# flies for gar??



## ditz (Apr 22, 2012)

Do any of you fellas fly fish gar? Any tips or fly suggestions would be great.


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## timeflies (Oct 3, 2007)

I have not but I remember an article that may help you. Hang tight while I scour the net.....


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## timeflies (Oct 3, 2007)

Inspiration here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=v7GFXPz_Nks

Article here: 

http://www.orvis.com/news/fly-fishing/repost-of-longnose-gar-on-the-fly/#.UcoRAzvMBvk


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## ditz (Apr 22, 2012)

Thanks for the posting. There is some good info there.:thumbsup:


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## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

*Gar Flies*

Gar roll right along with Tarpon where I fish so my Gar flies all have hooks. I don't get many shots at Tarpon there but when I do, I have a fly that they'll take. Of course, I am fishing with a 9wt and the Tarpon in the area are all 100#+. 

Here is the fly tied on a 4/0 jig hook. The fly is nothing but Nylon rope flaked out and lashed to a hook. Cast it just up current of a rolling fish and hang on. BTW, I get one shot at a Tarpon for every 50 at Gar. I need to shoot a Gar flyfishing video.


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## ditz (Apr 22, 2012)

Oh yea,,, a video would be interesting.


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## flyfisher (May 31, 2008)

captken said:


> Gar roll right along with Tarpon where I fish so my Gar flies all have hooks. I don't get many shots at Tarpon there but when I do, I have a fly that they'll take. Of course, I am fishing with a 9wt and the Tarpon in the area are all 100#+.
> 
> Here is the fly tied on a 4/0 jig hook. The fly is nothing but Nylon rope flaked out and lashed to a hook. Cast it just up current of a rolling fish and hang on. BTW, I get one shot at a Tarpon for every 50 at Gar. I need to shoot a Gar flyfishing video.



Is it tough to cast once it gets waterlogged? I'm guessing not...if you use it and like it... but it seems like it would weigh a pound once it absorbs all that water.


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## FlyLipps (Oct 3, 2007)

timeflies, thanks for posting that link to Brian Wise's video. Brian is a super guy. He does a lot of work in combination with Feather Craft and Wapsi, and Rainy's Flies. Also an excellent guide.


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## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

*Definitely a pain to cast.*

I use a very short but heavy shooting head. I strip all the way to the head then rip the fly out of the water into a back cast then shoot it out again. I can't cast more than 40 feet but that is absolutely all I need.

I will definitely try to get a video. I've been Tarpon fishing late in the evening until 1-2am for the past month. I've been fishing 4-5 evenings per week and trying to keep up with my garden by day. I am way too old for serious multi-tasking like this. I'm hooking lots of Tarpon but landing few.


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## 2flyfish (Mar 12, 2013)

I've used this same technique back in Ohio. Haven't gar fished once since I've been living in Texas although I should've made an alligator gar trip. What type of gar are you fishing for? I've read many post about this type of pattern not working for the 'gator gar due to the size of the teeth and not being able to catch hold when then roll. 
It may be worth trying a trailing circle hook that lays in the midst of the rope fray. 


Tight lines,
Mike


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## ditz (Apr 22, 2012)

I believe that FL has mostly long nosed gar. They don't have a lot of alligator gar as I understand it plus they are protected.


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## Coastiefly (Feb 2, 2012)

I stumbled upon and caught gar on the Buffalo River in Arkansas using a conehead muddler with an 8wt, wasn't hard either, they seemed to love it. A treble hook would have been better suited for those teethy mouths. Never tried in Florida. 

http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=12C0


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## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

*WUPS! Wrong Fly.*

The fly in the photo I posted showing the Sharpie is for use on spinning tackle. The fly I use is basically the same but much sparser and a little shorter. Sorry for the confusion.

I am sure I couldn't cast the fly I showed on anything short of a 15wt and then everybody in the boat had better duck.

RE: Gar in Florida. Yes, we have Alligator Gar in Florida but they are mighty rare south of the Panhandle. Most I have seen have been outside in salt water. Lots of big Alligator in the Mobile Delta with the Blakely River being a hot spot for them back in the 70's. Commercial Fisherman targeted them for a while and about wiped the really big ones out.

The Longnose Gar is the only real interesting (to catch) Gar in penninsular Florida. Shortnose Gar are usually pretty sluggish while the Longnose Gar sometimes put on a really good fight, even jumping occasionally.
The same fly tied with a couple of strands of contractors staging is death on Needlefish if you are so inclined.


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## 2flyfish (Mar 12, 2013)

captken said:


> The fly in the photo I posted showing the Sharpie is for use on spinning tackle. The fly I use is basically the same but much sparser and a little shorter. Sorry for the confusion.


We used a small #10 long shank hook tied with about 6" of nylon rope so the water wouldn't be absorbed. White rope and a lot of red thread was what worked there. I don't think a fish could've actually been hooked due to how we threaded and unraveled the rope. The hook wasn't the point though, it was the easiest way to anchor the rope. 



captken said:


> Longnose Gar is the only real interesting (to catch) Gar in penninsular Florida. Shortnose Gar are usually pretty sluggish while the Longnose Gar sometimes put on a really good fight, even jumping occasionally.
> The same fly tied with a couple of strands of contractors staging is death on Needlefish if you are so inclined.


Longnose are a ton of fun. Largest I've caught was around 3.5' on a 6wt. Spotted gar are fun too. Not as feisty, but really cool to look at. All are a pain in the butt to unhook. Also, I'm new to the salt, what is a needlefish? The only salty fish that I've caught, on the fly, are trout, redfish, and jack crevalle. Other than that I think the only others would be sheepshead, whiting, and black tip shark(very small ones). 

Mike


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