Surreal sight on Lake Lewisville

[jtexas]

While cruising around looking for schooling white bass this morning, I came to an area of the lake where fish were hitting the surface, big fish, hitting it hard...at first I thought it was carp, but these guys were way too splashy for carp - and too big for bass. It was just gar...ranging in size from two feet to four feet long...but they were not the least bit spooked by boats. I hit one with my rod, just to see if I could. It was just plain wierd to be moving slowly through the water watching these huge fish surface then drift slowly back down out of sight. Couldn't resist casting to 'em, even though I knew it was a longshot. Tried my usual shad imitations, plus a buzzbait - in Louisiana sometimes we could get bowfin to strike buzzbaits. If anybody has anything in their tacklebox that might attract a gar, let me know.

Wish I could have photographed it...but the cell phone camera just isn't good enough to get an image of a fish under the surface...but here's a nice shot of the sunrise, just for grins.

 

[Vlad D Impeller]

Re: Surreal sight on Lake Lewisville

Those are some awefully mean and nasty buggers, i have on two occassions though not intentionally caught them both on a white roostertail.
I usually toss them on land to die, some time ago one morning i once saw one alive on the bank near the Hickory Creek launch ramp where someone had thrown it, when i returned a few hours later the darn thing was still not yet dead.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Surreal sight on Lake Lewisville

They snapped off my line all day yesterday when I was fishing a tourny on the Ohio river yesterday. They wouldn't leave my tubes alone.

 

[Ripfence]

Re: Surreal sight on Lake Lewisville

I've caught them on topwater "torpedo" baits and even a rattle trap. I have a hard time setting the hook on them but I have noticed, if you use braided line and a freshwater leader then they won't break or cut the line (much)

 

[anyfishlldo]

Re: Surreal sight on Lake Lewisville

Where I grew up (in So. TX) the locals considered them a delicacy, "Chicharrones De Gaitan" was the preferred dish.

One time I decided I had to go see what the deal was (tasted nasty but I wanted to see the fishing method).

The most effective method seemed to be:

Paint 2 liter coke bottle orange

Tie heavy braided line and a leader on

Put rotten meat on a big honkin' hook

Throw it in the water

Wait til it goes under

Wait til it comes up (and the beast is tired)

Motor over and dispatch your gar (the fellow I went with was fond of the .30-.30 to the head method)

Drag it out and clean and de-slime it. (the slime comes back quick so you have to get the meat off it soon, this guy used a melon baller):%

The one he pulled out ended up being over 5 ft. and something like 80 lbs.


Lesson learned: I have no desire to catch, eat, or even see another gar ever again.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Surreal sight on Lake Lewisville

We use to catch them and then prop their mouth open with a strong stick and throw them back in the water.
Talking about some jumping feats, well that is till they died.

 

[Ron G]

Re: Surreal sight on Lake Lewisville

You want a fight when there schooling take a rattle trap and snag themdlots of fun.

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Surreal sight on Lake Lewisville

I've caught the nasty varmits on nearly everything in my box.:devil: the MS Delta is eat up with 'em. Suspending stickbaits like Rouges and Rapalas won't make it back to the boat around here. Use old, cheap lures if you can 'cause if they wrap the line around those teethies, they're taking it home. A wire leader will help. I've heard of people using a lasso made of g-string or wire with a minnow suspended in the loop. They swim through and you snare them. Never done it myself, but it sounds do-able.

If you set out after 'em, bring a towel (they're covered in some kind of spooge) and a pair of welding gloves (ones that you wouldn't mind getting covered in spooge). The gloves will make it easier to grab them if, Heaven forbid, one falls off in your boat. :^ If that goo gets on your carpet, keep it wet until you can clean it up with a wet-vac. If it dries, you'll need a jack hammer.

Bring a really long pair of needle nose pliars or some other type of hook gitter-outer and always try to approach the head from the top or bottom. They flail around from side to side like no other fish and will plant a hook in your hand in the blink of an eye.

We ate one once.

I don't recommend it.


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