08-06-2003, 02:00 PM
[cool]Yo, FFA. You are either a 
ist or a masochist...or just an equal opportunity angler. Me too. I have had lots of fun getting abused by both longnose and alligator gars in Louisiana and Texas.
The tips on bait fishing already given are good ones. If you wanna have some real fun, and not go through so much bait, try pitching jigs or flies for them. A trick I picked up from an old boy in Louisiana is to tie flies and feather jigs with velcro bodies. The loops in the velcro catch their teeth and you at least get some fight out of them before they get loose. Many times you can bring the fish in to the bank or net, without it ever getting hooked.
I took this same tricky technique to the Sea of Cortez, where they have a jillion needlefish around most rocky reefs and points. It is almost impossible to get a lure through them and down to other fish. If you are throwing plastics you will go through a lot of plastic without catching many fish. The velcro flies and jigs got me connected to a lot of needles that are great acrobats. They would jump and twist several times before coming loose, and I got many of them closer to my float tube than I really wanted to...although, unlike gars, needles are good eating.
Here's a pic of the needlefish. As you can see, their jaws are even thinner and bonier than gars. Unless you hook them in the corner of the mouth, you do not hook them.
![[Image: SCOU1712CustomImage0278758.jpg]](http://web.ecomplanet.com/SCOU1712/ServerContent/MyCustomImages/SCOU1712CustomImage0278758.jpg)
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ist or a masochist...or just an equal opportunity angler. Me too. I have had lots of fun getting abused by both longnose and alligator gars in Louisiana and Texas. The tips on bait fishing already given are good ones. If you wanna have some real fun, and not go through so much bait, try pitching jigs or flies for them. A trick I picked up from an old boy in Louisiana is to tie flies and feather jigs with velcro bodies. The loops in the velcro catch their teeth and you at least get some fight out of them before they get loose. Many times you can bring the fish in to the bank or net, without it ever getting hooked.
I took this same tricky technique to the Sea of Cortez, where they have a jillion needlefish around most rocky reefs and points. It is almost impossible to get a lure through them and down to other fish. If you are throwing plastics you will go through a lot of plastic without catching many fish. The velcro flies and jigs got me connected to a lot of needles that are great acrobats. They would jump and twist several times before coming loose, and I got many of them closer to my float tube than I really wanted to...although, unlike gars, needles are good eating.
Here's a pic of the needlefish. As you can see, their jaws are even thinner and bonier than gars. Unless you hook them in the corner of the mouth, you do not hook them.
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