# Gar in the Huron



## jeremywood513 (Jan 8, 2011)

Any body know how to catch gar on the Huron, I have caught one in Ypsilanti at the paper mill on a crayfish tail.I have seen them on the lower Huron but they don't seem interested in anything.


----------



## YPSIFLY (Feb 13, 2001)

Sometimes they will take minnows under a bobber. I had pretty good luck getting them this way fishing bayous just outside of New Orleans back in the late '80s. I caught one this way on the backwater at Huroc where they sometimes like to follow my smaller spinners.


----------



## frenchriver1 (Jul 5, 2005)

Have never heard or read of any consistent way to get gars around here to hit. My catches have been pretty much by accident... Fishing down south for the large ones is not that easy either...


----------



## stickem (Oct 31, 2007)

arrows:evil:


----------



## ramjet (Dec 19, 2003)

Once or twice a year I will go out and catch them using a fly rod and rope flies (so far just on lakes, but I'd fish for gar in rivers if I knew of a place that had some--always looking for new places). You can look through youtube or do a google search for some examples of rope lures/flies. I also saw an example using rope on the business end of a spinner bait to catch gar somewhere. 

One of the hard parts (for me).. when you get a "strike", don't "set the hook". Let them munch on it for awhile. Also, bring some good pliers and thick gloves if you are going to untangle the gar and release them. They can move their head to the side VERY quickly and their teeth can slice through skin so fast it won't even know you got cut up till you see the blood. Believe me on that one.

Interesting fish, some of them fight pretty hard and jump. Have fun and let us know how you did.


HTH>..


----------



## waterwolfhunter (Jun 26, 2011)

I've caught them on minnows while fishing for smallmouth nothing consistent though.


----------



## jeremywood513 (Jan 8, 2011)

Thanks for the insite on the gar, still no luck catching gar but some nice smallies on mepps #2 brown trout pattern.


----------



## JimP (Feb 8, 2002)

When we were teens we used to make these clothesline lures for having fun with Gars around Belle Isle and other area rivers. 
Cheap and quick, make 'em up right on the spot as needed even.
Unbraid the inner nylon with a small stiff brush or separate out the strands with your fingers.
I've used tan in the illustration but I think I remember the clothesline came in white, green and blue back then. 














A few split shot up around 16"-18" would give casting distance and control depth.
Retrieve in a pause, sink, short yank or two, pause again, erratic motion...
Move rod side to side every few strokes also.
When hit, let them have it a few seconds then slowly apply pressure...don't do a reactive "hookset" yank.

After you've developed a version you like that works, make quite a few, almost all of them get destroyed by each fish...and yes, be careful.

If there are regular Pike, Bass, Silver Bass trailing or hitting at the lure, push a long shanked hook up through the plastic instead of the swivel...tie tightly with very strong thread or line. We mostly used swivels as they were weedless and a bunch of them didn't get tangled in the bag, we added hooks up in the Black River or where water was open and more Pike. 
Make eyes with a marker, add a pop top nose, dip in Cod liver oil...all kinds of options to putter with.


.


----------

