How to Fish for Longnose Gar With Cut Bait

Longnose gar pose a unique challenge for even the most seasoned of anglers. These prehistoric fish feature a thin, long snout built predominately from bone and lined with teeth, so sinking a hook into one of these fish requires a good deal more patience and skill than with other fish. Even other species of gar have broader snouts that open up more accessible fleshy areas for a hook. Nonetheless, it is quite possible to hook these elusive fish on a fishing line, especially by using a compatible bait such as cut bait.

Things You'll Need

  • Bobber or float
  • #4 treble hook
  • Cut bait
  • Net
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place a bobber or float onto your fishing line above the hook. Some float slip onto the line by passing the line through them, but the common round bobber works by pressing the knob on the bobber to push out a small hook on the opposite side. Place the fishing line inside of this hook and release the knob to set the bobber onto the line. You may choose whatever distance from the hook you like, although many anglers set their bobber as far from the hook as half of the water's depth.

    • 2

      Sharpen a #4 treble hook with a file by filing towards the tip of the hook. Only do this if the hooks are unsatisfactorily sharp, which is likely since longnose gar fishing requires very sharp points.

    • 3

      Tie the #4 treble hook to the end of your fishing line by passing the end of the line through the eye of the hook, wrapping the line back up around itself seven times, then passing it down back through the loop of fishing line first created at the bottom of the twists. Pull it all tight.

    • 4

      Place chunks of fish meat, known as cut bait, onto the hooks of a very sharp #4 treble hook.

    • 5

      Cast the rig into the water and wait with the rod held high.

    • 6

      Drop the fishing line and open the bail of the spool on your fishing rod when a gar takes the bait. This lets the fish run away with the bait. Longnose gar will tend to grab a bait, run with it, then stop to swallow it, and run again. This process may take anywhere from one to 10 minutes.

    • 7

      Close the bail of the rod and begin reeling in the slack fishing line when the gar runs with the bait for a second time. This sets the hook. Fight with the fish and reel it in, being prepared for the sometimes incredible leaps and tricks that gars pull to escape.

    • 8

      Capture the gar in a net when you can reel it in close enough.