40” toothy critter club

[TnRiver46]

It was a trick! Just trying to get the esox guys to look at my fish picture 

[bulldog1935]

Tough to hook, a blast to watch them shoot 10' across the surface to attack your lure or fly - their eyesight is amazing - they also give great aerials.  

I've mentioned before

we have a spot on the Guadalupe to sight-fish them on fly rod - there's a really deep gouge in the dolomite under those cypress, and they're always stacked there.  

 

ps - the arctic fox in my cats whisker gets caught in gar teeth, but you still have to plant the hook, and Tiemco hooks are sharp-enough 

[Further North]

Gar are cool...really hard to set a hook in.

Yarn flies are the thing, from what I've been told.

[TnRiver46]

7 hours ago, Further North said:

Gar are cool...really hard to set a hook in.

Yarn flies are the thing, from what I've been told.

I just use a jerkbait that is already warped and I don’t care to loose. I’ve got about a 2% hookup ratio but they are still worth it, they can take a whole spool of line on a run and the jumps are crazy, looks like billfish tailwalking. 
 

also they bite most lures almost every cast

[Bluebasser86]

I can't help but try to sightfish a big gar whenever I see one. Getting them to bite is extremely easy, hooking them is almost impossible. I didn't think it through this weekend throwing a hollow body frog at one, that frog no longer floats ?

[Spankey]

Real neat. Very cool looking. That critter may be out around Pittsburg area but over East I have never seen one. 
 

I’ve been on the river a lot more this year trying to figure it back out. Trying to re-become the river rat I use to be. No Musky yet. Not really seeing any or any following my baits. They seem to like FireTiger and chartreuse shiner as much as a Smallie do. 
 

Have fun catch another. 

[J Francho]

I've used rope flies. They're basically unraveled nylon rope on a split ring, a few inches long. Spinning gear handles them fine. We have them up here, but the ones I see down south are much bigger. They're kind of annoying when they gather in a quiet cove to sun by the 100s. 

[Spankey]

Tn, what has your river temperature been town there? Yesterday in the spots I was fishing it was 81-82. I probably or could have fished some a bit cooler but chose not to. Wanted to fish a particular stretch. 

[TnRiver46]

17 minutes ago, Spankey said:

Tn, what has your river temperature been town there? Yesterday in the spots I was fishing it was 81-82. I probably or could have fished some a bit cooler but chose not to. Wanted to fish a particular stretch. 

Upper 60s

[Spankey]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

Upper 60s

We could use a cool down and some nice moderate rain here. 

[TnRiver46]

4 minutes ago, Spankey said:

We could use a cool down and some nice moderate rain here. 

The water near my house never gets much above 75 (some years never makes it there), it comes from the bottom of deep lakes 

[Spankey]

Stain or heavy stain I believe makes it warm faster with the sun rays. 
 

We are in a bit of a heat wave this week again. 
 

Crankbaits I'm out catching those Smallies about 3 to 1 over the tubes and grubs. They seem to be willing to expel the energy to run them down to make a bite. Not sure how long it will last. 
 

I’m on and off the water early. Truly fishing well before 6:00 and can be finished and loading up by 9:00

[gim]

On 7/12/2021 at 12:57 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

I didn't think it through this weekend throwing a hollow body frog at one, that frog no longer floats ?

That's what happens to my hollow body frogs up here in pike country too.  They get a slash or rip in the body and take on water and just sink from that point forward. ?