West Point Lake Gar Grabbers

West Point Lake Gar Grabbers - Shelley and Mike Reap Success

2011-08-16T06:11:00.001-04:00

I took my daughter Shelley and her fellow Mike Gar fishing recently and we all snagged a pretty nice one. This was Mike's first Gar ever.

West Point Lake Gar Fishing - Sawyer And Brother Max Score First Gar

2011-07-10T20:41:00.000-04:00

When I was asked to take two young boys Gar Fishing along with their father I didn't hesitate to say yes, although in my mind I WAS a little hesitant. As you know Gar aren't your normal garden variety fish, with needle sharp teeth and a bad attitude to go with them, one slip up this fish can make you bleed, a little or a lot!

I found out pretty quickly however these were not your garden variety youngsters either! Since discovering their grandfather and friend Jerry booked this trip for them they have been on the internet studying my website along with many others. I quickly found out during this trip what they had learned when Sawyer and Max both began to quote facts they had had gathered during there studies. These two boys had whipped themselves into a frenzy and were determined to have success and I've got to say, so was I after meeting them!

In the beginning we had to delay our trip right of out the gate due to an early morning lightning storm. Jerry and his wife Jackie, dad Jason and the boys stayed at Jerry and Jackie's house during he storm while Jerry and I stayed in contact by cell phone until the storm got well away from us. Living only a few miles from the boat landing, after I gave the all clear call the whole family drove over in a matter of minutes then we loaded up and said see you later to grand paw and grand maw as they waved us off.

You see, many years ago Jerry and I sunk a boat together in his private lake. Jerry would tell it that I sunk him in a boat but who cares about the details the way I see it. I just know Jerry and Jackie had to be a little nervous so I was nervous for the both of us to tell you the truth; not to mention the teeth aspect!

Anyway, back to the trip. since I wanted Sawyer and Max to catch a Gar so badly I had Jerry to get the boys to catch me a coupe of bream from their lake to use for cut bait. As you may know I normally only use homemade nylon rope lures but I was afraid the boys couldn't cast we enough; I was wrong. The cut bait was rather ineffective while trying to cast too but Sawyer did catch a nice blue cat. We just couldn't get to the rod fast enough with our lures in the water too so we went back to using rope again.

After to boys learned the routine they started getting a few bites but they were a little over anxious at first, pulling the bait too fast when the Gar hit. Not only that but with the high wind it was virtually impossible to see the Gar through the chop on the water but we fished on.

I've got to tell you, I was getting a little discouraged but the boys weren't! No matter how hard the fishing was or how hot it got they stayed after it harder than I've seen many grown men.

After moving around and finding the right spot our persistence finally paid off. Both Sawyer and Max both got a Gar in the boat and and got there picture on my website! Forget the teeth, these two kids were not the least bit afraid of these fish as you can see by the photos and I'll beat they can't wait to do it again.

Jason, Sawyer and Max are welcome to come along again no charge this year to try to increase the size of their catch too, just call me at 706-298-6958 and let's try to plan it, what do you say boys are you ready to catch a big one now?

West Point Lake Gar Fishing-Nice Gar June 16th 2011

2011-06-14T16:08:00.000-04:00

I left some Gar for my Thursday guide trip that I could have caught but I couldn't resist this Gar on a challenging cast. It probably went 15 pounds and 50 inches. Are you ready Sawyer?

West Point Lake Gar Fishing Jeff Snags His First Hookless Gar

2011-06-05T18:35:00.002-04:00

Jeff, Justin and father Don came along on a Gar fishing expedition with me today. The action wasn't what I was hoping for but Jeff stole the show with his casting skills while landing two nice gar.

Equipped with with the experience of my Hookless Gar Fishing methods along with the confidence of knowing, Jeff and the gang will no doubt put this knowledge to good use soon and become a new Longnose Gar Fishing addict!

Longnose Gar Fishng is not easy. My guide trips are meant to be informative and well as productive. Making new friends is another a result of these guide trips and I hope to have you guys visit again soon to Gar fish with me.

West Point Lake Gar Fishing - May 24th 2011 Was A Great Day!

2011-05-26T21:36:00.005-04:00

Tuesday May 24th 2011 goes down as one of my very best days of Gar Fishing on West Point Lake. When the sun got high and the wind got up I literally found myself in a Gar nest! Every cast I could have had a chance of catching a Gar, the only problem was it was which ever Gar bit my lure instead rather than the great big Gar I could see and cast at.

My biggest Gar went over 15 pounds but there were much bigger ones for the taking. I could see them through the chop on the water though but who could complain, I was having a blast.

I still love hunting down the monster Gar and that's the way I'll always fish.

West Point Lake Gar Fishing 18 Pounds 1ounce 51 Inches Gar Today

2011-05-22T19:11:00.000-04:00

Today was a scouting day for a guide trip I have coming up next Tuesday with Jeff and his son or sons. Jeff, I spotted some big gals today and I know just where to go for a great day on the water for Tuesday..

I went ahead and got it out of my system early today with a nice 18 pound 1 ounce fighter that measure 51 inches long. Before that I let three Gar get loose that on purpose that you would have been proud to catch as well.

The water temperature is finally got well into the 80's today which means that Gar are getting active rather than sort of lethargic as they have been with the fluctuating water temperatures we've had over that last few weeks.

In summary, it's going to be a great day for you guys and I can't wait to introduce you to the best and most exciting game fish on West Point Lake!

West Point Lake Gar Fishing - 18lbs-11oz 55 Incher Today

2011-05-10T18:26:00.000-04:00

Matt, internet friend and his buddy Josh drove up to LaGrange and spent some time on the water with me today. I wanted so bad for them to both catch a big Gar and we had three chances. I was the only one to snag one and it went 18lbs 11oz and measured 55 inched, thanks to Matt who put the GI Joe Kung Fu grip on it at the boat for me.

This fish had some age on it and could have weighed up to 23 lbs but it was long and shinny with a big head. I enjoyed my day with Matt and Josh and hope to have you guys along again someday.

2011 Longnose Gar Season Has Begun On West Point Lake

2011-05-03T16:17:00.000-04:00

2011 Longnose Gar Season Has Begun On West Point Lake

After about two weeks of Gar sightings I tossed my ropelure in front of this nice 15 pound 51 inch Gar and he splammed it's teeth shut on it. As you can see in the video it layed down for me for a moment then once it was near the boat and saw my ugly face, it stipped out so much line that it found a tangle in my spool just as it can to a stop.

I also saw a fairly large black Gar that nipped at my lure but didn't take it. Then after moving to another location I found Garzilla! She was in about a foot of water, in a spawning mood and wouldn't have a thing to do with my lure.

In the next few weeks after this hopefully last cool front Gar Fishing will begin to really light up, and I can't wait!

West Point Lake Gar Fishing 2010

2011-01-02T22:37:00.000-05:00

2010 was an especially interesting of Gar Longnose Fishing season for sure. The lake was full; very full all year long and Gar Fishing changed with the new water level.

I saw and hung the largest Gar this season than any year before but keeping them on my rope lure presented a whole new problem for me.

When you snag the big girl on a rope lure it’s very obvious how smart these older fish are. They has a unique ability to back up in the water while thrashing back and forth to try to loosen the tangle they’ve found themselves in and and this year it worked more for the Gar than it did for me.

Because of my lose of several giant Gar I’ll be looking to change my lure style, length, thickness or texture for more tooth grip. I’m also considering and rather large live bait for the first time to try to increase the size of the Gar landed. No matter what I decide it’s going to be and interesting challenge as every Gar season before and been and I’m sitting here thinking of how I CAN’T WAIT!

Here are some of my big Gar or most memorable highlights from years passed to get you and me both eager for the 2011 season to begin.

West Point Lake Gar Fishing - Connie Catches Her First Gar!

2010-07-29T20:44:00.007-04:00

West Point Lake Gar Fishing - Connie Catches Her First Gar!

It's hot now! That's a really good way to start this post I believe. Not only is it hot but the Gar are out in deep water doing their proposing summer ritual. They seem to all start surfacing about the same time then all go down for a while together, and that can make for some pretty tough Gar fishing. You have to have the right cast and at just the right time to snag the Gar you want to catch; and that's how it went all day long.

Keith a Connie though made the best of it and kept making cast after cast until finally Connie scored her first Longnose Gar catch; then caught the biggest of the day.

I hear that Connie has this cousin who live to fish and is always talking about his biggest and latest catch. We'll cuss, try and top this one. Connie has caught the biggest fish on a rod and reel and WITHOUT A HOOK!!! Try and top that one!

West Point Lake Gar Fishing-Catching Up On My Posting

2010-06-28T20:08:00.033-04:00

It's been an interesting few weeks of Gar Fishing on West Point Lake since my last report. The weather has gone from warm to hot and the water has gone from warm to too darn hot! You'd think you can't get to hot for Gar Fishing but the truth is with a full pool of water and surface temps in the low 90's Gar Fishing has been different this year than in the past 3 or 4 years.

I did manage a few nice ones though regardless but I missed more whoppers this year than ever before. My largest so far was 20 pounds and 2 ounces and measured 52 inches long. It was a typical West Point Lake Georgia Fat Boy of a Gar and put up a healthy fight of which I have the end of the catch on a video. You can tell from my reaction I didn't know it was as so big until I pulled the Gar onto the boat!

I've spent most of my time purposely missing Gar in search for that 18 pound plus fish that eludes me this year it seems. Normally I would have boated about 6 of those so I guess July will be my month.

The highlight of the past few weeks was a guide trip where Scott caught his first Gar on the fly rod. We are going back again in the morning to try and build on that first trip to the Gar I want him to snag.

Until next time, here's a few photos and videos from the past few weeks!

I know you want to schedule a trip don'tcha, so call me!

From The Archives

First Big Longnose Gar Of The 2010 Season on West Point Lake

2010-05-19T19:57:00.013-04:00

First Big Longnose Gar Of The 2010 Season on West Point Lake

This 2010 Gar season has been an unusual one to say the least. With cool air and water temperatures and with flooding rains it's been slow, but man is it ever heating up quickly!

My last two trips have been rather uneventful, if you don't count when me and a couple of co-workers went up river right after flooding rains the day before to discover that my boat was taking on water and both bilge pumps quit working! That was a pretty scary ride back to the boat landing. George and Tim didn’t seem to upset but it wasn’t their boat, right? That problem was swiftly solved with several hundred dollars worth of hull reconditioning and two new pumps but the other detouring factors that slowed this year’s progress remained, namely cool water temperatures. With the water rapidly warming, still a full pool of water from the floods, the big girls are starting to come right on in to the shallows now, a little late but this is the yearly occurrence that gives me a good feeling that this could be the year to set a record to remember.

After going up river and catching one small Gar, my daughter Shelley and I decided to work our way into the main lake where my greatest success was earned last year. It was very encouraging to find a few nice sized Gar I could sight fish for and I soon snagged a nice one that jumped out of the water and flipped my rope lure free. After wearing this spot out chasing pre-spawn Gar that we not very interested in feeding, I switched gears and went to my original Gar hole, the place it all started on October in 2003.

We fished this spot for quite a while and we both caught a few small ones with the sun going in and out, now you can see, now you can't, then suddenly I felt that good jolt from my rod tip and I told Shelley, "This feels like a good one this time"! It didn't take very long to know I was right as the Gar stripped a good 30-yards of line on its initial run. I really couldn't see how well it was tangled so I played it very slow until I could get a good view and I finally got it close enough to make a grab for it, then there she goes again, and again until she finally got tired of trying.

My first big Gar weighed in at 18-pounds 1 ounce and measured 53.5-inched in length. It's a pretty good start for another great season of Gar fishing on West Point Lake!

West Point Lake - First Gar Of The 2010 Season

2010-04-11T07:59:00.007-04:00

West Point Lake - First Gar Of The 2010 Season

Selling Cars And Catching
Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle
"The West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Honda, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Used Cars Trucks SUVs and Mini Vans.

After a 3 hour search through heavy stain and a thick film of pollen covering over the water surface of West Point Lake, I was able to manage catching my first Longnose Gar of the 2010 Season!

It was a rather uneventful day, April 6th, 2010, for the most part with sight fishing being a virtually impossible task. Water temperatures were from 68 to 71 degrees, quite cool for figuring to see any top water activity so I cast all day and strained my eyes looking through water chop and pollen. I worked my way up river to an early season hot zone where I caught my first Gar April 26th of 2009. That was as far as I was willing to travel on a weekday, the first time taking my boat out since October 2009. The good news is that my boat is running great.

After a few passes over the point and down the side of the peninsula I felt I had hit a snag and tried to pull of it when I saw a flash by my lure. I had hung a Gar and thought it was some brush, so I pulled my hat down close over my glasses and started looking much harder. I then saw one Gar swim by me while my lure was in the water, not the one I was looking for though.

After a few more passes I caught this little dude on a blind cast which was enough for me to know that the males were beginning to show up to prepare for big mama to glide in and drop her eggs which is still several weeks away.

As the water begins to warm on the coming weeks, I will slowly begin to find that Big Mama Gar lurking in slightly deeper water getting ready to move in, and that my friends is when you have the chance to catch the Gar of a lifetime and I can't wait for that firecracker hot early May to mid-June action on West Point Lake!

West Point Lake Gar Fishing - My Biggest Gar Of The Season!

2009-06-17T21:16:00.029-04:00

Selling Cars And Catching
Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle
"The West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Honda, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Used Cars Trucks SUVs and Mini Vans.

Today I went Longnose Gar Fishing with Timmy Montieth (Stepson), Clint Carrington and Shane Cummings, two of Timmy's friends. It was a hot day on West Point Lake with a bit of overcast and the Gar were not surfacing much at the location I had planned on seeing them. We moved under the bridge and saw a few small Gar but nothing to get excited about so I packed it up and moved to a spot known for having big Gar this time of year. This is where Debbie caught her 23lb-6oz Gar and I caught my 22lb-11oz Longnose from last year.

It started pretty quickly with Clint landing a nice 50 incher that weighed nearly 15 lbs and quite fat. Then Timmy lands a good one but since it wasn't as big as Clint’s, we didn't measure or weigh it. As the Gar began to surface more and more we noticed a small area where the Gar were stacked in pretty good so I trolled over and within a couple of cast I got a strike! At first I didn't think it was very big but the drama increased with a few hard jolts on my rod tip and my excitement grew. Then the Gar came up to the water surface for a moment and it was a huge Gar to say the least. Not real that long but as big around as a football and a huge anxiety came over me in remembrance of the many big Gar I had had lost so far this season that came loose before I could even get them to the boat. As I fought the Gar in close enough for Timmy to make a grab for it the Gar saw Timmy and made a large splash, turned and started stripping more drag out. Then I got it up to the boat again and Timmy grab the big Gar. As the big Gar began to frail about it ripped free from Timmy's grasp with only the line left in his hand. I new that if Timmy held that line a second longer it would break would be nothing but a memory so I yelled, "Let go of the line, let go of the line" and Timmy let go and off the big Gar went on another line stripping tear. It was big and slippery and our gloves were wet now making it even more difficult to haul the Gar in. As I finally got it close enough, Timmy got two hand on the beast and pulled it into the boat and I still wasn't satisfied that the Gar wouldn't go overboard, so I told Timmy to take it down to the floor of the boat; then finally I felt safely confident that this gigantic fat boy of a Gar was caught at last! Measuring 52 inches and weighing in at 21 pounds 13 ounces, it was big enough to edge out Matt Toler of South Georgia for the "Big Fish" lead and "Angler Of The Year" on Gar Anglers' Sporting Society's online tournament, so far that is.

Some days you struggle and other you triumph, and this old boy was due for a day like today. On days like this, I love this challenging sport full of excitement and surprises called Longnose Gar Fishing!

West Point Lake Gar Fishing - 18 Pounder And The One That Got Away!

2009-06-02T18:43:00.017-04:00

Selling Cars And Catching
Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle
"The West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Honda, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Used Cars Trucks SUVs and Mini Vans.

Today was what I call perfect Gar Fishing weather. It was about 90 degrees, the wind was light and the Gar were easier to see. Now if we can just get the water right. There's still a pretty heavy stain but with calm waters you can still see your target at times.

I was supposed to go into work at noon so I got up early and hit the water. I fished close by the boat ramp, an area where I caught a 16 pounder on Sunday. Well, it didn't take long to hang into a really nice 18 pound 1 ounce Longnose Gar that measured 51.5 Inches.

That was the extent of my action so I loaded the boat up and went into work for the rest of the day. My boss Mike Anderson saw me and said, "what are you doing here?" I said "you said come in at 12:00 so I'm here". Mike says, "that's next Tuesday!" I said, "well ok then, we'll see you tomorrow" and I headed back out to the lake and to a different boat ramp up river.

Man, it had gotten hot by now and the wind was light and I felt this would be a very good thing, so I buzzed my way up to my original Gar Fishing Honey Hole and man was I was right! It was one of those days when I could have caught 10 Gar but I went right into Big Gar mode. I began cruising and looking, passing up big Gar and looking for bigger Gar. As I cruised about 20 yards from the bank Gar were everywhere, but where is that Monster Gar that's is lurking just under the surface, waiting for me? I circled back around to make another pass when sudden, here she was, the Gar I was looking for and man was it big! I made the perfect cast, the Gar bite my rope and immediately began trying to back out of the rope lure like a big, mature, wise Gar will many times do. I moved to the back of the boat to turn on my video camera on then moved back into position and had just started telling about the Gar I had snagged when suddenly I felt my line go limp. I thought maybe the Gar switched directions and started moving back towards me, but nothing. You can here my frustration in the video, I had just lost my biggest Gar of the season and who knows; maybe the biggest Gar I've ever caught!

We'll, I'm getting ill just writing this thing, so long story short; I caught one more Gar that weighed 12 pounds, 5 ounces and 46.5 Inches. I had burned up my window of opportunity where the sun is high and the Gar are basking just underneath the waters surface. So I moved around a while until I got tired, loaded up the boat and here I sit. Left with the memory of a good morning, with an 18 pound trophy, but how I missing the chance for the Gar of a lifetime, and wondering what could I have done different to have landed that big Gar.

West Point Lake Gar Fishing-Jay Moore Land's His First!

2009-05-17T10:17:00.044-04:00

Selling Cars And Catching
Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle
"The West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Honda, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Used Cars Trucks SUVs and Mini Vans.

Tuesday the 12th, Jay Moore and I hit the lake for a little Gar Fishing on a not so perfect day. It was cloudy and windy which are not your ideal conditions but we were determined to make a go of it. Like Jay said, "we're not working are we", and that makes a great day of well earned relaxation even if conditions aren't on our side. I knew better than to go up river due to the recent rains and heavy stain so we concentrated our efforts in the clearest water we could find for sight fishing, only the sun wouldn't participate which made sight fishing tough regardless of water clarity.

After an hour or two of trying to find our groove Jay's snagged on and the fight was on! Not what we hoped for but still a nice first-time Gar that put on a pretty decent fight. I wasn't so lucky though and only landed a small Gar that jay's could've had for lunch.

After disturbing our spot pretty well we decided to try our luck in the lake area and that was a pretty good idea even if we didn't catch a Gar. We both had several HUGE GAR follow our lures to the boat and I mean big ones! Seeing those big girls gave me great hope for a good Gar Fishing vacation coming up in the next week.

West Point Lake Gar Fishing-2009 Season Got Underway Today!

2009-04-26T19:43:00.018-04:00

Selling Cars And Catching
Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle
"The West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Honda, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Used Cars Trucks SUVs and Mini Vans.

Debbie and I hit the lake today to get the 2009 Longnose Gar season underway and as usual; it took a little time to get our groove on. After checking our spots down the lake from Georgia Access we decided to go where we normally start catching Gar early season and we headed up river. At our first spot I was able to snag my first of the season, a nice 13lb-7oz Longnose that measured 47 inches. They weren't stack very deep though so we move about 5 miles up river to our best hole but it didn't take long to realize that sight fishing there wasn't going to happen. This place was heavily stained and although I hung one Gar, I let it slip off on purpose because it was only about 10lbs. I really don't like blind casting for Gar, especially on a windy day because if I'm going to go through the trouble to release one and winding up against the bank or way away from my spot I want it to be worth while. If you can't see them you don't feel very good about catching that hog either. So, we moved back towards the lake to a spot we skipped on the way up and it turned out to be the best location of the day. After presenting my lure to great big ole gal that just turned her nose up at me, I was starting to wonder if I was just going to spin my wheels all day, then a saw her; about 15 feet out in front of the boat coming dead at me. I made a cast to the side and behind the gar, sped the lure up and let it drop a little right in front of her and she went after it. It looked like the line got wrapped around her and I let my reel free-spool as the gar darted out into the deep. I told Debbie "I don't think this Gar bit the lure, I think the line is just wrapped around her". I was working very easy because I have caught a few before this way when the line would wrap around the Gar and the lure would get caught in the Gars scales and I'd wind up bring them in sideways, slowly. As the Gar got closer though I could see she was wrapped up tight all right, around that old toothy beak! After about four good long and strong runs she finally gave up and I landed a 16lb-3oz 51-inch Gar to top off the day.

Local Gar Fishermen Needed For Gar Anglers' Sporting Society Tournament

2009-02-08T10:30:00.010-05:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!

Ask for the West Point Lake Gar Grabber

I know that there are a few Gar Anglers' besides me on West Point Lake or around the the Georgia and Alabama region. Gar Anglers' Sporting Society, hosted by Bob Frick professional Longnose Gar Guide, has provided us with a seasonal tournament to display our catches and to compete with one another in competition. There is a small entry fee to compete and the results will be posted on G.A.S.S and on http://www.longnosegar.com/ . Go to http://www.garfishing.com/ to enter and let's have a successful tournament this year with some new participants from the south! Also, care my wife Debbie doesn't beat us all!!! Ladies welcomed.

August Was A Slow Month With Weather Changes But September Is Looking Up!

2008-09-07T06:25:00.015-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

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.

Second Biggest Gar Of The Season

2008-08-05T19:58:00.015-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

My wife Debbie took a day off to Gar Fish with me today and like usual this late in the season, fishing was slow. We started out at my most productive spot of late and there were a few Gar surfacing but not as active as we would have like, so we moved to the spot where Debbie caught her 23lb-6oz monster a week ago. This spot was totally empty so we moved back to the original location. After about 20 minutes a Large Gar surfaced about 20 yards from the boat. I really had no idea which direction it was headed so I just made a cast as close as I could to the swirl and started working the rope lure. I was about to retrieve it back to the boat, in fact just started doing just that when I felt the Gar hit my lure. I free spooled my reel and just felt it out with my fingers on the line and felt that the Gar was still on. As the Gar began to move away with my lure I told Debbie, "I've got it on now but you know how my luck has gone recently with that. I have it on then I don't have it on." I have had a lot of bad luck with Gar hitting my lure, thinking that I have it on, and then, nothing. The Gar just some how backs out of the lure in this fat water and disappears and then I’m left wondering what just happened. Anyway, this one just kept moving away with my lure and after feeling a couple of headshakes I lock my reel down and tighten up on it. I told Debbie that I wasn't sure how big it was and then suddenly this gal started stripping line. I could now feel the heaviness of the Gar and I knew it was at least big, but I couldn't tell how big yet. This Gar just kept feeling heavier and heavier and with every headshake, in my mind it was getting bigger and bigger. I finally pulled it up to the surface, even by the boat and I told Debbie, "This is one of our biggest Gar this year", And then suddenly this thing started stripping line like crazy, on and on until I began getting worried and tightened down my drag a bit. Do you think that stopped this beast; not really because my line on this Ambassadeur 6500, a fairly big reel, was about to become empty so I locked the drag down some more and finally stop it. I don't have hooks so this is a delicate situation and I had to be very careful not to pull the nylon out of it’s beak. The Gar had taken me out into the middle of the lake by then and just seemed to keep getting deeper and deeper and I finally realized it had gone to the bottom and found a stump or tree to try and get lose. Luckily I pulled it off the structure and finally, finally got it up to the surface by the boat, reached out and grabbed it by the beak. At last, it was in the boat and knew then it would challenge Debbie's big Gar of last week. After taking a measurement at 53 inches I then tried to weigh it and the nylon pulled loose and the big Gar fell to the floor of my boat. I told Debbie, "Lets go ahead and get some pictures before I find a way to weight this big girl". After the pictures I found some rope and tied it's beak up and weighed it and fell a little short of Debbie's Gar but weighed 22lbs-6ozs, my second biggest Longnose of the season. A great start to the day but the only Gar caught all day long.

Debbie Catches Our All Time Record Longnose Gar!

2008-07-27T20:10:00.009-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Overall, we had a very slow day of Gar Fishing West Point Lake but that didn't stop my wife Debbie from putting one on the West Point Lake Gar Grabber's Record book for all time biggest Gar caught from my boat ever!

There just wasn't a lot of Gar activity today and the boat traffic was very heavy but only a light wind blowing to help cool us off. Suddenly while blind casting a shallow point Debbie say, "I got one!" I asked her if it felt big while she was letting free spool and she said "no, I don't think so", so I said well, "Lock it down and let's see." Then all of a sudden Debbie's reel let out a whine while she held on for dear life as the big Gar stripped what seemed like miles of line out of her reel. I went to the back of the boat with her to tighten her drag a bit while she held on tight. I knew then that this was a beast of a Gar but we still couldn't see it yet. Every time she would gain an advantage on the Gar it would start stripping more line and Debbie was getting stressed a little from trying to hold it back. Exercise class was now coming in hand as she continued to fight this big brute of a Gar. Finally it settled down enough to get it close to the boat and as I reached for my gloves the big ole Gar made another tear and bent Debbie's Rod doubled again. I told here it isn't through quite yet and she needed to let it run a few more times before we attempted a landing. Finally the Gar settle down enough that I made a grab for it and as I pulled it from the water I was amazed at the girth and length of Debbie's catch, and I knew then that it was one of the biggest of the year.

After measuring the Gar it was time to weigh this big girl. I made several attempts to get a weight but either the nylon on in beak wasn't strong enough to hold it's weight or my glove would get stuck in it's teeth and I'd have to lay it down and start over again. Finally I weighed it while Debbie read the scales and it proved to be the biggest Gar we have ever caught on West Point Lake. It weighed 23lbs-6ozs and measured 53-1/2 inches long!

After a few pictures we said goodbye to the big Gar and Debbie and I both flopped down into our seats and grabbed a cold drink and talked about the biggest of all time caught by my Debbie who now holds the all time biggest Gar record to be one day beaten; by me I hope!

Gar Fishing A Little Tough Right Now

2008-07-22T16:25:00.014-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Gar Fishing is a little tough right now folks. I went out last week when a cold front was passing through and only caught one Gar that had a deformed beak. I kind of reminded me of Bill Engvall's joke about the Dork Fish that was caught with a corndog. I had my lure topped off in red so maybe it thought my rope lure was a corndog with ketchup on it or something.

Then today I went out for the first time since last Tuesday and snag two nice Gar that didn't get tangled good enough to land but did manage to catch this nice Longnose that went 47 Inches and 13lbs-3ozs. I pretty confident that if I could have stayed on the water I would have caught a few more but Mother Nature took over my fishing day with a big storm that ran me off the lake. I don't like lightning!

Debbie Rules The Day Again!

2008-06-29T19:44:00.011-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!

Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Today wasn't the most ideal conditions for Gar fishing, at least for me they weren't. It was overcast and very windy and with one trolling motor battery on the blink I spent all day trying to hold us still. It was just the right conditions however for Debbie to catch the biggest Gar again! As I struggled to keep her still for just the right cast, Debbie beats me again. She really can't fish all that good I just can't compete while always working for her. It's just like this all day long, "Here, give me my Gar you just finished wrestling with, grab that camera and take my picture then hurry up and get me retied and back in position so that I can fish again. By the way, don't throw at that Gar, it's mine"!

Here's the truth now. I work like crap to get myself in the best position to catch the biggest Gar all day long and Debbie still comes up with it. Debbie is quickly becoming a Gar Fishing force to be reckoned with. But, if she keeps on beating me she's going to learn to release her own Gar, and I'm not kidding! This is getting embarrassing!!! At least it will eliminate all excuses I have, so what do you say Debbie? Gonna started handling your own Gar now? "Yes Mam, sorry I asked"!

Another Big Georgia Fat Boy Today

2008-06-22T19:00:00.011-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I finally got back out on the lake today for some Gar fishing and my honey hole for this year was stoked with big fat Gar. Being a Sunday the boat traffic was awful at best with big waves rocking me all day. It's amazing to me that these Gar stay so close to all of this boat traffic with tubers, skiers, big boats and jet skis passing by all day long and the Gar know exactly where to go to stay out of traffic. I'm sure that if these people knew about the big Gar living just a stones throw from where they fall off their tubes at they would probably think twice! I know that the Gar would harm them but just knowing would run some of them off.

Anyway, while being tossed back and forth, left and right for about 3 hours, I was able to get in some Gar fishing. I seemed that right after the waves would die off the Gar would resurface. I threw at some monsters today and had several big Gar follow my lure to the boat but no takers. I've got to figure out what will make them bite more often and I'm determined to find a way.

Today I brought four spinner baits with me, and before I left the house I cut the end of the hook off of them and bent the spoon out and out of the way of the nylon rope I will later attach to it. I remembered that I way using a spinner bait the first time I ever saw Gar on West Point Lake and they were biting at it then so why not with some nylon attached to it. After rigging it up on my first cast i got a follow from a big Gar. I got several more follows and put it down and picked up my normal rig. Later I cut the nylon shorter, from about 8 inches to maybe 6.5 inches. I think that made a difference too because shortly afterwards I landed this nice 17lb-4oz Longnose that measured 49 Inches long. Not that long but very fat! All of the Gar this year has all been very fat and not very many over 50 inches. It's always a good day when you catch a big Gar, even if it's only one.

Heaviest Longnose Of The Season - 22lbs-11ozs But Only 51 Inches Long

2008-06-10T20:16:00.012-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I finally broke my drought in style today. Timmy and Julie went out with me today and from 8:00am to 12:30pm we saw Gar early then saw no Gar from about 10:00am until I let them off at the boat ramp. Timmy had worked all night and really wasn't up to it but Julie fished her heart out the whole time. Just as I was letting them out I asked Julie was she sure she didn't want to stay on for a while longer. I told her I was going back to the whole where we saw plenty of Gar early on but couldn't get them to bite and she said she was through. As luck would have it the sun was high and Gar were feeding big time! On my fourth cast I hung into a 22lb-11oz monster that measured 51 inches in length. I hung another nice one that pulled loose but still ended up with one more nice Gar that went 17lbs-5ozs and measured 48.5 inches long. I just didn't want to give up and I wished that Julie had stayed with me because I knew Timmy had to get some sleep. Maybe she would have caught that Gar of a lifetime!

Debbie Beats Me Up Big Time!!!

2008-06-07T07:22:00.016-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars! Ask For Donnie Hinkle

"West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

There's just something about a Girl who Gar fishes. There's also something to be said about one who has gotten good enough to beat me; and beat me she did. The second half of my Gar Fishing vacation hasn't been the greatest for me but if you're with me Longnose Gar Fishing, now that's a different story. You are bound to catch big Gar and at the same time listen to me whine about not catching them. That's the way it's been for me since Wednesday this week. I can be a much bigger baby with her than I can other company too but that didn't stop Debbie from putting a pounding on me yesterday. For Debbie, yesterday was filled with line striping, hard fighting Longnose Gar action as she caught three very nice Gar. It has become evident to me that the girls I have taught to Gar Fish have learned very well; well enough to beat me quite often now. A question; if I get beat by these girls, shouldn't they start tying their own lures on, landing there own Gar and releasing them on their own by now? We Julie is doing that very thing. She only needs me for my boat, but Debbie still has me serving her the whole fishing day. Here's answer; wonderful woman let's be loose hundred's of dollars in camera equipment and then takes me straight to Wal-Mart to replace it that evening, I gladly tie her lures, and handle all of her Gar from now on. I only ask that she let me win occasionally. I love you Debbie!

Here are the pictures and video from yesterday.

Dogged By A Rookie Today!

2008-06-04T20:10:00.028-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

It was a tough day for me but Clint, on the other hand didn't think so. This lucky son of a gun caught every Gar that was put in MY BOAT today! It started out with wind and clouds, not a great formula for Gar fishing but we found a spot a little out of the wind and first thing, found nice school of Longnosers. Clint and I both hung one at the same time and they both shook free, and the again I hung one and it shook free to, but not Clint. He boated his first Gar of the day, a nice 13lb-15oz Gar that measured 49 inches in length. From that point on, it was Clint’s day and my fall from glory! Every time we changed location, Clint would either hang a big Gar or catch a big Gar as I continued to struggle. His next Gar was a very fat and healthy 15lb-10oz beauty that measured another 49 inches but this one was fat! Clint thought he had caught a Gar of a lifetime, but Donnie wasn't through being humiliated quite yet!

As the weather finally calmed and the sun came out from behind the clouds we moved to a new spot I had located on Tuesday, the spot where I caught my 20lb-1oz Gar that I now faintly remember catching. Just as fate would have it Clint lassoed the big Gar of the day. A very strong and healthy 22lb-5oz Longnose Gar that measured 50 inches in length! What a beast this dude was. I was glad for Clint but still wondering what the heck happen to me, the experienced Gar Fishermen? I threw my lure until I was absolutely sick of throwing it and finally conceded to defeat. I kept telling Clint to savor the moment because he would never step foot in my boat ever again! I mean, what a way to treat a host to a Gar Fishing gift as I treated him with today!

Clint, while I kept ragging you about beating me, I know that you wanted to smack talk me for the sound beating that you put on me today, by a rookie Gar Fishermen as yourself. There is a comments section below since we're not face-to-face and there's no threat of me tossing you out of my boat now, so have at it dude! Just remember I have the authority to publish or reject!

Garrasic Park!

2008-06-04T05:20:00.026-04:00

Selling Cars And Catching Gars!Ask For The

"West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Boy did I stumble onto some good Gar Fishing on West Point Lake this week. Monday I had one of my very best days of Gar Fishing EVER!!! Here are Mondays totals:

12lbs-7ozs & 51 inches
19lbs-3ozs & 49 Inches (A bowling Ball with a tail and beak!!!)
10lbs-5ozs & 45 inches
17lbs-7ozs & 49 Inches (Another Georgia Fat Boy!)
16lbs-1oz & 15.5 inches

Man what a great day! I was on cloud 9 and ready to come home and share my success then tragedy struck! I had my camera and tripod standing up on the back of my boat and another boats wake made it topple over and I lost everything in about 15 feet of water! man was I disappointed, so a made of a picture of my biggest Gar so you could get a idea of what it looked like.

I thought you'd like that! We'll my wonderful wife Debbie drove me to Wal-Mart and bought me a new camera, tripod, 2GB card, and a camera bag and said here is your early Fathers Day present! I love this woman. I was so depressed because I had taken the whole week off to Gar Fish when this accident occurred and she jumped right in there and made it all better for me. I still wish I had those pictures though but I ended up with 5 times the camera I had before for the same money we paid 4 or 5 years ago. Gas should be like technology and get better and cheaper with time!

So I hit the lake with my new camera and tripod which was anchored down like I had cemented it to the back of my boat, right back to the spot I called Garrasic Park. To my surprise there wasn't a Gar to be found! So, I started looking around to try and figure out where they went too when I saw another point with the same characteristics as Garrasic Park and I hit the mother load! Landed my second heaviest of the year that went 20lbs 1oz and measured only 51 inches long. Another big Georgia Fat Boy! Here are the totals for the day.

20lbs-1oz & 51 inches (Fat Fat Fat!)
13lbs-4ozs & 47 inches
17lbs-5ozs & 51.5 inches
14lbs-10ozs & 49 inches

All but one was extremely health Longnose Gar. I was going to take the day off today but Timmy called me and said that today is the only day he can fish so I'm off to the lake again this morning! They are having a Longnose Gar Masters Tournament on http://www.garfishing.com/ , AKA G.A.S.S. (Gar Anglers' Sporting Society) on the web and I have some pretty healthy competition, especially this villain Bob Frick from Alabama who is hosting the competition. I hope to give Bob a run for his money while doing a lot of smack talk in the process! One guy Bob from Wisconsin said that he might have to hire me for a guide trip to compete! Georgia and especially West Point Lake does have some might fine Gar Fishing if you know where to find them!

Day 1 Of My Annual Gar Fishing Vacation Week

2008-06-01T21:27:00.013-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Today was the first day of my week long Gar Fishing Vacation and my wife Debbie hit the water a little late, around 11:00am. This day was a strange one indeed and left me feeling rather anxious about what tomorrow may offer me.

I started out at a spot that is usually pretty stacked with Gar but nothing at all in sight and no strikes, and then I moved to another productive location and did manage one Gar that went 15lbs-11ozs and 48 inches. This was a chunky Gar but the picture for some reason didn't do it justice. Maybe it's because the guy holding it is getting too big and it's making my Gar look littler. Any ways, it turned out being the biggest Gar of a rather disappointing first day.

Then We moved to the spot where I caught my biggest Gar of the season but nothing, so we decided to take the long ride up river where the Gar are always plentiful. When we arrived, to my surprise my most productive Gar hole was totally empty. I was stunned at the lack of activity at what seemed to be a tailor-made Gar weather day.

Then we went back up to my "Old Faithful" Gar hole and found them finally! Debbie landed the first that went 14lbs-6ozs and 50 inches in length. The weather started getting a little turbulent, no rain though, just a brief threat that got the wind up so that sight fishing became impossible.

Then the weather straightened up a little and we moved back to the original place that we started at and I caught a small 44 incher. Then Debbie landed our last gar of the day, this one her biggest upwards of 14lbs that turned into one big pain in the, you know what. It was very rambunctious while in the boat and tail slapped my rod and reel out into the water, so I dropped the Gar and made a lunge for my fishing pole and grabbed it just as it was going out of sight! Lucky me! That was almost $150 down the drain or down into 10 feet of water in West Point Lake.

Biggest Longnose Gar To Date - A Fat 22lbs-3ozs & 51 Inches Long

2008-05-27T17:06:00.015-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

The Gar Gods were smiling on ole Donnie today!!! Today I'm a happy man! I landed the biggest Longnose Gar I've ever caught on West Point Lake to date.

I took Chris Smith from Mike Patton Auto Family Gar fishing with me today. I try to take Chris at least once a season. My way of thanking him for all the help he provides me with throughout the year with computer stuff.

The day started out pretty good with several nice Gar landed but as the day grew on I kept seeing good-sized Gar and I would tell Chris, "That's a nice Gar but it's not what I'm looking for." You see, after catching a few nice Gar I always settle into a big Gar sight-fishing mode. I will comb the waters for the largest Gar I can see and toss a rope at him. So after Chris and I both caught a few nice ones we started cherry picking.

We changed location on numerous occasions and at one spot I hung what would have been the big Gar of the day. After a few huge line-stripping runs I was able to work the Gar to the boat and suddenly it charged beneath my boat and broke the line off. I was pretty upset for two reasons. One, I had my drag set way to tight and I should have played the Gar longer until it gave out some before trying to boat it, and two, I know that there’s no way the big Longnose will survive. That's 3 Gar this season that have broken off on me. I'll have my drag set lighter from now on to prevent this from happening again I hope.

Now for the good stuff! After fishing this location a little longer we changed places and went to the spot where I've caught my biggest Gar of this season. I know I always have a shot at a nice one there. After being on location for only a few minutes I saw one surface and I said, "man, that one has a head like a buffalo." The big Gar was moving away from my boat, not the most ideal cast to make but I did make a good cast and the Gar circled around and launched himself at my lure and the fight was on! This big Longnose Gar striped more line from my reel than any this year and I was afraid that it had the line in it’s beak like the last one that broke off earlier, but to my surprise it came straight back to the boat and made a hard fight seem easy, for a moment that is. After a few more brief runs and with the help of Chris Smith who shoved a glove onto my right hand I grabbed it's massive beak on the first attempt and held on for dear life as the Gar nearly shook my shoulder loose from the socket. When I dragged it into the boat I knew it was a Longnose Gar of a lifetime for me on West Point Lake. Chris got two good pictures of it then on the last shot where I was holding the Gar underneath it's head and gut the beast started cutting up, I dropped it and then it shook itself to freedom back into the water to where it came from. What a blast is all I have to say and I'm sure my face in the pictures shows what a thrill it is for me to catch a big Longnose Gar like that one.

Thanks to Chris Smith who helped me land my biggest Longnose Gar to date as quickly as I did and for taking the pictures that would been very difficult to do so alone. Thank you Chris!

Julie and Debbie Out Fish Me!!!

2008-05-25T22:48:00.015-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I'm a little upset at today’s Gar Fishing trip. I let two girls out Gar Fishing me.

After I got started in my usual winning ways, landing a few nice Longnose and on my way to another great day of out fishing the competition in my boat, it suddenly all came un glued! Julie Lands a nice 14lb-10oz Gar and takes the lead. You would think I would be able to overcome this travesty, but oh no; then my wife Debbie takes the lead with a nice 15lb-50 inch Longnose. Only 10 minutes later Julie takes the lead with a very nice 15lb-11oz whopper that measured 52 inches long! Julie just out fished me all day with big Gar after big Gar, all day long! I'm not sure I'm taking my daughter-in-law Gar fishing with me anymore. What do ya'll think I should do? Leave a post below and tell, should I take her again or not. I think not. My pride is way too big to get beaten by a Gar girl again.

Check out the pictures and a couple of videos on GAR GIRLS. Look to the right for the link.

Gar Bite! This Is Why We Wear Gloves!!!

2008-05-15T18:43:00.008-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

This video was taken on a Gar Fishing trip my daughter Shelley and I made on Tuesday May 13th, 2008. Shelley just happened to be taking a video shot while I was landing this Gar when it suddenly struck at my hand like a rattlesnake! It kind of startled me because I've never had one to intentionally bite me before. On this particular day all the Gar were very aggressive and I left the lake that day with a back injury either when I snatched my hand back from the Gar or while trying to tame one on these brutes in the boat. Anyway here is the video and I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

Click Image To View The Video

Gar Fishing Is Heating Up On West Point Lake!!!

2008-05-14T05:28:00.015-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Gar Fishing is really heating up on West Point Lake folks! Today I took my daughter Shelley with me. Many of you probably that last year we both caught a black Gar exactly 1 month apart from each other. Well I've got to tell you, Shelley is a very patient and good Gar Fishergirl and today she out done her dad one more time with the Gar of the Day. This brute weighed in at 16 pounds 8 ounces and measured 52inches in length. I pulled up a distant second with my biggest at 15 pounds and 3 ounces and 50 inches.

The Gar today were highly aggressive. The big one that Shelley caught was snagged around the head with no rope in its mouth. When I went to reach for the big Gar it reached out and tried to take a chunk out of my hand! It grabbed my glove and gave it a big snatch as if it was trying to draw blood. All I can say is that the gloves work or I'm quite sure my hand wouldn't be working today if not for the gloves! Shelley caught it on video so after a little editing to try and capture the incident in slow motion, I'll have it up on my website. We ended up with 9 Gar total with all of them well over 10lbs each.

With Gar season getting hotter and hotter it would be a great time to schedule a Guide trip with a chance for a 15 pound plus fish or better!

Just email me at dhink256@charter.net or call (706) 333-3876 to take advantage of the prime time Longnosse Gar Fishing!

Nathan's First Gar Fishing Trip

2008-05-06T18:26:00.011-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I took Nathan on his first Longnose Gar Guided fishing trip today on West Point Lake. Nathan has wanted to go for a long time and we finally were able to land on a date that would accommodate both of us.

Things started a little slow at first with the cool morning but when the sun got high and the water surface temperature started warming the Gar started rising just below that water surface all around us. I mean some whoppers too!

I snagged the first Gar of the day and what a big ole Longnose Gar it was! It fought very hard including one athletic thrashing jump! When I got the Gar to the boat it had a very healthy set of snappers on it and as I was trying to grab it and close it's big jaws at the same time it made a huge rush right out of my grip and unfortunately cut my line with it's teeth and swam away with a mouth full of nylon. It's very upsetting to see this happen especially considering the fact that I had it for a moment before it broke wild on me. I wish I had have just gotten a little bit better grip on it. This fish would have easily cracked 19lbs+ and 56 inched. Just a massive Longnose Gar. Luckily Nathan snapped some pictures of it as I played it to the boat. What a waste.

Later on I spotted a nice Longnose just underneath the water surface. With the sun getting higher and higher we started seeing Big Longnose Gar all over the place. This was a very fat and health specimen of Longnose Gar that weighed in at 17lbs-3ozed and measured 52 inches long. Nathan was still trying to hone his casting skills as I coached him how to make the right cast. As Nathan continued to lose opportunity after opportunity he quickly realized that it's a good cast at first that gives you a chance but it's also how you present the lure as well.

The next fish was a real fighter that gave the thrill of several long digging line stripping runs. The big Longnose just kept on stripping line from my Ambassadeur 6500each time I thought it would give up. This big boy weighed 15lbs-13ozs and measured 48 inches long and fat, but not as fat as Gar number one.

Now it was time to give Nathan all the opportunities for the big ones because I wanted him to come away with a Gar to remember on his guide trip. He could have caught many Gar of smaller or medium size but like me he would pass on them for the chance for that fish of a lifetime.

After Nathan's repeated attempts at casting at some real monster Gar, time after time he either couldn't get the lure in position or when he did get it there, either the presentation wasn't correct or the Gar would snub it's nose at the rope lure. I don’t think I was a very good coach that day because it was killing me to pass up the big Gar to allow Nathan a shot!

After such an unlucky day of Gar fishing I'll owe Nathan a return visit at no charge to redeem himself. Just let me know when you can go Nathan, because no one deserves the kind of luck you had today! At least you got to hold my biggest of the day, right? Not the same I know Nathan so we'll get great big fat one for you next trip. I think on our next trip instead of wearing sight fishing glasses I’ll wear a blindfold though because it was killing me to watch some great opportunities pass you by but that's just life for a Longnose Gar fishing guide! It takes practice.

Slow At First But Then The Sun Started Peeping Through

2008-04-27T21:01:00.018-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

After waiting out the rain at home I saw a break in the weather on the radar so I loaded up the boat and headed out to the ramp. There wasn't much happening early or at least I didn't see one big enough to toss my rope lure too.

As the day progressed it got a little warmer and but the sun still wasn't showing itself. I was beginning to see some Gar now but I couldn't get them to hit my lure, then I remembered that I had some yellow worm dye in my storage compartment so I put on a new lure and dipped it the dye. Well, that was the ticket because I suddenly started catching Gar. The first one wasn't very impressive so I didn't measure or take a picture of it. Then I caught another small one. Now I had figured out what was working it was time to start getting selective.

Suddenly a saw a whopper gliding along the shallows so I tossed my lure out in front of the Gar and she nailed it right away. This was a very strong Gar too! It took about 10 minutes to land it and when I got the rascal in the boat I found out it wasn't nearly through fighting. This thing just kept on whipping around until I thought my thumb would come right out of the socket! It had a nice set of choppers too! I wish I would have got a picture of them but I'm not sure this Gar would have stood still for that. She was a strong girl for sure.

I caught one more that was smaller but great fun when it made three huge leaps. This one was also tough to hand in the boat. Overall it was a good day for this early in the season.

What A Day Of Longnose Gar Fishing It Was!!!

2008-04-22T18:52:00.008-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Today I took Timmy and Julie Monteith, my stepson and daughter-in-law on their first Longnose Gar Fishing trip of 2008. Julie has been reminding me all winter about how I forgot the camera the day Julie caught her biggest Gar of the 2007 season! You can bet Julie didn't forget because all winter long when Gar Fishing became the topic she would always remind me. This year I put it in the boat before I went to bed.

We started out at our original Gar whole with no luck so we took the long ride up the river where I new we would have some luck. Timmy started the day with a nice 10 pounder that measured 44 inches. Then Julie got in on the action with her first Gar of the season. It went about 9 pounds and a good fighter. Later Julie and I land a double while Timmy held the camera for a shot. Both of these went about 10 pounds each.

After we had worn this spot out we headed back down river to the area we first began fishing but a different hole. There we saw some very nice Gar but none of them were biting, just nudging the lure around as if they were escorting it out of their region. It seems they are in a pre-spawn mode and mostly uninterested in the rope offering. Then we moved to the next spot and that is where the action began.

This is a good fish story so listen up! I spotted a very nice Longnose just beneath the water surface. I tossed my rope to it and like the others, it began to escort the lure away but it was close enough to the boat that I just reached out and looped the lure around its beak and then it was on! She didn't want any part of my rope or me as I let it free spool out into the deep. I wasn't sure I had snagged it very well when suddenly the big Gar leaped out of the water with massive headshakes and slashed back into the water with all the fury of a monster Longnose Gar! At that moment I new it was bigger than I had thought previously! As I worked the Gar to the boat it got really heavy. As I was trying to pull the big Gar up from the depths it was backing up, or down I should say like we were having a game of Tug Of War. I was still afraid it wasn't hung well so I asked Timmy to make a grab for it while I gradually pulled just hard enough to get it's beak out of the water. Finally, the Big Gar was in the boat and we all were stunned at how much bigger it was out of water than in it. This was an old Gar with amour that looked like a car that had oxidized paint from lack of care. I started getting my scales to weight the beast and just as I got the scales into the nylon that was still around it's beak to weigh it, the Gar started releasing eggs all over the back of my boat and I shouted, "Be careful, a Longnose Gars row if poisonous!" Well, Timmy with a hand full of heavy Gar hanging from the weighing scales started moving it out over the water so that the rest of the row wouldn't go all over our clothes and I noticed Timmy was holding the scales only and I was afraid the Gar would pull loose from it's weight, so I started yelling, "Timmy, hold it back over the boat!" He said, “ I’m trying to dip the roe off the Gar", but, I could see he was only holding the scales and I was afraid still that it would pull loose and fall into the water. Suddenly Timmy's grip gave away and the Gar and my new scales I had just bought fell into the water. We all just stood there in disbelief. I didn't get a picture of it out of water, never really weighed the huge Gar, and no measurements! I'll have to guess but I would say at least 18 pounds, maybe more and 58 inches, maybe longer, but that's just a guess with the Gar smimming of with the nylon still on it's beak with my scales hanging from it! It made us all sad to know that this old Gar will eventully die from starvation. More lessons learned I guess.

Right when you think the story has ended the Gar came back up from the depths and tried to shake the rope and scales off of her and we spent the next 30 minutes chasing this Gar around while it showed itself time and time again just beneath the surface. Every time we were in position to reach into the water and grab it by hand it would go under again. Then it was gone. End of story.

It would have really been a great story if we had caught it again and that nearly happened on a few occasions. Too bad we couldn't free it and to bad I couldn't catch my scales too! At least we got some good camera shots of the day with Julie as the star of the show! Lots of proof that Julie Monteith is very good Gar fishermen or fisher lady. Are you happy now Julie? Probably not because the Gar isn't big enough, right?

First Gar Of 2008

2008-04-08T21:16:00.007-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I caught my first Gar of 2008 today. I went up river to do a little Gar scouting, and to my surprise I started seeing them surface up ahead. I began to blind cast for them without any luck. They weren't that thick so I started to cruise the bank to see if any Gar were in the grass. The water level on West Point Lake is higher than I've seen it in fours years in April. That's where they were! Just outside of the grass line. I didn't see any really big ones but did manage to catch two. One went 9lbs-10 oz and 41 inches and the biggest was 15lbs-5 oz and 49 inches. Not bad for this early in the year. That sunny afternoon really paid off.

Schedule A Longnose Gar Fishing Trip Of A Lifetime Today!!!

2008-02-03T13:16:00.006-05:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

It is almost springtime! Spring is the time of year when you can catch a trophy Longnose Gar of a lifetime on West Pont Lake. Springtime is when I feel most confident that I'll be able to break the Georgia State Longnose Gar record that I've longed for. Springtime is time best time for you to schedule a Longnose Gar Fishing guide trip that you won't soon forget!

Longnose Gar are hard fighting, line stripping, high jumping, prehistoric fish that are only located in certain areas on beautiful West Point Lake. No other fish excites me like a great big Longnose Gar does and my anticipation grows with each passing week until I can toss my rope lure to the biggest Gar I can find! The experience doesn't end after the catch either. You have to boat and then release this strong toothy creature back into the water and that is an experience in itself! I have the experience and the equipment to do it safely but you still have to be very cautious. It's extremely exciting to handle and relaese a 20 pound Gar, trust me! Hold onto your heart!

I'm inviting you to experience a once in a lifetime Longnose Gar Guide Trip with me during spring, the peak time of year so that you can catch your trophy and maybe even beat me to the state record. Late April through July is the prime time to Gar Fish so schedule your trip soon. Dates are limited. I only guide on Tuesdays and occasional on Sunday so don't delay.

Rates are as follows:

1/2 day trips only. $150 - 5 hours or more. (Sometimes I just can't stop!)

$50 - One extra guest.

Cash only.

No catch - no pay! We supply rods, reels and tackle. You supply the adrenaline!

If you want special beverages or snacks just bring them along. There's a cooler in the boat.

You'll be required to sign a waiver for release of responsibility in case of accident or injury. They do have teeth you know!

Digital photos or videos will be taken and emailed to you after the trip.

8X10 color photos of your catch are $20 each. They make a great wall hanger!

Trip dates are limited so inquire soon.

I look forward to having you along for a one of a kind fishing experience you won't soon forget!

Thanks you!

Donnie Hinkle

West Point Lake Gar Grabbers

dhink256@charter.net

(706)333-3876

Angler Of The Year Award From Gar Anglers' Sporting Society Click on "New Stuff"

Georgia Outdoor News Fishes with West Point Lake Gar Grabbers

2007 Was A Great Longnose Gar Fishing Year For Me. Here Is The Recap

2007-11-25T18:15:00.006-05:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

The year 2007 proved to truly be a banner year in my Longnose Gar fishing career. There were a lot of first time events and the surprise’s just kept coming all year long.

It all started on May 24th when I caught my first ever Black Gar. It looked like someone painted it with liquid shoe dye and it was still wet. In four years of Longnose Gar Fishing I've only seen one melanistic Gar for certain and thought I saw one twice but the sightings were so quick I couldn't be for sure. I immediately began studying for the reason that a Longnose gar could become solid black. My studies concluded that it's a condition called Melanism. Melanism is an increased amount of black or nearly black pigmentation (as of skin, feathers, or hair), in this case the Gars scales, resulting from the presence of melanin. It is the opposite of albinism, which occurs due to lack of melanin.

I emailed the pictures of my catch around to several publications and then Columbus Enquirer news paper out of Columbus Georgia called me wanting to do a sports section article on the catch which began the increased interest in my Longnose Gar fishing on West Point Lake. A few days later Brad Gill of Georgia Outdoor News called my cell phone while I was at work. When I answered the phone he says "Longnose Gar Fishing huh. Tell me about the black Gar you caught". Then he gave my number to an intern writer named Drew Hall who called to set a date to fish with me to do a July 2007 article. So Timmy and I set out to try to inspire Drew in writing an article that would give Longnose Gar some credibility as a quality game fish and not "Trash Fish" as many fishermen still label them as.

With all the new publicity and new interest in Longnose Gar Fishing at an all time high I opened a guide service this year. Yes, Longnose Gar Fishing on West Point Lake was wide open with clients and inquiries about anything and everything I do concerning catching Gar on the Point. I couldn't be happier with my success as well as the encouragement I was getting from my Gar Fishing peers from Gar Anglers' Sporting Society and all around the country, even in Canada, my new friend Pierre Fortier who swaps emails with me often.

Then suddenly one day to my surprise when I took my daughter Shelley and her fellow Jason Gar Fishing, Shelley boated the second Melanistic Gar of the season. Wow!!! I was completely in awe that a rare fish like that could enter my boat twice in one season. I told Shelley that I though I was something special and the you came along, only the second time you've ever wet a rope and what do you do? Catch a Gar I've been putting countless hours into trying to catch for the last four years! Thanks a lot Shelley!

At the beginning of the 2007 Gar season Bob Frick, Coosa River Longnose Gar guide and fellow GASS member began a Gar Fishing competition on Gar Anglers' Sporting Society and to top off an awesome 2007 Longnose Gar season I was awarded Angler Of The Year by Bob in behalf of GASS. I'm not sure I really deserved it because the recipient got clobbered by the presenter of the award with one awesome catch for 2007 that weighed 23 lbs and 5 ounces and measured 61 inched long!!! That pretty well snuffed my biggest of 2007, so thank you Bob for the award but you deserve much more recognition and respect for that beautiful catch.

Below I've added a slide show of the Georgia Outdoor News trip that Drew Hall sent me months ago. I promised I would put them on my website until after the July issue was released so I've held on to my promise Drew. Also a few pictures of 2007's Gar Season.

Until next year, I hope everyone has a save holiday season and thanks again to all of my friends for the encouragement.

Patients For Big Longnose Gar!!!

2007-08-07T15:52:00.004-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I spent the day scouting for Gar since I haven't been able to go fishing for a few weeks. A guy called me who knows my brother Gary's brother-in-law Tommy called wanting to go on a guide trip. Thanks for the referral Tommy if you're reading! I told him I would go see how the bite looks today first before I commit to a trip. He's bringing his 10-year old son with him and I wanted to make sure I could put them on some good Gar. I got my answer real quick!

The Gar were ultra aggressive today so I had to get selective right away! On days like this you could easily catch twenty or twenty five Gar if you wanted to but I would spend the hole day picking, pulling, and cutting nylon instead of fishing. It was a day of watch and wait, for the big boy to show his beak for a quick cast out in front of it as the gar cruises by. Patients resulted in two very nice Longnose Gar. Both were "Georgia Fat Boys" from West Point lake too! You couldn't tell who the fat boy was, me or the Gar!!! In one picture I think the Gar won but that's just my opinion.

After catching a few very nice Gar I tested the blind cast for a while. It took only three or four cast to land another nice 12 pounder so I stopped there. I could have caught Gar all day long it seemed, but man was it ever getting hot!!!

The Gar are not in the shallows anymore but they are stacked up like wood if you know where to find them. Looks like my new clients are in for a real treat!

Patrick Scores Big On Guide Trip!!!

2007-07-12T19:56:00.004-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Patrick decided that he wanted to know the secret to catching big Longnose Gar on West Point Lake so he contacted West Point Lake Gar Grabbers for an adventure of fishing for this action packed prehistoric dinosaur of a fish. Exciting Gar Fishing action is exactly what he got too. It turned out to be a really great day!

I, Donnie Hinkle, along with Patrick began our adventure with a brief seminar on the rope lure I use and how I rig it and how to fish it. Patrick was very interested in knowing everything he could possibly learn about Longnose Gar and how to catch them so we talked in length about what I knew about there habits, habitats and how to spot them. He commented on how he has probably fished all around them without ever knowing they were there, and he is right. Gar are very stealthy creatures and if you don't have a trained eye for them you'll never know they're there.

My first goal with Patrick was to help him get his first Gar of the day into the boat so I took him to where I had recently learned was a very hot spot. That was where Patrick landed his first Longnose Gar that he's ever caught that was not by accident and his first Longnose Gar that he's ever caught without using hooks! It was a nice Longnose that tipped the scales at around 12 pounds! Patrick was off to a great start and was catching on very fast. Good fishermen usually do.

Patrick proved to be an eager and quick student as I coached him while he learned to work the rope lure with a presentation that has worked so well for me over the years.

We changed locations a few more times while Patrick tangled up with another Longnose Gar, and then another! Patrick was getting better and better at working the rope.

The sun was starting to get high in the sky and our time was nearing an end. I knew it was time to take Patrick to my favorite spot for big Longnose Gar. Just as we arrived I snagged a very nice Longnose and without actually seeing the Gar I told Patrick that this is a nice one! When I tightened up on it the rope pulled away from it's beak! Then before I could retrieve the lure from the water another Gar attacked it right at the surface while the rope was barley above the water! Wow!!! It looked as if this was going to be the spot of the day! I just wondered how big it really was? Oh well. Then It was Patrick's turn again and before I new it he had a very nice Gar on. Patrick was just standing there holding back on his rod when I realize it was still striping drag out of his reel! After he got the Gar to the boat it turned out to be the biggest of the day! This one tipped the scales at about 14 pounds and measured 47.5 inches. A very nice Gar!

When our day was over Patrick had landed 7 gar and definitely proved to be great student and fisherman. I hope Patrick had as much fun as I did with our time together on beautiful West Point Lake catching what I believe to be the most exciting fish on West Point Lake when you consider both the fight and the unpredictable release. What I mean by unpredictable is that you never know what to expect from a Gar once you have it in the boat. If you don't believe that then just ask Patrick! More than once Gar got loose in the boat as we were trying to pull the nylon from their teeth. One of them wound up in the floor of my boat right between Patrick's feet! All you have to do is relax your grip for just a moment to get some excitement started! Right Patrick!!!

Unbeleivable!!! My Daughter Shelley Caught A Black Gar!!!

2007-06-24T18:44:00.004-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

On May 24th 2007 I caught a solid black Longnose Gar and thought it was something special. I thought it would never see it happen again in my lifetime, but I was wrong. Today, June 24th 2007 my daughter Shelley who has never even gone Gar Fishing but one other time ever before caught an ultra rare melanistic Gar!!! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it! Not only did she catch this black Gar but I caught it on video too! I was so excited that I almost forgot to record it! These two videos may very well be the only footage captured of a Melanistic Longnose Gar actually being caught and just puts the icing on the cake for what has been a phenomenal year of Longnose Gar Fishing on West Point Lake for me, my family and friends!

Shelley and her boyfriend Jason are students at Georgia State University. It was a special treat to have them both with me today for a great day of Longnose Gar Fishing and it really turned out to be a special day for sure.

Jason started the show with a nice 8lb Gar, his first ever. Then Shelley caught her black Gar which was the highlight of the day. As the day grew hotter so did the Gar Fishing with Jason landing another Gar and then Shelley landing a nice FAT Longnose that weighed in at 15lbs-8ounces and measured 47 inches. Her first big Longnose ever. After that, with sun up high in the sky the sight fishing was getting really good. You could see what you were fishing for which makes it that much easier to catch that big one you're looking for. Suddenly Jason and I saw what turned out to be the biggest Gar of the day come cruising by and I tossed my rope out in front of it while we witnessed the big Gar attack the lure before our very eyes! Jason said that was pretty cool seeing how the Gar turns it's body sideways while launching itself at the rope lure. This big boy weighed 16lbs-8 ounces and 48 inches long. Both of the big Gar that Shelley and I caught very fat Gar and a ton of fun to catch!

As the day grew hotter and the jet skis and boats were starting to rock us around, it was time to head to the boat ramp. Gar Fishing on West Point Lake has never been better than it's been this year and I'm looking forward to having Shelley and Jason back in my boat before the season ends. Surely this lucky girl won't catch another extraordinary fish again! What a day!!!

The last two pictures are actually videos shot from my digital camera. Enjoy!

Timmy & Clint Both Catch Nice Gar!

2007-06-19T15:11:00.004-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

We got on the lake early this morning because the weather forecast was calling for thunderstorms from noon until about 10:00 tonight. It was cloudy early on but the Gar were still active. Timmy started the show with a pretty nice 10 pounder. A little later I caught a couple of nice gar too. Meanwhile Clint was struggling a little. I changed locations because I knew it would be easier for Clint to catch his first today but as soon as we pulled up to the next spot yours truly landed another one and so did Timmy. Still no Gar for Clint. I noticed that his rope lure kept getting dirty but I thought it was because he was letting it drop all the way to the bottom before he began his retrieve but I took a closer look and the fishing rig I gave him to use had a 1/2 bullet sinker on it and it was dragging the bottom too much because of the excess weight in such shallow water.

After Clint changed his weight out and we changed spots again, Clint landed his first Longnose of the day. It was a very nice 10 pounder so the monkey was off Clint's back. It's a good thing too because we were giving him the devil!

I decided to change spots again and go to my best fishing hole of the year for big Gar. That was when Timmy landed the biggest Longnose Gar of the day. A very fat 49 inch Gar that weighed in at 14 lbs - 10 ounces.

I shot the first video on my digital camera of a Gar getting caught and published it here in this post. It turned out OK but I hope to improve a little on the next try.

Brand New Honey Hole!!!

2007-06-12T19:01:00.004-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I got on West Point Lake early today. My plans were to do a little fly fishing for what ever would bite but mainly to sharpen my fly fishing skills since I'm sort of a rookie. I went down river where I use to do some bass fishing with buzz baits. I'm not much into bass fishing anymore but since this use to be a good bass top water spot for me I though the fly bite would be equally as good.

As I was casting about I started noticing that old familiar top water activity that only the great Longnose Gar could make so I went for the bait caster that already had a rope lure attached to it and started making a few cast. Then suddenly I realized, once the sun started coming through the clouds that I was on a shallow flat that was packed full of Longnose Gar! I mean big ones too!!!

It didn't take long to realize that it was cherry picking time! Gar were everywhere and the water was still enough to begin looking for that big one. The first Longnose I caught was 15lbs-2ozs and 50 inches long, so started looking for a bigger one. The next Gar I caught was 17lbs-10ozs and 51 inches, so I began looking for a bigger one. Then I caught one that went 18lbs-6ozs and measured 51 inches long. No doubt that I was in Longnose Gar Heaven!!! I said to myself, if I can catch this many big Gar in one spot I just may be able to find that Georgia state record Longnose Gar I've been fishing four years for. So now I was began being very pick. Besides, I was by myself and I was having to set my camera on timer and run to the other end of the boat for the picture and I'll tell you, I was starting to get tired! As I was trolling along around the bend I came across a large group of Gar all in one spot and underneath then there was a shadow that looked like a big one so I made a cast. That was when I landed the biggest Gar of the day that weighed 19lbs-4ozs and measured 55 inches long.

I'm going to be seeing big Gar in my sleep tonight after today! I'm tired. I thing I'll have some supper a drop dead on the sofa!

Later on in the day I met Jonathan Smith, a fellow sales manager at Mike Patton Auto Family at the landing. By then the Gar Fishing had sort of settled down a bit buy Jonathan was able to land this "Broke Back Mountain" version of a Gar! Leave it to Jonathan to catch this freak of a Gar for his first!

I Caught A Black Gar Today!!!

2007-05-24T20:09:00.003-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

My wife Debbie was able to squeeze out a day off with me today to Gar Fish on West Point Lake. I've been on vacation all week long and Debbie had to work but her boss allowed her this one day with me. I'm glad too because Sunday was the day when I, as Debbie says, stole her Gar from her so I had a lot of making up to do!

It was not the greatest of day’s weather wise because the wind was very tough. There was an east wind all day long. If you know anything about fishing in Georgia, a cool east wind can really screw up a day of fishing. The wind was gusting to as high as 25mph and sustained wind of at least 15mph and I fought the trolling motor as my batteries were dying a quicker than normal death. Casting into the wind was a real problem because we were using 1/8 to 1/4 ounce bullet weights with our rope lures and I must have backlashed at least forty times!

Debbie was doing very well as she caught all of the biggest Gar while all I could land were small ones. I was doing very well at making up from Sunday's fishing trip.

We spent most of the day moving from place to place trying to find a comfortable spot out of the wind where the Gar were biting but after switching places four different times we came back to our original fishing hole, the same place where I supposedly stole Debbie's Gar.

As I came around the point I told Debbie, "I've got one!" The as the Gar swirled I noticed that it was a very dark colored Gar And I said, "Debbie, this Gar looks almost black." As I finally fought it up to the water surface I yelled, "Debbie, It is a solid black Gar! Get my gloves quick!" I was afraid it would get away but I was able to drag it close and I reached out and snagged it out of the water! Man was this thing beautiful! I've fished for Longnose Gar for four years now and though I saw a black Gar two years ago, I know I saw one earlier this year in a different spot a couple of miles up river, and now finally caught a Black Longnose Gar! It was silver under it's throat, a little more spotty silver just below it's throat, but the hole back half of the Gar was solid black like a piece of shinny coal. Something else I though was strange is that the pigmentation from the Gar actually came off on my gloves like it was painted with black shoe polish or something. This was very strange indeed.

Debbie said that I'm the luckiest Gar fisherman she's ever known. Not that she knows very many. There's only about five of us in our circle of Gar Fishermen and I'm the only one who driven to catch that Georgia state record. I have had a very good season so far though, that's for sure, but I can't believe I actually caught a black Gar today. I probably never will again.

Here's a picture of Debbie's big gar too. I'm very lucky to be married to a woman who loves to gar fish too!

Monster Gar Or Doghouse Gar!!!

2007-05-20T21:51:00.003-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I began my week of vacation by taking my wife Debbie Longnose Gar Fishing after church today and man what an exciting day it was!

When I got to my Main Honey Hole Of The Year, the water was fairly calm and clear and there were Gar everywhere of every shape and size! There were short skinny Gar, long skinny Gar, Short fat Gar, and my all time favorite, favorite long Fat Longnose Gar mixed in here and there!

After getting our feet wet with a few nice Longnose, the hunt was on for the trophy of the day. As we trolled along they would appear in front of the boat and beside the boat, they were all over the place! Man was my blood boiling as I searched for that big boy of the day!

Debbie is a pretty good fisherman but just doesn't have the casting skills I have from fishing as much as I do, so I tried to let her have the big ones first but she kept throwing behind them and on top of them one time after another. Then a monster appeared to the left of my boat and I said, "Debbie, there's a huge Gar right there!" After giving her three shots at making a good cast for it, the Gar started to get a way so I tossed my rope right out in front of it, a perfect cast if I must say so myself, and the big Gar nailed it right off the bat and the fight was on! This Big Boy made one after another-huge line stripping runs with one headshake coming out of the water at the end of one of them. When I finally got it close to the boat it was much bigger than I had first thought, and the first thing Debbie that came from Debbie's mouth was, "You caught my gar! You didn't give me a chance to catch it!" And I said, "But Debbie, I gave you three shots at it and it was getting away!" She said, "I still could have caught it though!" I thought, Oh crap! I'm in the doghouse again! And over a Gar. A very big gar though. Well, I guess there's no better way to get in the doghouse than by catching a monster like this I thought!

I must say though that Debbie caught more Gar than I did. She even caught one that was 48" and about 14lbs. She also caught one with a deformed beak. It looked like maybe it got damaged when it was much younger and grew back kind of funny looking, sort of like a pair of scissors or something. I guess I earned my stay in the doghouse. Again, when I as she puts it, stole her Gar!

The rest of the week I'll be fishing mostly alone. But Debbie is taking one day off with me. I sure hope she catches a big one next trip because I don't thing I can survive another tongue lashing like that one again. I couldn't even get her to hand some of my tools to me so that I could get it released and she almost wouldn't take a picture for me! Man I hope she catches a big one!

Big Time Brownie Points!

2007-05-04T19:32:00.003-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I took my General Manager from Mike Patton Auto Family Gar Fishing with me yesterday evening. We got off about an hour early, just as your allowed to do just as long as you take the boss Longnose Gar Fishing with you.

It was about 7:00 when we reached my main honey hole, you know, the one your supposed to take your boss Gar Fishing at if you want him to catch a big gar and will gain favor with him for at least a short time. Or at least until I goof up again which will certainly happen sooner or later. Anyway, The Gar gods were with me because the first and biggest fish was caught after only about ten minutes of fishing by Mike, and the fight was on!

Every time Mike would get this big boy to the boat, off it would go on another long pole bending line stripping run. After several runs and a few acrobatic leaps right next to the boat, which took about ten minutes total time, Mike landed his first big Longnose gar! It was a nice one too! 15lbs-7oz and 52 inches long!

If I was at all in the dog house, I'm now out of it! At least for a while. Until I goof up again anyway, right! Maybe I should go ahead and plan a few more fishing trips with Mike just in case.

New 2007 Record Longnose Gar. 19lbs-7ozs And 58" Long!!

2007-05-01T18:01:00.003-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I just got home from Longnose Gar Fishing with my buddy from Mike Patton Auto Family, Chris Smith. It started out a little slow with a lot of fish surfacing but not that many taking the rope. I did manage a couple of nice Gar though. One was 48" and 15lbs-6oz and another one little smaller. Mean while Chris was struggling with getting a good bite although he did hang a very nice one but it managed to free itself from the lure after a brief encounter of hope that Chris would land his first Longnose.

We left that area and drove to a spot I thought for sure Chris would have a great change of landing his first Gar but to no avail. I caught one more pretty nice Gar about the same size as the 15lb er I landed earlier.

We then left that spot and drove to "Old Faithful", the spot where I caught my biggest Gar to date. The wind had gotten up pretty good by then and I didn't feel like we would have any luck, but I was wrong. I guess the wind was blowing bait fish against the island pennisula and was able to land my biggest Longnose Gar of the season, 19lbs-7oz and 58" long! I was thrilled to make such a nice catch but also feeling pretty bad for Chris who still hadn't land a single Gar all day.

After attaching another rope to my line I was able get us back into position when finally Chris yells, "I've got one"! This one was snagged nicely by the rope and the fight was on! Chris's first Gar was a very impressive 48-49", 15lbs or so Longnose Gar. I'm guessing because I was so excited for him that I forgot to weigh and measure it, but I've got the pictures! Over all it was a very successful fishing trip and I'm so very glad I was able to have a great day Gar Fishing and fellowship with my friend Chris.

Passing Up Big Gar For Bigger Gar-What A Great Day!!

2007-04-24T20:25:00.003-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

What a great day of Longnose Gar Fishing it was today! It was one of those days when you can select the Gar you want to catch while passing up those that many people would love to be catching, even I would love to be catching on certain days. I had two fish that went right a 50 inches long but I'm not sure of the weight. My scales were on the blink because there's no way that biggest fish went only 8lbs-8oz! Back to Walmart I guess.

This the the prime time for Longnose Gar Fishing when the Gar are about to go on the bed and they are swimming in tandem all over the shallows. I was practically plowing through them being selective of the ones I wanted to make a cast at. Both of my hands are cramping and tired from clutching those big beaks and trying to hold on to them as they whip like crazy right when you least expect it.

I also saw a black Gar in the same area that I saw one last year. Of course my rope was in the water and I couldn't retrieve it in time to make a cast. I never saw it again and the rascal was only about 12ft in front of my boat when it surfaced. That one would have went on the wall!

Fathers Day Gar Fishing Trip

2006-06-19T22:00:00.004-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I went Gar Fishing On Fathers day with my two kids Neil And Shelley. With all of our busy schedules it's tough to get on the lake together but I'm glad we were able to fish together on fathers day. Neil and Shelley haven't ever gar fished before so I knew they were in for a real treat. Shelley started out the day with a nice 38" longnose, her first ever. I handled the first Gar to show them how it's done. After that they were on their own and they done a great job teaming on a release together without my help. Then Neil caught one. It wasn't as big as Shelley's but still a nice catch for his first. Now it was time for dad to get a little action. We had a tough time getting the big ones to bite but I did manage to catch a decent size Gar after all. When all was said and done we caught 4 Gar total and I had a great day out on the lake with Neil and Shelley.

The first picture is not a Wooly Mammoth holding a Gar. Although they are both prehistoric animals only the Gar is the prehistoric beast in this picture. The other is just Neil, my son. He just needs a hair cut about as bad as I did when I was his age. I have to look at my high school senior picture to put things in perspective when I look at this picture. Well Neil, I had to cut mine and you're hair cut is coming soon.

Love, Dad.

A Much Needed Week Off!!!

2006-06-13T20:11:00.003-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I took a week off from the grind and went camping on West Point Lake last week. It was nice to get away for a while to relax and soak up some nature. The only bad thing about camping on West Point is that all of the camp sites with water and electricity hookups are on the south end of the lake and the Gar are on the north end. About a 10-15 mile ride by water to get to them. I started out fishing for Hybird Bass but it just didn't do anything for me. I guess when you're use to catching big Gar like I've been catching this year no other fish seems to match up.
So away I went burning up expensive gas and heading for the Longnose.

After arriving at the first spot I immediately landed a very nice Longnose. I didn't measure the fish but I took it to Highland Marina to have it weighed. It was 15lbs-3oz. The people who worked at the marina were amazed at the sight of a big gar. They never see anyone bring in Gar so it created a little excitement for them to witness such a fish.

The next day Timmy, my stepson, and his friend Joey Grizzard went Gar fishing with me. Timmy wanted to introduce Joey to Gar Fishing. After trying my main honey hole where I caught the big one on Thursday with no results, we took a ride to another productive spot. I usually catch smaller Gar there but this time was different. After catching a couple of 6-10 pounders I snagged another great big Longnose. It had a real heavy beak and must have weighed about 16-17lbs and measured 55 inches long. Of course I left my at my camera at the campsite. Joey was so amazed at the sight of such a big Longnose Gar that he dreamed about big Longnose Gar all night, woke up watching fishing shows the next morning only to be disappointed at seeing fish get caught that didn't match up with what he had witnessed the day before with me and Timmy.

Well, the vacation is over now but after one day back at work I got my normal Tuesday off. With Tropical Storm Alberto arriving in Northern Florida and heading across South Georgia it was a cloudy windy day. Not normally a good day for Gar with hardly no sun. But, it didn't seem to matter to the Gar because I caught Nine Longnose with one monster Gar reaching 60 inches long and must have weighed 18lbs. Another great day of Gar fishing in the books!

Pictures below are Alan Bruce, service manager at Mike Patton with his first Gar and the Monster I caught today that was 60 inches long.

Passing Up Big Gar For Bigger Gar

2006-05-30T22:40:00.002-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Today I found myself passing up big Gar that I would've normally been glad to be catching for even bigger ones. I was amazed at the amount of big Longnose on this spot. Of course I lost one that may have been the fish of the year. It looked to be well over 60" long and very healthy. As you can see by these pictures these were some very fat Longnose gar. One of them was as fat as a football. I hope they're still there Sunday!

A Tough Day That Finally Paid Off

2006-04-26T20:25:00.003-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I took Chris Smith from Mike Patton Auto on his first ever Gar fishing trip. We started out heading up the Chattahoochee river toward Franklin when I decided to try a spot that prove to be very productive last year. The hunch was right, There were Gar surfacing everywhere. Strangely enough though, we couldn't get a single strike from the fish. The water was very heavily stained to down right muddy and the sun wasn't up very high yet so we decided to go on up river. My hot spot near Franklin was boiling with Gar when we got there but they still wouldn't hit a thing. It was even muddier there so that was when I decided that the Gar simply couldn't see the lures. Enough of this frustration so we made a bee line to clearer water to old fateful as I call it. This spot almost always produces something. I was right. Just as we got there I hung into a nice 8-9lb Longnose. As the fish made a run about 15 feet off the back of my boat it made a huge acrobatic leap into the air and threw my lure from it's beak. Man, what I day I was having. I finally did catch one Gar about 36 inches. By then the sun was high but so was the wind. A front was coming in from the west so I new our day was about to end. Well, up the river we go again to another spot I fished last year. The wind was very strong so we headed toward the back of a cove to get out of the wind. As I began trolling around the bend into the cove I spotted a large Longnose cruising by my boat. I was headed in and he was headed out so I cast out in front and past the big Gar pulled the lure right in front of his face. Bam! He nailed it! Then the fight was on. It was a very nice strong longnose and I was in the middle out a stump and stick-up field. The Gar started fighting like mad and it made a run for a stick-up away from the boat. But it wasn't just any stick-up. It had a wasp nest attached to it! Now I had to back the boat up while trying to stay away from the wasp and try to pull the Longnose back around the tree. Finally it came loose and after a few more runs and a couple of leaps I grabbed it up from the water. It weighed in at 14lbs-14oz and was 47 inches long. I told Chris I was was glad to be able to show him why I love to Gar fish although Chris came up empty. He has a nice camera though and makes a great photographer. I think I owe Chris another trip when it's not so muddy.

First Gar Of 2006

2006-04-18T20:56:00.002-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!

Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

My 2006 Gar season began in a Huge way today. I started out fishing my favorite late spring and summer hot spots but there wasn't a Gar to be found. Timmy told me that last week he went up river toward Franklin Georgia to fish for Hybirds and that he saw some very big Gar but wasn't prepared to catch any of them. So, I decided to head up river to see if I could find them. I found them alright. In one place they were stacked up like lumber! They were cruising the bank in about a two hundred yard stretch. I couldn't really spot that big one I was looking for so I decided to blind cast out deeper from the bank. It payed off quickly with a nice 11 pounder. Since fishing deeper seemed to be the key for bigger Gar I continued the blind cast for them. After catching several nice Gar I finally snagged a very nice Longnose. It weighed in at 18 lbs-3oz. Over all a very successful day off. I'll definantly be going back there soon.

Good Day At West Point Lake

2005-08-21T17:11:00.004-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!

Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Took another Gar Fishing trip out on West Point Lake today. Talking about hot! But if you fish for Longnose Gar you know that that's the way they like it.

I started fishing at a new spot I discovered this year. It was very muddy from the runoff of recent rains but I managed to catch two and hung a really big one for a brief moment, but as luck would go it never got tangled enough from the start and swam off into the muddy water about as quickly as I hung it.

Then I moved back to one of my favorite honey holes and caught three more. One of which became the fish of the day. Pictures to prove it!

I then scouted around and discovered another new place I've be missing which was right under my nose. Straight accross from the boat ramp I usually put in at. There I caught two more Gar. Over all a very successfull day when you include the discovery of a new fishing hole.

Debbie's First Gar

2005-06-08T18:23:00.010-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

My wife Debbie and I had a few days off together this week. After doing a few things around the house we decided to go out on West Point Lake for a little Gar Fishing.
It started out a little slow with it being a little windy and choppy in my main fishing spot. I did catch one that was 42" and weighed 12lbs-7ozs. I got a chance to break in my new gloves which worked very well. After that I passed on several Gar looking for that big one. I saw a couple of very nice Gar but either I was off target with my cast or the Gar had other things on his mind than my lure.

By about 1:00 pm it was getting very hot but also the wind had calmed down. I could see several Gar cruising the shore line but Debbie was having trouble seeing them with her sunglasses so I let her use my SolarBat sunglasses. It wasn't long before she spotted one and made a good cast to the Gar and it attacked her lure before her very eyes. She was very excited at the sight of the Gar nailing the rope lure while she was watching the action though a good pair of sight fishing glasses. The rest is history.

What a Chunk this one was

2004-07-27T19:47:00.006-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!

Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I Went fishing by myself on my normal Tuesday off. I'm still using the 1/2oz bullet weight with my homemade rope lure. This time I thought I would stop in at the Pic Nic Basket Bait and Tackle Shop to pick up some red dye with garlic scent. I used it in the spring with good success but I've been out for some time now. I'm not sure if the dye did it but I caught my biggest Longnose Gar of the month using it. It had to weight almost 15-20 lbs. Talking about a chunk now! It was about 50 inches long and fat fat fat! I wished I had someone with me to take a picture of me with this awesome specimen of a fish. I tried to hold it while I set the timer on my digital camera but as I held it off the side of the boat in case it got rowdy that's just what It did and Fatty slipped from my hand and into the water. I guess that's better than getting bit trying to do something that difficult.

Timmy says "I'd rather be lucky than good"

2004-07-22T22:53:00.005-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!

Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

Timmy and I spent the day Gar fishing. It proved to be a very frustrating day for us. We caught a few small ones but had to endure watching a bunch of large Longnose surface for a gulp and then go right back down time and again all around us all day long. We just couldn't seem to catch them. Except for this one Gar. Timmy placed his rod in the rod holder to take a leak and as he was shaking so was his rod tip. Here's Timmy's skillful catch.

Julie lands her first Longnose Gar

2004-07-07T16:54:00.005-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!

Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

My daughter-in-law Julie Monteith on her first Gar fishing trip lands a nice 3-4lb Longnose Gar. I showed Julie the fishing show, O’Neill Outside, featuring Longnose Gar lake guide Terry Smith on the Coosa River weeks before our trip. She remembered Terry showing O’Neill how he uses a hair brush to brush the rest of the nylon from the teeth of a Gar. He told O’Neill he called it "grooming your Gar". So here's Julie grooming her first Gar.

Largest Gar So Far

2004-06-26T10:49:00.008-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!

Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I caught this Longnose Gar on May 28th, 2004. It's the biggest one I've gotten all the way in the boat so far. At this point in time I didn’t fully realize just how sharp a Longnose Gars scales are. While I held it up for Timmy to take a picture it suddenly started thrashing and carved a nice cut into my little finger and the rest of them too. Now, I use two gloves on the bigger ones. You see, Longnose Gar have large very thick scales on them. Each one is like a thick layer of enamel with a sharp edge on it. It's no wonder that this fish has survived for some many years. I really doesn’t have any natural enemies except for man. Here's a picture of another whopper Timmy caught about 30 minutes later. They are very hard to hold with these leather gloves. We've got to find a better glove.

West Point Lake Longnose Gar Fishing

2004-06-24T21:28:00.005-04:00

Selling Cars and Catching Gars!
Ask For Donnie Hinkle "West Point Lake Gar Grabber"

I've discovered over the past year that a huge sportfishing opportunity has been overlooked on West Point Lake. Longnose Gar Fishing! That's right. That may seem odd to some fishermen, but don't knock it till you've tried it. After all, they pull like a race car, they jump like a Tarpon, they tailwalk across the water, and grow to be very big as well. What more could you ask from a sportfish? I believe the reason they are not pursued as often as Largemouth Bass or other sportfish is because of the fear factor involved in boating one of these hard fighting prehistoric creatures with a 8 to 10-inch beak full of needle sharp teeth. Lets face it, when you do accidentally catch a Gar you're never prepared to handle one. This is why I've set up this information site, to post my fishing success as well as educate fishermen who may enjoy learning about how to catch a Longnose Gar. Believe me. It's very exciting fishing. And you don't use hooks.