Spent a couple hours sight casting to gar today. They were plentiful. Had the typical 25% success rate. They're easy to fool. The problem is getting a hook to stick, and once it does, keeping it stuck. Fished the forecast 2wt with a #8 Tequeely, then a #6 "McMopfly".

Hook and landed one on the first cast!



This one I estimated at 27" using the outstretched hand method. Unfortunately, I couldn't see the screen and didn't know it wasn't in focus!


Yesterday, I took a co worker to that canal. He'd never fished before and wanted to try it. I know it isn't UL fly fishing, but, I was next to him using a 2wt..

"Take a picture, Jimbo!", the first fish he's ever caught!


A short time later, I see him backing up the bank, hollering and smiling, dragging this fish up the bank! He ended up with two! He thanked me at least a dozen times!


And, I must have done the right thing, because I was rewarded with a couple scrappy bass myself, which have seemingly disappeared these past two months, along with a gar, and a couple bluegill!

Your coworker is probably a fisherman for life now and maybe even a friend for life too. Nice work.

Some years ago, when I was just a young buck, a fishing buddy and I had some fun fishing for and catching gar, but we didn't exactly hook any, since no hooks were involved.

We used nylon rope as lures. The artificials were lengths of 1/4 or 38 inch rope between 3 and 6 inches long. All but one inch or less was all frayed out. Some monofilament line was inserted through the head, the one inch or so that was still intact. and tied around the rope. An egg sinker was put onto the mono, being held in place with split shot. A loop was put into the other end of that short piece of mono, to which a snap swivel could be attached.

Upon sighting some gar that were sunning themselves at the surface of the water, the rope lures were cast in front of the fish with a spinning outfit and retrieved with fast jerking motions. When the gar took the lures, the frayed and frazzled nylon would get all tangled up in their plentiful teeth.

It was a strange way to fish, but it was fun until the novelty wore off. It probably wasn't as much fun for the gar.

ARR Reflections,

Of course you’re right, and using rope flies/lures is definitely not the best practice in fishing for gar. But we should remember, that was one of those many things I did in the early 70’s that would not even be seriously considered nowadays.

For example, I was also an advocate of catch and release fishing. Most of the trout I could catch, I would also release… into the frying pan. Thankfully, attitudes and other things can and do change over time.