[jab0106]

while bassin' a pond, saw many large [20"+, 10lbs.+] fish rolling on the surface not far off the bank. having seen many baitfish skimming the surface and getting pounded, i tied on a crome/blue rattle trap and made a few casts on my bass rod. 4th cast, something hammered the lure and the drag screamed for a few seconds before i felt the lure pull out . tightened the drag and cast a few more times and again--hard bite, screaming drag, and pulled out. what kind of fish might this be?! i want to catch one now badly.

keep in mind this is on a bass rod w/baitcast reel that ive never had a bass peel line off, and they've been upwards of 8 lbs.

thanks for any help, or just a read

 

[Jeffonc]

I'd say gar fit the description: They get big, they've got bony, toothy mouths that are hard to get a hook in, they do lots of surface rolling and are aggressive at times.

 

[crappie89]

sounds like a gar to me as well, you might have seen a carp or 2 as well.

 

[Coach D]

I'll agree. The 3 gar I've caught were all in an area where I saw them rolling. Had to wait a good long time for them to get the bait good before I set the hook. Was crappie fishing with minnows.

 

[jab0106]

well yall have named my two prime suspects but they dont really seem long and skinny like the gar ive seen in the rivers... i have seen the same fish in washington park one day about 100 ft off the bank dead and floatin by but i couldnt tell then either. i would have guessed carp but by their habits, i reckon its gar. just wonderin cause ive never had much luck enticing a gar to strike.

and there were hundreds of these fish that seemed to be in a loose wad on one side of the lake, kinda like gar i suppose. looks like a carp, acts like a gar, i am on a garp i think.

 

[Stew-Rat]

Might want to consider a gar bait. You can buy them but it`s really just like a short piece of nylon rope. Use your imagination and make one up. I`d still put a treble on the back but the idea is they get their teeth caught in it, not actually hooked by it. Last time I caught one on a worm he wasn`t hooked, just had the string in his mouth and wouldn`t open it.

 

[jab0106]

any more info on the gar baits?? i haven't seen any before. that would be great, then maybe i can confirm an id on the fish

 

[speckhunter80]

Basically you take some a 5-8" piece of nylon rope slide a body in side fray the end of the rope a little. the line to the body or use a body that has a line channel thru it and drop a hook back behind it. The problem with that is the hook might get caught in the nylon so use stiff wire longer the length of nylon.

The body could be wood or old plastic lure so that it floats or it could be a bullet sinker.

 

[Guest]

I used to sight fish them with at least a #3-4 spinner. roll it just under the surface. just pause for a few seconds after it gets hit and set the hook like it was a 8lb. bass if there is any weight. hold the rod high and reel him in ASAP. have a set of needle nose pliers and a big knife handy.

 

[Squid Row]

If they are gar, try a medium sized popping plug.

Remove the trebles and replace with single hooks. Cast out and pop and retrieve slowly.

 

[jab0106]

appreciate the help, now to see if they are gar...


and if they are i will be taking up bowfishing in the near future
here's hopin...

 

[tcfisherman]

i would also say those ugly gar!!!!.......................chris

 

[backlash]

A 20 inch would Gar would have a hard time pushing 3 pounds let alone 8 or 10. Is it possible that with the water warming up that you could have seen some Hybrids or Stripers pushing bait to the top.

Even big Largemouth are know to school up on Shearon Harris and push bait. I witnessed this myself last year at Shearon Harris. It was pretty amazing to see 5 pound plus Largemouth coming out the water pushing bait.

 

[shemstreet]

I've seen plenty of cats rolling around on top as well in the springtime, and an 8-10lb cat would have no trouble burning line off your bass rod/reel. Plus they do hit lures, unlike carp.

Still, could well be gar, I have just never seen them schooled up before on top, but have seen cats do it. If near the bank and any grapes/berries were dropping in the water, cats would be my first suspects.

 

[Scott Hobbs]

See em in Sheron Harris at high noon chasing and herding baitfish out in the middle of the lake, take a Rebel Pop-R, cast out and reel iin real fast and let the bait just skip across the top ofthe water. Man they will slam that bait.

How about a bowfin, grindel, blackfish, they have a bony mouth and at times are hard to hook.

tight lines <*)))))>{

 

[jab0106]

i will try to resolve this very soon, but based on body shape, cats seem to fit the best... i dont really know much about them and didnt know they come to the surface in wads like that. ill try that too.

i do know for certain these fish were NOT largemouth or striper. thanks.

 

[gambusia]

Sounds like carp!

Whether common or triploid grass carp I dunno.

Carp will hit crankbaits.

Better to use corn or doughballs

 

[Sweat74]

It also could be a blackfish or mudfish. They roll over in the water and actually gulp air so they can live in low oxygenated water. They love any lure a bass will hit especially a rubber worm.

 

[saltyjon]

definately sounds like alligator gar... try carolina rigging a Tequila/Green Glitter colored Bass Assassin® Worm and cast in there. That'll definitely let you know whether its a gar or not, they love those things.

 

[wolfpackcpa]

Could it possibly be a bowfin. I know they have the body of a carp. Just a thought.