Bowfin/Gar?

jcannon

Twelve Pointer
I'm looking to find a place to fish for bowfin or gar. I know that I'd have to travel a little, but that's fine. I'm needing a place that i can bank fish from. I'm planning on taking my son or daughter and I was wanting to catch something a little different. I know some of you guys catch a ton bowfins accidently, so how about some suggestions on where to go. Thanks
 

Duckmauler dhc

Old Mossy Horns
Lake norman has a ton of gar in it, you can see them everywhere especially going up the lake around long island. The upper end of high rock has a lot of gar and mudfish as well. Some of the smaller piedmont city lakes have a good population of mudfish as well. Like @nccatfisher said for the mudfish go way up the lake that you're fishing on the shallow sections and creek arms. They inhabitate the same areas thatl largemouth use. I call them bass with teeth.
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
They’ve def been wearing it out at a couple of our favorite spots lately. Fun watching the big ones come into shallow water and throw a big wake as they chase prey
I only keep a few panfish for eating fish otherwise my fishing is for something that puts up a fight. Gar and bowfin would be higher on my list except most of the places they frequent you can't get full benefit of their fighting abilities because of the terrain they are in. I usually hook up with a few nice gar every year in the river flathead fishing. If you latch on to one 3' or better you have a fight on your hands. And quite frankly if you want to go through the trouble of using aviation snips to cut that skin to clean them they have a row of meat down the top of the back bone on each side that is like the loin on a deer. Pretty darn good.
 

YanceyGreenhorn

Still Not a Moderator
I only keep a few panfish for eating fish otherwise my fishing is for something that puts up a fight. Gar and bowfin would be higher on my list except most of the places they frequent you can't get full benefit of their fighting abilities because of the terrain they are in. I usually hook up with a few nice gar every year in the river flathead fishing. If you latch on to one 3' or better you have a fight on your hands. And quite frankly if you want to go through the trouble of using aviation snips to cut that skin to clean them they have a row of meat down the top of the back bone on each side that is like the loin on a deer. Pretty darn good.
Yeah I cleaned one last weekend to see what it was all about. That armor is impressive. Big pair of snips was the ticket. When I was checking bank poles the other night I put my light on a hole I’d pulled a catfish out of the night before. Big tangled mess of brush, tree roots, limbs and a stump. Little 20” gar laid up in there in bout 8” of water. They’re pretty neat. I made the mistake of putting a big live bluegill on last summer at night “just to see what might try to eat it.” No wire leader etc (didn’t know gar were in there at that point). You already know how that ends. He took it and stripped off a ton of drag for a good run, spit the fish, doubled back and hit it again shredding my whole setup lol. They’re cool tho.

@jcannon i know it’s a hike but if you ever end up over here text me. Gladly meet up w ya or send you some pins. Love to see , or hear about, them kids tangling with some gar. You’ve got great kids and it’s awesome to see them getting after it
 

jcannon

Twelve Pointer
Yeah I cleaned one last weekend to see what it was all about. That armor is impressive. Big pair of snips was the ticket. When I was checking bank poles the other night I put my light on a hole I’d pulled a catfish out of the night before. Big tangled mess of brush, tree roots, limbs and a stump. Little 20” gar laid up in there in bout 8” of water. They’re pretty neat. I made the mistake of putting a big live bluegill on last summer at night “just to see what might try to eat it.” No wire leader etc (didn’t know gar were in there at that point). You already know how that ends. He took it and stripped off a ton of drag for a good run, spit the fish, doubled back and hit it again shredding my whole setup lol. They’re cool tho.

@jcannon i know it’s a hike but if you ever end up over here text me. Gladly meet up w ya or send you some pins. Love to see , or hear about, them kids tangling with some gar. You’ve got great kids and it’s awesome to see them getting after it
Thanks, when I get a chance I'll get in touch with you and hopefully head that way before too long
 

Justin

Old Mossy Horns
I live off Mt Creek on Norman and soon as it turns off hot again they’ll be cruising just under the surface in schools of two to six. When it was getting warm a few weeks/month or so again they were already cruising but the recent cool down they seem to be mia. They’ll be back when it gets warm though. Definitely good eats if you go through the trouble.
 

dc bigdaddy

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
The whole Trent River.
a good size one on a bream buster is fun for about 10 seconds. Then it's get the ;alsdkjf;lasd off my hook.
 
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