I am betting the gar and bowfin survived the fish kills and are left overs. They will no doubt compete with the bass for resources, but I think if you keep removing the ones you catch, you can work around them. Gar aren't much fun to catch, but a 5 pound bowfin(grinnel) will give a 5 pound bass a run for his money in a tug on war on the end of a line any day... I'd say keep keeping the gar and bowfin when you catch them and try the string/rope lure for the gar. I have never used that method but my cousin who lives in Florida catches gar all the time like that. I am betting you probably still have survivors from the fish kill of other species. I am betting the WM and mudcats(bullheads) survived as well. A healthy bass population should keep them in line though. There was a good thread recently reference an easy to build fish trap. See if you can find it or if not ask ewest, one of the moderators he'll help you locate it. The trap seemed to work great for catching bullheads and GSF...