With all the crazy changes in the weather in August, Gar Fishing took an unexpected turn for the worst. It seemed like Gar were scattered all over West Point Lake but out in the middle in 25-40 feet of water. I couldn't find a school to fish so that made sight casting nearly impossible.
Tuesday September 2nd Debbie took the day off and went out on the lake with me and for most of the day we were looking for Gar in all the wrong places. I told Debbie what I should do is start from the beginning since cooler fall type weather was exactly what I was experiencing when I first discovered Longnose Gar on West Point Lake. We took a drive to the first place I saw a big school of Gar and caught my first Gar of the day. I was very small but never the less a Gar. Then after figuring out there were no more to be caught in this pocket we trolled around the corner and ran right smack into a large school of suspended Gar. They were mostly this years hatch sized Gar which by the way, grow a ton it seems in their first year of existence. We only caught two small ones in this school.
After wearing ourselves ragged from casting we decided to start heading back to the boat ramp but I decided to make one stop before we left which turned out to be the best decision of the day because this place was stoked with hungry aggressive Gar and we had a hour and a half of some really great fishing! I mean these dudes were hungry!!! They smashed my lure like I hadn't seen since the spring and I was in heaven again! I wound up with two Gar for the G.A.S.S. Tournament on Bob Frick’s website, http://www.longnosegar.com/. One off these hungry brutes smashed my lure so hard it flew up out of the shallows about two feet out of the water in a frenzy and Debbie said, "what in the world just happened?" and I said "that's my Gar!" as it swam straight out of the grass and directly toward my boat with my line laying limp in the water. This was my biggest Gar of the day at 14lbs-10ozs and 50 inches long. It ended up being a pretty exciting day. Too bad I was so tired from trying to find these buggers all day long that I couldn't enjoy it like I should've.
I've only been Gar Fishing for five years now and I've learned a lot over the years. This year has taught me more about the changing patterns of Longnose Gar on West Point Lake from the summer peek to the emerging fall months and tropical weather cool downs. By the time I really know this great fish I will probably be to old to fish for them but I can tell you one thing; I'll be out there after this magnificent species of fish for as long as I possibly can. Hopefully I can teach my grandsons or grand daughters to be as excited as I am about Gar Fishing and they take me fishing when I'm to old or too sick to launch and land the boat. I love the challenge the fish provides and there isn't a fish on West Point Lake that compares...even the largely touted largemouth bass and hybrid bass that get all of the press and attention. I'm not upset with that though. If everyone Gar Fished then this fish would be over fished and under managed, as these other fish and I wouldn't be able to let my clients experience this illusive enjoyment.
