I am alway trying to push the boundaries of fly fishing to the limits. I like finding the most crazy, out of this world things to do and trying them. So, when a local guide called me and told me that some Gar were active on a bay of one of the major Great Lakes, I was in. Not really knowing what to expect, and only knowing a little about Gar, I was nervous as we launched and headed toward our first spot. 8wts, sinking and floating line, and hook-less rope flies was all the tackle we needed for tangling with these monsters. The flies were simple – white nylon rope unwound and combed out with an epoxy head. No hook. Gar have a long narrow mouth that is just bone and teeth, so hooking them is nearly impossible, so when one hits the nylon rope fly it just gets tangled in their teeth and they are “hooked”. Gar are prehistoric fish (thousands of years old) and have an air bladder that allows them to gulp air off the surface in order to breathe. Since they were always on the surface, when fishing for them we would look for “rising” Gar in schools of up to 100 fish, and put our fly right in the middle of a school. Not too long into our first few casts, a local New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officer came up to our boat and was doing a fishing survey – the usual what are you fishing for, how long have you been out, and have you caught anything. Well, when we told him what we were fishing for he nearly fell off his boat – “You’re doing what?!”, he yelled. Thats right, Gar on the fly. We landed a bunch of fish on both floating and sinking lines all around 34-37 inches, with 41 inches being the biggest. It was a blast going after something I have never done before and that was totally different. The fish are actually really pretty with leopard spots on the tail and scales that feel like a kevlar vest. I will definitely look forward to fly fishing for Gar next summer, and many more to come.
That is crazy. First, I never knew Gar were in the great lakes? I have only seen gar when fly fishing in the cannals in Florida. I guess I just thought they were a Florida species. Second, that is wild that you actually fish for these fish and catch them with no hook. I have never heard of such a thing. And, you are right .. they are very cool looking fish .. those leopard spots are very cool lookin’ … Awesome fish tale man .. amazing.
Ps. So, are Gar in many lakes in the Northeast USA or only in the great lakes? And, is it common to see them in such large schools like that (100 or so fish .. on the surface of the water)?
Awesome. There are a few guys around here who do that. The first time that I heard of the method I didn’t believe it.
I have always thought that maybe they don’t fight as hard becuase they don’t feel the pain of being hooked. Did you notice any difference? You may not have been able to tell. Since the fish is oddly shaped compared to most other fish, the fight would probably be different anyway.
Jeremy- I don’t know if they are in many lakes in the Northest, but they are very common in the bays of the Great Lakes. I think that the Gar you see in Florida are Alligator Gar, these are Spotted or Longnose Gar. It is either the Longnose or Spotted that is endangered. I don’t remember which.
Mike
Good stuff man! We have a ton of gar here in upstate NY, although I have never seen schools that large. They are usually cruising just below the surface film and always in pairs. We use a similar fly, we break the hook off the bend and tie a 3″ to 4″ piece of egg yarn to the shank. I’ll have to try the combed nylon rope! very fun but those teeth will shred your hand in a hurry if your not careful.
Cool.
I would love to try some of these BIG garfish out on the flyrod.
We fish for garfish in Denmark too, but the fish are not that big. Most fishermen see garfish as a menace when fishing for seatrout in saltwater, because the garfish always get to your fly first, and when the garfish is in, theres a lot of them around … a lot..
If we fish for them we use very light gear and very small flies or as you do fish them with a piece of silk or antron yarn.
I can understand you need for pushing flyfishing to the limit. I try to get as many different species on the fly as possible, especially when people say i can’t be done..
Good job, and a great story 😉
Man! That it soooo cool! I don’t know why but it always gives me the heebie-jeebies to think about how long some of these species have been around. How do they fight?
Sweet story!
Thanks – it was quite an experience. I know Gar are in some of the Finger Lakes, but not all of them. I know that Lake Champlain has a really good population. As for the schools of fish, I have no idea. I honestly don’t know that much about Gar. The guide (John Gaulke, http://www.fingerlakesanglingzone.com) said that he usually sees them like that, so I guess its pretty common.
Reall cool. I’m always looking for something different you can do in fly fishing and this is right up there. Next time I’m in gar country I’ll have to find some of those hookless flies.
I read an article many years ago that described the exact method you used in catching those nice gar. And i must say it is cool to hear that it really works! I have explored some tribs out here in western NY in the late summer for research for my fall trout and salmon fishing. And when i was exploring Oak Orchard creek several years ago i came accross several nice sized gar much like the one you show in your photo. I now know that i should tie some rope flies to have with me on those trips. It would be great to add another species of fish to the list of “fly caught”
i believe ( to the best of my knowledge) that its the spotted gar that is endangered.