A fish that has survived unchanged for millennia, garfish look like a dinosaur with armor plating and a long jaw full of needle-like teeth. The average spotted gar measures less than three feet long and weighs under six pounds.
The appearance turns off some anglers, but the prehistoric fish’s aggressive nature appeals to me. I target smaller spotted gar because the fish are easier to handle and more fun to catch.
Discover Spotted Gar in Your Backyard
Spotted gar’s range includes Lake Erie and tributaries and a large portion of the lower Mississippi River drainage. They can often be found in small pothole lakes and backwater areas of rivers. They also like weed-choked ponds and lakes.
Summer is my favorite time to target spotted gar. In the warm water, gar come to the surface to hunt. To catch them, I use an exciting spot and stalk technique.
Gar Tackle & Technique
I fish with a seven-foot medium power, extra fast action, St. Croix Eyecon rod. The light tip aids in making long casts. I match the rod with a 2000 series Shimano Sahara reel spooled with 20-pound braided line.
Even though they have nasty-looking teeth, the teeth aren’t sharp so I can get away with three feet of 12-pound fluorocarbon leader.
Gar have a hard jaw bone and aggressive strike, so I look for a lure with multiple narrow gauge treble hooks. To get the fish’s attention, I use a loud and obnoxious topwater lure like the Zara Spook, Whopper Plopper or Original Floating Rapala.
I start by standing in the kayak and searching for fish swimming just under the surface. Sight fishing is best in overcast, calm conditions as the low glare and flat surface make gar easier to see.
When I spot a gar, I paddle slowly and quietly to avoid spooking the fish. Once I come into casting range, I identify the direction the gar is swimming. Then, I make a cast so the lure lands several feet ahead of the fish.
To tempt the gar into a reaction strike, I retrieve the lure quickly. When I hook a gar, the fish pulls hard and jumps out of the water to shake the hooks loose.
Keeping a gar hooked is similar to fishing with barbless hooks. I maintain steady pressure on the fish and keep the line tight.
How to Handle Spotted Gar
To avoid getting cut by the scales and teeth, I carry a large landing net and a pair of Lindy fish-handling gloves.
The easiest way to unhook a gar is to firmly pin the fish to the kayak deck and use a pair of needle nose pliers to pull out the hooks.
Once the gar is unhooked, grab the snout with one gloved hand and lift the body with the other gloved hand before releasing the fish.
Spotted gar are perceived as trash fish and are relatively unpressured. But despite the gar’s looks and reputation, the fish offers an exciting sight fishing target that is almost always willing to bite.
Kyle Hammond is the current Indiana State record holder for shortnose gar. He is searching for the Hoosier State’s biggest spotted gar.
Often overlooked and underappreciated, gar are an exciting summer target. | Feature photo: Kyle Hammond
