Gar Fishing Close To Springfield

[MrDontPlay]

Thanks for the tips guys. Is it too early in the year to catch them?

[Dan Sweeney]

Allegator gar are really catching on as a fish worth protecting (finally), so you might better check up on regulations regarding "keeper size", limits, permits, etc. Seems like it changes every year right now. The other gar species are more common and less particular, though still FANTASTIC fun to tie into. Probably easier to get ahold of too.

They CAN be caught on a hook, although it's tough to do. You're looking at some pretty heavy duty leaders and heavy gauge hook and still gonna be hit or miss on your hookup percentages cause their mouth is pretty bony. It can happen though, as plenty of river fishermen will tell you. Quite a few longnose get caught by accident.

[duckydoty]

Thanks for the tips guys. Is it too early in the year to catch them?

With all this rain, they should be nosing up to the dam of Springfield lake right now. You do not need a hook to catch them on the fly rod. A peice of freyed nylon rope work works great as a lure or fly.

[Wayne SW/MO]

The closest place to Springfield for Alligator Gar would be the lower White River in Arkansas. http://www.bassonhoo...icle%20688.html

What we have around here is the Long-Nose and Short-nose varieties.

There are suppose to be some in the bootheel, but no doubt the White would be the better choice. If you want to go a little farther there's the Red river between TX and OK.

[OzarksRiverman]

Is it true that a large gar population in a creek can effect the bass population (i.e. eating them)?

[Tim Smith]

Is it true that a large gar population in a creek can effect the bass population (i.e. eating them)?

Any large piscivore will take some bass but most of the habitats alligator gar prefer aren't going to have especially good bass populations in the first place and even where they overlap significantly, gar will take what's most abundant (primarily shad and rough fish).

If there were ever a species that begged for catch and release, it is the aligator gar. Topping out well over 7 feet and 200 pounds, they have the potential to be an international tourism draw (with appropriate marketing and safeguards). It's one of the few freshwater fish in North America that puts the angler on an even playing field with the fish.

The Trinity River (just the kind of low-gradient, low oxygen, soft-bottomed river that tends to be a poor bass producer) in Texas now has several guides that specialize in alligator gar and that state is just beginning to wake up to the need for management.

But none of the potential of that fishery is realized unless they reach an age where that enormous size is possible. As has been mentioned already, aligator gar are not common anymore. You can overfish them in a heartbeat.

This one needs to go back into the water.

[OzarksRiverman]

Thanks for that, I was actually talking about the long-nose gar that lives in the creeks around here. For instance, Beaver Creek in Douglas and Taney Counties has a ton of gar. I've always been told that the gar wreak havoc on the bass populations. However, I always do pretty good when fishing Beaver Creek. So I was just wondering if everybody telling me that was full of it.

[MrDontPlay]

I'll have to make me a lure tonight and try it out tomorrow

[Tim Smith]

Thanks for that, I was actually talking about the long-nose gar that lives in the creeks around here. For instance, Beaver Creek in Douglas and Taney Counties has a ton of gar. I've always been told that the gar wreak havoc on the bass populations. However, I always do pretty good when fishing Beaver Creek. So I was just wondering if everybody telling me that was full of it.

Same thing applies to long nose (which can top 5 feet).

I think gar get a worse rap than they deserve because of the habitat issue (the bass wouldn't perfer site where gar are thick anyway), but they do take some bass. Not much different than pike/muskie issues except that gar can live places where bass can't.

[troutfiend1985]

Same thing applies to long nose (which can top 5 feet).

I think gar get a worse rap than they deserve because of the habitat issue (the bass wouldn't perfer site where gar are thick anyway), but they do take some bass. Not much different than pike/muskie issues except that gar can live places where bass can't.

Yeah, it's sad to see that Gar take such a bad rap. There was a fly fishing magazine I bought a while back where this guy was targeting gar on the fly rod. Looks like a lot of fun. This summer(my last one before hell) I'm going to explore some of the KS streams looking for "trash fish." Dumpster Diving on the Fly Rod, should be a book