GAR

Comment

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on June 22, 2013 at 8:59am

Gar are fairly primitive, John. Primeval, even. Not like amoebae, or anything, but I don't believe they can adapt to the cold. AFAIK, they are strictly fish of Southern waters.

Like dogfish, few people fish for them on purpose, although they are willing biters.

And like almost anything, they can be eaten if YOU are willing. And hungry enough.
Their skin is like leather and they have very large, very sharp plate-like scales.
If their teeth don't get you, their scales will.

Comment by John Sheehan on June 22, 2013 at 6:09am

What a cool fish! Nice catch John! I never see these around here in NENJ.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on June 21, 2013 at 9:21pm

All part of the adventure, I suppose.
Our longnose gar remind me of the barracuda I used to see when diving in the Florida Keys.
They lurk around, waiting to pounce, like some vicious wolf. Their cold eyes miss nothing.
They are brutality with fins.
I don't THINK they would have a go at your fins, but I won't bet you
on that.

Comment by Leo Nguyen on June 21, 2013 at 9:11pm

Well, I don't mind the the all toothy savagery around my tube, but, the toothy part + the tube part that worries me too. Since it's taking on hooked fishes, and my fins are like dinner bells below the tube, I can see the headline now, "Some dimwit got himself bitten by the gar while float tubing."

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on June 21, 2013 at 9:03pm

I hooked one last season on a Beetle Spin, Leo, and it had me worried.
The longnose gar we have here (SC) are pretty beefy, with a nose that is probably
33% of the fishes overall length.
I was in my kayak and it handily hauled me around. I estimate its
length at 3ft, or so, and that is merely average. I've seen bigger and don't honestly know
how big they MIGHT get.
There are no reports of attacks on humans that I know of, but...they
are known to attack hooked fish as they are being boated.
Now, isn't that just the sort of thing you want thrashing around your
float tube, all teeth and savagery?

They are the one creature swimming in my waters that concerns me.

Comment by Leo Nguyen on June 21, 2013 at 8:49pm

Hm..a fish that I like to catch, if it doesn't make a meal out of me from the float tube.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on June 21, 2013 at 6:53pm

I was gonna say, "What a cute little gar!"

We get the longnose version here and they get pretty big. Ive seen them 4 feet or so and I know they get bigger. They worry me, considering Im going to a float tube soon.....

Comment by carl hendrix on June 21, 2013 at 4:33pm

but aren't they fun to catch!!  nice gar!!

Comment by Lee on June 21, 2013 at 3:14pm

 

 Yep, Shortnose Gar see a lot of them in the river backwaters down here their like the longnose gar but normaly only grow to a couple feet or so. They put up a pretty good fight on the flyrod if you can keep them hooked :)

Comment by chris kowaleski on June 21, 2013 at 12:25pm

Where are you located? It kinda looks like an alligator gar with it's shorter, wide snout.