# Gar!!!



## LadyFisher

Next on my FISH WISH LIST! (Sounded a wee bit Dr Seus-ish, didnt it? lol)

Musky, then Gar... I want to hook into each, in the worst way! 

I have LOTS of options for Musky... but Gar, not so much.

My sister's father in law CLAIMS he caught a 19" gar, in the Ohio last summer, under the Newell bridge, Ohio side. I dont know if its true or if it was mistaken identity.... But I have friends in Texas and friends in Arkansas (Alligator gar) who gar fish, (and by fish I mean FISH: hook, line, pole...NOT cross bow  I dont fish to be cruel. I fish for the adrenaline rush! LOL)

Anyway.... Who HAS been gar fishing?? Where did you go? Was it everything its cracked up to be? PICTURES??!


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## lark101_1999

if ya must old timers talk about using a pice of rope unfray one end of it "the white cotten type "they say there teeth get cought in the rope fibers and its hard for the to get free. a free tip from old scared hands wear a pair of gloves teeth and scales cant cut ya up pluse they stink good luck


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## Marshall

Hoover reservoir in columbus has a good gar population. Also i have caught a few in the ohio river in the pike island pool. Here is one from years ago i got at Dale Hollow in tennessee. They are hard to hook but occasionally i will get one on a crankbait. Alum creek is musky infested, probably one of the easiest places to catch a musky around.









View image in gallery​


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## LadyFisher

Marshall, is that a needle nose gar?? 

And where is Alum Creek?? 
Thanks for sharing your picture!


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## Marshall

He sure has a long needle like nose. I think they are called a common gar. The ones in ohio look like this too. There are no alligator gar in ohio. Alot of times the gar sit just under the surface and you can see them. I have seen them with their noses sticking out of the water, they do this alot. I see them alot of times in the shallows and they are always around baitfish. Alum creek lake is just north of columbus near route 71. There are plenty of good musky lakes around i just happen to fish alum because its close to home. Leesville, peidmont, clearfork are others i have had good musky luck while bass fishing but when it comes to musky close to home in columbus us bass guys catch them just about every trip out untill it gets real hot out and they go deep. Then in the fall it starts all over again when the musky go shallow and so do the bass. Its really simple they love spinnerbaits, rattle traps and almost anything shiny. We even get them pitching bass jigs and soft plastics to laydowns and stumps. Like i tell everyone on here in the spring and fall at alum creek just go cast to the shorelines especially the ones that have wind blowing on and you will catch a musky sooner than later. You don't need giant expensive musky lures, just use bass baits. Rarely do i get broke off, i never use a leader either.
I have another odd fish you should add to your list. See if you can catch a bowfin. Weird looking fish. I have only got one and it was in sandusky bay. Hope this helps.


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## Socom

Used to catch them in a creek on camp lejeune down in north carolina. Actually have a picture of the biggest one (45in) that I caught down there as my profile picture. We always used shrimp a foot or two under a bobber. You have to be patient though, let the gar swim around with the bait before setting the hook. They have a long mouth and you have to let the bait work down to the jaw before you set the hook. good luck! 
ps never had any luck with the frayed rope thing.


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## nitsud

That's a longnose gar. Gar are common in the local rivers and streams down south, to the point where people get up in arms about them taking over the rivers:

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=169765&highlight=possible+infestation

I've had a number of them hit crankbaits, plastics, etc, but only been able to hook a couple. They seem to tolerate warm water better than most fish. The couple that I've caught fought pretty good, and both did some nice taildances.

In any case, good luck, and be very careful if you land a big one!


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## Dandrews

Therere more long nose gar in southern end of the GMR than you can shake a stick at. Im sure almost any Ohio River tributary has plenty of gar opportunities for you. Ive never actually targeted them but I catch em every once in a while. Theyre hard to actually get a hook into; lark101 1999 mentioned a rope lure, I might try that with a fly rod this year, well see how that works out
Ive never caught a muskie; Id like to catch one of those myself.


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## saugeyesam

longnose gar for sure. we literally catch hundreds of them out of the Muskingum river while fishing for Sauger and Hybrid Stripers. they spawn around mid May and the one pool we fish gets loaded with them.


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## samiam

I did a good bit of fishing at the CEI break wall in Eastlake last summer and every once in a while people would start catching them out of the blue. The were catching them on white bass rigs. The ones with the agitator and a fly. They would seem to bite just as it got dark and the bite would stop as fast as it started.


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## TURKEY09

I have caught several at Dale Hollow on super flukes.


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## sbreech

I want to catch a gar too. Last year fishing for smallmouth in the Darby, the creek opened up to a big pool, and there were literally HUNDREDS of gar just hovering about 6 inches under the water. They wouldn't bite anything I threw.


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## Ry440

I saw a gar swimming in front of the pier in avon lake today while fishing white bass


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## H2O Mellon

They are all over the Ohio and Scoito Rivers. Here's one that I cought a couple years ago in downtown Cincinnati,it's the largest one I've caught. I think it was around 49 inches long, or something similar I honestly can't remember without researching it.


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## Flippin 416

They are in Portage Lakes also....and some big ones at that!!! We saw a ton of them last night while we were bass fishing.


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## ls1

Flippin 416 said:


> They are in Portage Lakes also....and some big ones at that!!! We saw a ton of them last night while we were bass fishing.


I was prefishing for a tourney out there and hooked into a couple of them. If you want a musky check out west branch. Seems like everytime I go out there we catch or see a couple nice ones. They're all over jay lake in west branch.


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## TBONE123456789

Definately in portage lakes, I have caught them up tight to an island , bobber set at 2 ft. with cut shad, use a steal leader or they will bite through the line, also be ready for the fight of your life!!!


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## wonka

I caught a needlenose gar in the lagoon at snyder park in spfld ohio


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