Alligator Gar Restoration-Survey

[kygorski]

Many years ago before the white river became a tourist mecca, and the trrout fishing was super, seen a few of those giant fish. Our guide said his friend fished for them on charters, and they were great fighters.They had a special way of rigging for them, because of the bony mouth, they used a yarn ball, and it became tangled in the teeth alowing a good hook set.I have caught quite a few of the short nosed gar at dale trolling, and theyare a pain in the neck, also the creeks in the cumberland river are full of them.

[bassin_bug]

They'll eat everything else too.

No they won't. I've lived on and fished the Tombigbee River and its tributaries all my life. It has large numbers of fish of all species native to that area and some very exciting fishing. You can catch as many large bass, bream, crappie, catfish, eels, etc. as you can from a place that's never heard of the alligator gar. btw I caught a 9# largemouth bass out of the same hole of water where I had, thirty minutes before, caught a 12# alligator gar. The difference was that I was fishing red wigglers (live worms) when I caught the gar and was using a spinner bait when I caught the bass. In my area, the gar tends to like creeks that join the river. It may be, in part, because of the deep grass beds and dense cover the creeks provide.

As a matter of fact, I hope to be fishing in a bass tournament on the Tombigbee River within in a few months.

I think it's a good idea to re-introduce the gar to your area. jmo

[DJ]

I saw a stuffed/mounted whatever you want to call it one of these things on the tombigby River in southern Al and I thought it was a hoax. Looked like an alligator with no legs. That would be some extreeme, wild fishing.

Peter

I heard once ona Kentucky Afield call-in show that Muskie woul;d be a deterrant to the carp, as it is consider a native forage. Let's stock muskies with them.

[JD7.62]

Musky would be cool to have in different parts of the state but they would absolutely not survive in the habitat gator gars live in.

[PRO V LE]

Johnny Morris and Bill Dance have a pic in the BPS catalog of a 220# 8ft.long gator gar that he caught and put in one of the BPS stores fish tank.