Just returned from a Texas adventure with a prehistoric souvenir! I recently took a trip to southern Texas with my cousin Blake and we managed to land several trophy alligator gar, a unique fish I've had on my catchlist for a long time. If you're like me and grew up reading Cabela's and Bass Pro magazines you likely remember pictures of these massive freshwater fish filling the pages. What's more is seeing Jeremy Wade land one on the third episode of River Monsters. I have wanted to catch one ever since and actually went out with the same guide that put Jeremy on basically an identical fish to us - A 6'8" 135lb gar.
We did not land these fish on the fly although it has been done before. Alligator gar are a predatory fish but they do not have the same intensity as the typical predator. Their size and air-breathing abilities allow them to sit in stagnate and low-oxygenated water and ambush their prey. Our fishing strategy involved tossing out a dead baitfish and waiting for the fish to feed. When the fish did pick up the bait they rarely had any urgency, opting to slowly trot off as opposed to picking it up and running. This fickle feeding pattern made hooking the fish difficult as you have to be patient when setting the hook, sometimes even waiting for as long as 25 minutes before tightening down - Something really difficult to do when you have a huge fish on your bait! Nevertheless really awesome fishing and I was so stoked to land these higher grade fish in the early spring which can be hit of miss for the fickle gar.
As previously mentioned for tackle we were not using fly outfits but I was some field testing some blanks. For my big game travels I typically fish a 7'9" XH 4pc travel rod built on a North Fork SWP blank. Some of the he material used in this blank is the same technology as their fly blanks. I can vouch for its strength and durability on higher grade fish. I paired this rod up with a vintage Abu Garcia multiplier reel spooled up with 65lb braid topped off with a wire leader.
If any of you have upcoming fishing trips I would love to hear about them or outfit you with a custom rod for your adventure! I have a couple rods still on the bench including some new small-water rods and a 9' 7wt model.
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