Seth Posted August 24, 2008 Posted August 24, 2008 I was fishing during early January a few years ago and had about a 4 foot gar swim past me just below outlet 1. My buddy and I were freaking out thinking it was a monster brown lol.
DoveTail Posted August 25, 2008 Posted August 25, 2008 The are hard on a habitat because they consume a ton of fish. I was fishing a small creek backing up off a lake that had a bunch of gars in there, most were in the 4 foot range but you could see some big waves where the big ones would spook and break the surface when you approached. Probably 1 out of 4 bass caught in that creek had big bloody cuts on both sides of their backs between the head and dorsal fin. I suppose those are the ones that got away and survived. Makes you wonder how many fish the gars eat? A large farm pondk had some wonderful 3-4 pound black bass, bluegill and other game fish in it. It had to be fished hard because of all the little bass and other fish in there (over populated). Somehow some gars got started in there and in a few years there were NO more fish other than gars. It took a few years for all the gars to die from nothing to eat, then more years to get the pond back with any game fish in it.
Members HeavyC Posted August 26, 2008 Members Posted August 26, 2008 Probably b/c the facts you share proves they eat a huge % of forage fish If that is in fact correct, I should then be able to assume the game fish have less to eat. HC Out! "Imagine reaching for an apple on a tree and having your hand suddenly impaled by a metal hook that drags you—the whole weight of your body pulling on that one hand—out of the air and into an atmosphere in which you cannot breathe. This is what fish experience when they are hooked for “sport.” - Does this make us sportsmen? - HC
Tightline Posted August 26, 2008 Posted August 26, 2008 We saw 2 last Friday afternoon opposite side from fall creek that were every bit of 5 ft maybe longer.Now this may sound stupid but I think they were going through their spawning dance.If you've never seen gar spawn they kinda act like they are fighting each other.Nothing would surprise me on Taney. Just think how many eggs a 5 ft female gar could spew out all over the gravel bars,2 million,maybe more?Thats alot of good Trout food there,and even better after the eggs hatch and turn into fry! I'll bet a small yellow egg pattern might work well when them ole slimey gars are a spawning. I think the Great Blue Heron does more to hurt a fishery than anything that swims or flys.
Seth Posted August 26, 2008 Posted August 26, 2008 some time ago in norfolk, we were diving and my buddy sat down on a pillar of rock about 60 feet deep looking over 300 foot deep water The gar were spawning and swimming around us like thousands of snakes Eerie as heck. So he gets the bright idea to spear a big one. So here a big female comes by and about 6 feet long and little males writhing around here trying to mate, etc. Was sick. So he reaches out and WHAM shoots her and away to the races. She drug him off that pillar and started down down down. We barely caught him at 100 feet and made him turn loose of the gun. He was so mad at us. So we finish the dive and are eating a sandwich and up pops the speargun and we are able to reel the fish in. 90 pounds later...we have her hanging at the dock. I HATE those things. It was so surreal. k I've never heard of alligator gar in Norfork. Does anybody else have any proof of this? Long nose gar don't get nearly that big. Sounds kind of "fishy". I'd love to hear more on this story.
Seth Posted August 27, 2008 Posted August 27, 2008 Hard to imagine a 90 alligator gar as being small, but it is. I'd like to get the bow out and go after some gator gar one day.
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