# recent outing.



## flyman01 (Jan 23, 2013)

Hey everyone, been a while since I have posted anything so I thought I would get one here and share what I have been chasing on the fly. I have always been an avid trout guy and still love doing so however during the summer months, I have switched gears. Many of the trout streams get crowded during the warmer months along with the recreational crowd with tubes, kayaks and rafts so I have put away my trout equipment and have gone to heavier gear for a much larger species….Gar. Pound for pound these are the fiercest fish I have ever fought! Some of these fish will just follow the fly while others will ferociously attack it and the fight is on! With a bent over 9 wt rod, some of these battles take a while to get to the boat and when they see the boat, the fight gets more intense and the battle continues. Once in the boat, even with Kevlar gloves you have to be cautious, these teeth are sharp as needles and with easily cut a person (as I have experienced) so you have to be on alert at all times. Here are a few pics from this past weekend, tight lines everyone!


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## Sonder (May 9, 2020)

Nice catch and I enjoy swinging flies for them on my spey rod on the GMR. They feed with reckless abandon. When they get 4 to 5 feet long you can see why the American Indians used to use their scales for arrowheads. The teeth they have are no joke lol


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Those are some Great fish!
I'm a big fan of Gar Fishing and most people overlook the fun you can have targeting them. They can often be caught summer time mid- day when other species aren't active---- and the large ones are strong fighters, not to mention they are a pretty attractive fish.
Good luck and good fishing


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## 1MoreKast (Mar 15, 2008)

Is it true that you can catch them using frayed pieces of rope? I've heard their teeth get tangled in the fibers and they'll hang on long enough to land. Otherwise, what sort of business end for these prehistoric looking creatures? My curiosity has been sparked!


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## Sonder (May 9, 2020)

I normally fish alone and I have landed these on tube flies with long shanks cause the miss more than they are hooked. The idea of rope scares the bat fecal out of me. I would want to release the fish fast and pulling nylon out of a fishes teeth I would think would take to long for my taste. That's just my two cents about rope.


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## 1MoreKast (Mar 15, 2008)

Sonder said:


> I normally fish alone and I have landed these on tube flies with long shanks cause the miss more than they are hooked. The idea of rope scares the bat fecal out of me. I would want to release the fish fast and pulling nylon out of a fishes teeth I would think would take to long for my taste. That's just my two cents about rope.


Very good point. It was just something I heard and wondered if it's been done. I would believe a tube fly is more ethical anyways.


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## 18inchBrown (May 1, 2016)

I think the challenge of fishing for gar is like a saltwater fisherman fishing for shark. I mean Flyman is bleeding. The fish drew blood. The gar is a freshwater shark more so than a musky. I'm a chicken I don't know what I'd do if I hooked a gar. There you go, there's part of the challenge.


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

Pieces of yellow yarn will catch em!!


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## trekker (Feb 18, 2013)

Impressive.


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## jhammer (Jun 13, 2011)

Rope flies, streamers, and tubes have produced many gar for me over the years. Rope flies are quite easy to unhook if you keep two wooden dowels with you. Slide one in the back of the mouth to keep the danger zone propped open, and run the other up and down the top and bottom jaw and it takes the fly right out. I wear gloves handling them mostly because they have a very unique smell that isn't the best and it takes forever to come off hands, clothes, gear.


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