Do gar run off other fish?

[Grumpy]

Danny,

You can disagree any time you want, that's what discussion is all about. Who put a whomping on whom doesn't have anything to do with it. I remember how you so graciosly showed me around KY Lake and put a whomping on me at the same time (smile).

However, we may be splitting hairs about catching Bass "where the Gar are running." I know what Etecranger is talking about and we have had this discussion before, but I still say I have never caught Bass RIGHT AMONG WHERE THE GAR ARE SCHOOLING or chasing shad. It is possible, when the Gar are busting shad, to move a little ways away and find/catch Bass or other fish. I do believe that "gar run off other fish" but that doesn't maen that the other fish go a long ways from where the Gar are. It is the same way with the Whirlygigs--move a little ways away from where they are dancing and you can catch fish (sometimes).

Grumpy

[mhall]

A friend of mine took me fishing on the Kentucky River today right below lock #2 at Lockport. He's had great success there in the past, but we were got skunked pretty good. He caught a small drum, and I caught a longnose gar on a Rat'l Trap. We got lots of strikes on simple 3/8 ounce jigs with 3" white grubs, but just couldn't hook up. The guy at the grocery store said nobody had been catching much the past few days, mainly because "the gar are running," which he said runs off the other fish. This makes sense, because we saw what we thought were fish jumping all over the place, but in hindsight I'm thinking it may have been gar "gulping." Any thoughts?

I've seen gar run bass clean out of town many times, I myself am a firm believer. I've got a milk run of secondary points that I run in early spring at Cumberland for smallmouth. They are sure bets every year. I've nailed them on it one morning go back the next and if the gar move in you can pull up the trolling motor and forget it. Seen it too many times to be a fluke.

[Chubminnow]

I agree with Mhall...if you're seeing Gar present in the water you're fishing, you may as well pull up the trolling motor and head to another spot. You might still be able to catch fish with Gar present but I think more often than not the rule of thumb is if Gar are present then move on to greener pastures.

[Bonefish]

If you have fished the Ky River lately you would have observed millions of very small river minnows that act like shad in that they school on the surface and just under the surface. Gar love these little minnows this time of year and they herd then around lke stripers do shad. Herrington is a great place this time of year to observe large numbers of Gar off the deep cliff walls. If you want to have fun on a hot July or August day when everyone else is waiting for the fall cool down, just take a piece of 6" to 8" white nylon rope and untwist a section out of it. Next, seperate the fibers to some degree, double it and then put a small plastic tie around it. Then, connect a 6" wire leader to the rope loop and connect the leader to your #6 or #8 flyrod with a 8 to 12 lb tippet. Just cast it to the working gar, and most will attack the rope. When they do, the fine strans of nylon gets wrapped around their teeth which makes no hook is necessary. If you prepare a number of these ropes, all you have to do is cut the rope out of their mouth without bring them into the boat and let them go and then just tie on a new one. In Herrington, you can connect with a 30 to 40 pounder at times. You can get some strange looks from the bass fishermen too when your boat is being pulled around in 30 minute battle. You can also use a spinning rod. The Gar will jump as well as any bass and can give you all you want as far as sport, especially on a flyrod.

[DJD]

If you have fished the Ky River lately you would have observed millions of very small river minnows that act like shad in that they school on the surface and just under the surface. Gar love these little minnows this time of year and they herd then around lke stripers do shad. Herrington is a great place this time of year to observe large numbers of Gar off the deep cliff walls. If you want to have fun on a hot July or August day when everyone else is waiting for the fall cool down, just take a piece of 6" to 8" white nylon rope and untwist a section out of it. Next, seperate the fibers to some degree, double it and then put a small plastic tie around it. Then, connect a 6" wire leader to the rope loop and connect the leader to your #6 or #8 flyrod with a 8 to 12 lb tippet. Just cast it to the working gar, and most will attack the rope. When they do, the fine strans of nylon gets wrapped around their teeth which makes no hook is necessary. If you prepare a number of these ropes, all you have to do is cut the rope out of their mouth without bring them into the boat and let them go and then just tie on a new one. In Herrington, you can connect with a 30 to 40 pounder at times. You can get some strange looks from the bass fishermen too when your boat is being pulled around in 30 minute battle. You can also use a spinning rod. The Gar will jump as well as any bass and can give you all you want as far as sport, especially on a flyrod.

Help me to understand this please....Do you leave any rope in their mouth? Will it hinder their ability to feed and survive? I'm not a Gar lover or some nature freak but i wouldn't think it to be very cool to basically kill something for the sport of it and not eat it. Even some stinky old Gar....

[Bonefish]

Hold the fish up and cut the rope with scissors down each side of the gar's mouth and the rope comes completely untangled...fish unharmed.

[Danny]

Hey Bonefish.... Sometime maybe I can talk you into coming down to KY Lake and doing some gar fishing with me!! This time of year is perfect. I love catching Gar. My Mom and Dad used to kill them when they caught them in the river. I never liked that, but I remember, gosh I must have been about 4 maybe 5, and we were fishing on a sandy beach at Dam 48. That Dam is now gone, but my Mom caught a long nose gar that was in excess of 4 feet. At that time the only fishing I had ever seen on TV was saltwater fishing. I was running around yelling about it being a sword fish!! That absolutely had to be one of my favorite moments of my youth. There were a lot of funny times when we had our small aluminum V bottom, about 14-16 feet. We had a cabin on the Ohio, and would row out to the edge of the channel. Then we would fish, primarily for channel cats, but we would occasionally get a gar. It always created quite a stir and laugh as we tried to get that fish unhooked and back out of our "LITTLE" boat, which certainly got littler when a gar was in it!! LMAO

Great memories, thanks to all!!!!!


Danny

[Bonefish]

Danny, I live in Lexington, and I hate to say it but I hardly get to far away from this place these days because I have horses in training right now and trying to sell my home to rebuild down by Herrington. I appreciate the offer and will defiantly keep you in mind when I get the chance to come your way. I have fished the KY Lake a couple of times and have had a great time each trip. Herrington and the KY River are very active with gar right now.

[RoadToad]

Herrington and the KY River are very active with gar right now.

How long does this activity typically last?

[Bonefish]

They will feed July through September and the surface. You can also use small crappie minnows. Sometimes they will hit those before anything else. If you can find them where they are schooled on the surface, most likey they are feeding on small minnows.

[RoadToad]

They will feed July through September and the surface. You can also use small crappie minnows. Sometimes they will hit those before anything else. If you can find them where they are schooled on the surface, most likey they are feeding on small minnows.

Thanks. So in late September or October, I'll be heading back on my own after stripers! But I think next time I'll put in down by Gratz. This ramp was hell to get to, even with 4WD. And yeah, there were minnows of some sort schooled all around. I was using a small white fluke on a 3/8 oz jig, and when the bait got back to the boat, there would be minnows schooled all around it, following it in.

[Bonefish]

Starting now, the river will be full of minnows and by September as the water cools, the bass will be attacking them and that's when crank bait, spinnerbait and topwater fishing gets good on the river.