aligator gars?

[DaveS]

This is the booklet I use for fish idetification. This is good info for all you fishermen. There is a good section on Gar identification. It describes all four species in detail.

http://www.tn.gov/tw...nglersguide.pdf

Dave

Edited July 24, 2012 by wd-40

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Maybe not authoritative-- When I was a teen in New Orleans I fished a lot but do not recall personally catching a gar. The gar in the swamps could get pretty big and supposedly they were ill-tempered and would bite the snot out of you. I think they are one of the air-breathing species and take a long time to suffocate in air. Supposedly if you just drag a big one up in the boat it will "take over the boat" and flop around trying to bite you. Some of the natives said if you catch one it is the least trouble to cut the line above the leader and sacrifice the tackle. I heard tales of beating them in the head to kill em and get back the tackle, but some people would shoot em in the head with a pistol before dragging them aboard, so you could get your tackle back and keep yer fingers. Maybe those were fish tales, dunno. I got the impression the old timers were just giving me and dad advice on how not to get bit but maybe they were pulling our leg.

[Oh Shoot]

This is the booklet I use for fish idetification. This is good info for all you fishermen. There is a good section on Gar idetification. It describes all four species in detail.

http://www.tn.gov/tw...nglersguide.pdf

Dave

Good find, I haven't seen that particular one.

Wow, we have many more invasive species than I knew. Real surprises: needlefish and mullet! Knew mullet could live in brackish water, but had no idea either one could live in purely fresh.

- OS

[MacGyver]

Knew mullet could live in brackish water, but had no idea either one could live in purely fresh.

Me either.

Back in college I worked rescue out of a little marina in Niceville, FL. When the mullet would come in, they'd come in by the millions.

I use them for bait all the time. I'm even kind of particular to smoked mullet.

Had no idea they existed in Tennessee, though.

[RichardR]

Well that is a shame, I really like my little spot there on the Hatchie, I pull some good sized cats, bass and drums out of there, but like I hinted at the gar down through there are just out-in-out nasty, mean tempered and armed with a mouthfull of razor sharp teeth, I have been using 12" of steel lead just to be able to keep my tackle but it might be easier just to use regular line and just keep tying new hooks on it rather than use the steel leads, land them and try to get the hooks back out of thier mouths!

[RichardR]

Thanks for the angler guide Dave, I downloaded it to my phone and looked at the species of gar in there, the ones I have been catching are alligator gars, so the local guy who ID'd them for me got it correct.

Apparently they are a protected species, which is cool since I always toss them back, heck I wouldnt even know how to fillet them anyway, they feel very boney and hard so I didnt even bother trying to eat any of them.

They do put up a pretty decent fight on light tackle but I would really rather them just stay off of my lines, I have even resorted to carrying a pair of thick leather work gloves in my tackle box just so that my hands dont look like I have been picking raspberries all day instead of fishing!

[DaveS]

Thanks for the angler guide Dave, I downloaded it to my phone and looked at the species of gar in there, the ones I have been catching are alligator gars, so the local guy who ID'd them for me got it correct.

Apparently they are a protected species, which is cool since I always toss them back, heck I wouldnt even know how to fillet them anyway, they feel very boney and hard so I didnt even bother trying to eat any of them.

They do put up a pretty decent fight on light tackle but I would really rather them just stay off of my lines, I have even resorted to carrying a pair of thick leather work gloves in my tackle box just so that my hands dont look like I have been picking raspberries all day instead of fishing!

Glad I could be of help.

I watched a show on TN Wildside where they were Fly Rod fishing for gar at Cheatham Dam. That looked like an awesome of amount of fun!

Dave

[RichardR]

Yea they were fun to catch at first, but the novelty wore off really quick, once you get them up on shore or in the boat they will do everything in their power to get those teeth into you, and that sucks the fun right out of it, especially when they do manage to draw some blood.

They are really thick through that area of the Hatchie, most of them are on the smaller side, the longest one that I have caught was just a hair over 3' in length, the rest where inbetween 2' and 3' I only carry a tape measure in my tackle, so I can only guestimate their weights.

But if anyone is interested in giving them a try, I would be happy to take ya out and show ya where they are.