Cray,
We've caught some big gar in the Trinity River here in SE Texas. I had the opportunity to fish with a group of guys that fish gar for a living. Gar don't bite like other fish species. Gar will not pick up anything that they cannot swallow whole. If the bait is too big, they will not pick it up. When they do pick it up, they will hold it in their mouths and swim off with it (must be a predator thing). When they stop swimming they will swallow the bait whole. When they proceed to swim again...set the hook aggressively. We used cut up carp as bait hooked with a big treble hook on a 3-4' leader. Without the leader, a garfish's teeth and hard mouth will cut your line. Patience is a virtue when fishing for garfish. But, once the bait is swallowed and a hook set is made in the soft stomach tissue...the fight is on...Good Luck!
Go online and check out "the gar guys" website.
