That's some scary looking water there Wolfdog, reminds me of SE Asia.

lol

Gar are a blast to catch… on rod and reel, but they cause you aggravation on your trotlines.
Use a 2/0 circle hook and when they take the bait,, just let them run with it a little until they swallow it,, it’s tough sometimes to set the hook in that boney mouth.
I like to use a creek chub , cut in half and threaded on the hook.
I like to take the blackstraps and use shake n bake on them… toss em in the oven.

Nice job. They have some razors don’t they? lol. We used to catch them everyday day on the trot lines in NE Texas. Cut up hot dogs and chunks of Zoap caught more gar than live perch did for us.

I use to shoot them while bow fishing in some inlet waters of Erie, Pa. years back. They aren't much of a target being so thin and factoring in the refraction while shooting in the water. I made several attempts before connecting. None were very long. 20-25 inches was the longest gar I have harvested. Interesting looking creature for sure. Very prehistoric looking.

WTG. Are those edible?

Lakes and back waters are loaded with them around here. Almost impossible to catch on a hook, most guys use a jig head with a wad of wool yarn on it so's to tangle up it's teeth. Not bad eatin' either. Use tin snips to cut the skin/scales, and can give a nasty bite if careless.
Or by bow.

Cool.
If you fray the last 2-3” of a 1/4” nylon cord and rig a very small, very sharp treble hook in it you can fish it like a fly. Add a small split shot if needed. The gars teeth get tangled in the frayed nylon, usually before they even get to the hook.

That's awesome !

Yes

Foxkidd knows what he's talking about on catching gar. Used to wade down the creek behind my house with a minnow and no weight. Throw in front of them when they surface then feed them all the line on the spool before you set the hook.

Nice catch.
Is all gar varieties edible?
Wolfdog keep after them.
Good job.

You need to give them time to swaller the hook.
When they hit the bait minnow, the line will quiver, then they will slowly wander off in a straight line slow like. Start peeling line until they stop.
They still have the bait in their needle nose, but once they stop, the line will quiver again as it positions the bait so it can swaller it.
Once they start to swim off again, they have likely swallered it. Reel in the tremendous amount of bowed slack and set the hook. Your in for a good fight then.

You can catch them with frayed rope.

Congrats

I have heard of chopping a couple inches off the poly anchor rope unravel it and tie bunches around the jig head

Actually looks like it might be a small Long Nose Gar to me. Lots of spots and slender sloping head.

Hard for me to imagine you never caught a gar but congratulations

Very cool !!!