://www.toledoblade.com/StevePollick/2011/07/15/Akron-bowman-takes-record-longnose-gar.html

So to say I'm skeptical of the current record would be an understatement. This gar could *potentially* be one of the largest ever to have been caught and recorded in Ohio on rod and reel. In my opinion.


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## docrich52 (Feb 15, 2012)

That helps a little bit, Thanks! I have been sitting here at work doing the math... 

So I measured my hand from side to side and its right at 4". So I measured the pic and got 7" divided by the size of my hand on the pic which is a half inch so it all works out to 56" inches give or take. I feel like I am underestimating that because of me seeing it in person (I held it up with tail to the ground next to my boy and it dwarfed him) but its a fair guess. As far as girth... it was swollen! I swear that fish had shoulders! Maybe 7 inches measured side to side so about 22 -23" girth circumference

So with weight being the only thing left to determine... I have a 25lb dumbell under my desk at work and.... man I am so upset i didnt take it to get weighed  Its been so much fun trying to guestimate the size though!

I could be way off but hey, im not the smartest guy in the world


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## docrich52 (Feb 15, 2012)

I definitely agree that judging the other record fish by size and comparable weight, that ohio's record sounds a tad shaky. 1966... thats a long time for a record not to be broken..


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

I have seen the pics of the Ohio record fish, its got a belly like it swallowed about 3 bowlling balls, no question it was 25 lbs, LOL as for your fish, its hard to tell but Im guessing in the 12-15 lb range since its a thick fish but its got no big belly and once LN Gar get to about 50" long they start adding girth, not length, sort of like LM at about 24". I have a picture of 49" fish that was thick that was weighed at 9.5 Lbs and Mellon on here has apic of a beast at 50" that has a bigger belly and it weighed around 14 lbs if memory serves me right, Ill see if I can find the pics and post for reference. A great fish that hopefully is still swimming around and the lower LMR should have prespawning fish starting to move up for spawn in another 3-4 weeks in the upper tribs of the LMR. 

Salmonid


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## docrich52 (Feb 15, 2012)

I can tell you for sure that that fish is still alive and kicking swimming around down by lunken airport telling his friends not to eat yellow mepps


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## lovelandfly (Mar 11, 2010)

Don't focus on the record, your son's smile is all you need! Way to rock it dad!


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## SConner (Mar 3, 2007)

The fish, the smile...Awesome!


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## Perch (Apr 5, 2004)

Regardless of the weight, thats a neat fish. Nice catch on light tackle and for Junior to be in it on is even better man, Nice job Bro............


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## jonnythfisherteen2 (Mar 5, 2011)

nice, im a bit surprised you actually managed to hook it, because those things have hard bills. i know, because i was fishin the ballville dam and could not hook a gar that kept striking my mepps spinner. but anyway, that is a very nice fish on a ultra light!


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## QueticoMike (Sep 25, 2008)

All I want for Christmas is..........a big fat GAR ( who needs front teeth when you catch fish like that) Way to go, nice one!


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## docrich52 (Feb 15, 2012)

I agree with everyone saying the weight doesnt matter. My little boy was so happy when we caught it and you guys should have seen the look on his face when we let it go! We will be talking about that fish forever. And we got lucky enough to get a picture with it together! I have only ever caught 1 other gar on a spinner and i think this one was straight luck. Had the treble been any biger, we wouldnt have hooked it. One of the barbs went over the top bill and one of the barbs went under the bottom, the body of the bait was in between, it effectively clamped his mouth shut around the bait and the body of the lure was just long enough to keep the line away from those teeth.


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