Originally Posted by anthropic
Rod, on trips to northern Michigan we used to catch gar at night by using 2 to 4 inch BG as bait. Spectacular leaping fights, average size around 30 inches.

Unhooking was an issue, however, since it was tough to bring them in unless they swallowed the bait.

Anthropic,

How were you rigging the BG baits?

We also see lots of gar loafing around every tree in the water when you go up the feeder rivers in our large state reservoirs during the dog days of summer.

We used to throw a crank bait past the fish, then slow retrieve to their snout and start twitching the lure on the surface. We would get explosive strikes, but could not hook up the fish. (We were bored and stupid teenagers!)

Your post made me contemplate another method to land gar.

Any improvements or comments from the gar fisherman would be appreciated.

(Using heavy line on a heavy rod and your fastest retrieve rate baitcaster reel.) Do a lip rig with a small hook on a 2-3" BG. Keep light pressure on the line after the gar's initial strike on the bait. Play it gently until you feel the gar re-adjust his grip on the fish. At that point, reel as fast as possible straight into the biggest catfish landing net they sell.

The theory is that the gar will just grip the BG long enough to land him. If you are only getting the gar halfway to the boat, then maybe partially scale the BG to make the bait softer and easier to grip? (Sorry, BG!)

Any gar you landed with that method would not require any hook removal!