# Weird catch at Ft Pickens Pier.



## jackedup (Jan 17, 2008)

I caught this gar at Ft Pickens pier yesterday. I've seen a few off the beach pier this year that I figured had to be really fat houndfish, because I didn't think gars could survive in salt water, but 


after this they were definitely gars. I threw a hex head pomp jig at him and foul hooked him next to his pec fin. He was released unharmed, but had some kind of skin bacteria or something by his tail. He barely put up a fight at all, pulled him straight in on 10 lb test.


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## Trill (Mar 8, 2013)

ive seen them in brackish water but not in that much salt. hows fishing been out there? ive been thinking about giving pickens a shot since fishing at the beach pier has been so bad lately


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## Collard (Oct 23, 2007)

Wirelessly posted (Not the droid youre lookin for)

Alligator gars will migrate through saltwater. New Orleans aquarium has them in their big oil rig exhibit with everything else. Reds sharks rays jacks you name it and right there cruising around up top some BIG gars


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## BlaineAtk (Jun 8, 2010)

Wirelessly posted

I shot one in the gulf once..... Is that legal?


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## J0nesi (Jun 22, 2011)

yeah i saw him out there the other day. it looked injured


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## salt-life (Feb 20, 2012)

I saw one off okaloosa island pier last year.


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## Collard (Oct 23, 2007)

Wirelessly posted (Not the droid youre lookin for)



BlaineAtk said:


> Wirelessly posted
> 
> I shot one in the gulf once..... Is that legal?


Sure it wasn't a flipper....LOL
They're still lookin for that guy


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## lowprofile (Jan 6, 2013)

longnose gar. they are found in really, really brackish water but i've never heard of them in straight saltwater, especially the gulf. its pretty salty. it might have had some kind or tail rot, and fish will try to heal themselves and it could be in the salt water trying to kill its tail rot, ich or other parasites.


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## dan111213 (Jun 29, 2011)

I have seen them in the bay every year for many years. The aligator gar has the highest tolerance for salinity than other gars and it often ventures into saltwater areas.


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## albacized (Nov 25, 2011)

I saw a huge one that was over 6' long off Juno Pier down off the SE coast about 4-5 years ago...I, too was very surprised to see one of those out in the open Atlantic Ocean


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## Tobiwan (Apr 27, 2012)

I caught one a little bigger than that one last year at the mouth of Bayou Grande in the bay.


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## fangard (May 7, 2012)

We have a lake here in TX about 200 miles inland that has Redfish. I'll believe anything after seeing that.


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## JD7.62 (Feb 13, 2008)

Ive seen them off Navarre Pier, about 25 miles from the nearest pass!


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## andrethegiant (Sep 14, 2010)

I've used to see them years ago when I fished with my grandpa off Pickens pier


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## KingCrab (Apr 29, 2012)

We see them every spring using the gulf as an interstate . I feel large river catfish do as well. We see UFO's all the time. "Unidentified fishy object". Not uncommon at Pcola bch.:yes:


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