Call me crazy but....

[KyTrkyHntr]

went fishing for GAR with the fly rod on Barren River Lake this past weekend...

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...urrent6034.jpg

Pretty cool sight fishing for these dudes and watch them turn on the fly, follow it and take it, but not much of a fight. I did some google searches before I hit the water and all the posts talked about reel screaming runs, tail walking jumps, etc. I think they were talking about the Alligator Gar as these guys just gave up... It reminded me of the "dork fish" that Bill Engvall talks about. Oh well, I'm getting some casting practice and target practice during the hottest part of the day when the wifey wants to get some sun!!! Good way to kill a hot summer day on the lake!

[walkeraviator]

I watched a fly fishing show on WFN recentlt here they were targeting long nose gar like teh one you are holdin in teh pic and they were fightin like crazy... tail walks and all... i think the water may just be too depleted of oxygen in this heat to give them enough energy to fight hard...

[onemorecast56]

You know you got something there....I`m always flyfishing at Nolin for bluegills,,,I think I`ll try that,,it sounds like a blast,,,and i kow where a bunch of gar hang out down there

[KyTrkyHntr]

You know you got something there....I`m always flyfishing at Nolin for bluegills,,,I think I`ll try that,,it sounds like a blast,,,and i kow where a bunch of gar hang out down there

It will keep you busy that's for sure... A lot of fun!

[eddie_m]

Man, that is awesome! What fly were you using?

[KyTrkyHntr]

Man, that is awesome! What fly were you using?

I was throwing the "rope fly". With all their teeth you don't even need a hook. The rope gets tangled up and they are "hooked". If you google "rope fly" you will find a number of different patterns.

I went with the 1/4" white nylon rope on a #2 saltwater hook with some red dumbbell eyes since I had some hooks already from tying some flies. I used some red thread to finish the fly. Make sure you use some weight (heavy hook with dumbbell eyes or lead tying wire) to get it down in the water colum around 2-3 ft. When you start stripping the fly it rises and if it's right in front of them they will turn on it and follow it and take it. Let them chomp on it a couple of times and that's it! I was throwing one I tied with no weight on a ring and it ran too shallow for me. Just use the same strips as you would with a big streamer pattern and that seems to be the trick!

I'm no expert on this, but it sure is a lot of fun. I thought it would be a PITA getting the nylon out from their teeth, but as long as you have something to hold their mouth open and a good pair of needle nose pliers you're good to go!

Hope this helps!!

Going after them again this weekend..... still learning!!

[KyTrkyHntr]

I watched a fly fishing show on WFN recentlt here they were targeting long nose gar like teh one you are holdin in teh pic and they were fightin like crazy... tail walks and all... i think the water may just be too depleted of oxygen in this heat to give them enough energy to fight hard...

I was wondering about that. I bet you're right!

[300ZX]

Don't know what was wrong with the gar you caught. All the ones I've caught put up a really good fight. I've caught alot in the spring when they are gathered up spawning and man they put on a show then for sure. Guess the best fight I've ever had!

[walkeraviator]

what weight rod/line were you using?

[KyTrkyHntr]

what weight rod/line were you using?

I was using an 8wt with floating line. After reading some stuff on the net about the runs, etc I went with that setup. I tied on a 20lb mono line leader about 6' long. No need for a tapered leader or tippet since stealth are not important with this fish. Since the rope fly I was using was 6" long that setup seemed to work great. I found a combo over at Gander Mtn and it's working out great so far for this type of fishing!

I'm going to try my 5/6 this weekend with a shorter fly and see if that works as well!

And thanks for that link!!!!!

[mhall]

I hate Gar with the burning passion of ten thousand suns.

[KyTrkyHntr]

I hate Gar with the burning passion of ten thousand suns.

That's a lot of hate'n