largefish Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 Has anyone here caught a Gar Pike? I'm asking because I almost cough one on St. Clair Lake. I saw him close to the shore swimming in about 2-3 feet of water and was eating some small fish close to the bottom. I grabbed my rod and since it was very shallow, I cast a Rapala Original Floater but the Gar Pike just ignored it as it would not go deep enough to the bottom. So I quickly changed the lure to the X-Rap Shad Shallow, and cast it in front of him. He saw it and struck really hard. The problem is its mouth is very long and pointy and hard to set the hook into. I caught him on the side of the mouth and as I was lifting him out of the water, he shook the hook off and jumped back into the shallow and escaped. Now, how can this fish be caught using a lure or what is the method used to catch it? Even though he escaped, it was pretty neat experience since I have never seen that fish before nor have I tried catching it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greencoachdog Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 Is there such a thing as a "Gar-Pike"??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largefish Posted June 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 Is there such a thing as a "Gar-Pike"??? Yes, there is. Here are some Google Images of it: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&...sa=N&tab=wi After I described the fish I almost caught to my friend, he told me it was a Gar Pike so I went online to check if that is the fish, and sure enough that was the fish. I'm not sure what other lakes have it and if anyone else caught it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greencoachdog Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 Well, if it was on the internet... it's gotta be true eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico24 Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 You could always try rope lures to catch some gar. Just google it, and you will find how to do them yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediangler Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 I know some kayak fishermen that have been catching them on the Detroit river. Flyfishermen catch them on flies with nylon string frayed to tangle their teeth instead of hooking them. Try a small treble as a trailer about 2" behind your rapala. In the southern U.S. they bowhunt for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCTFisher9120 Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 I'm going to try a smaller spinner for them with well smaller hooks. I caught two at a spot I would like to keep secret however there great fish to catch but there's a lot more hits than landed fish. The two I caught were barely hooked and 2 of the 3 hooks were wedged in between there teeth coming out flawlessly. Great fish and something I wish to come across again. Smaller of the two: (Blaming my Dad still for the bad picture) Also good shot of there teeth: Sorry OFC, I know you have seen this picture several times already. I got to help fuel the hunt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greencoachdog Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 (edited) In the southern U.S. they bowhunt for them. .. and sometimes we use a 45" Musky for bait!!! Edited June 24, 2009 by GCD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSBruno Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Dave Mercer's FOF on The Score did a show fly fishing for Gar-Pike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pike slayer Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 awww ya alligator gar, forget the gar pike! i'd love to go fishing for those beasts down south! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greencoachdog Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 (edited) awww ya alligator gar, forget the gar pike! i'd love to go fishing for those beasts down south! We hand feed them chitterlings and collard greens yanno... they're a very sweet and docile fish!!! Edited June 25, 2009 by GCD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishnwire Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Is there such a thing as a "Gar-Pike"??? Were you just having some fun, or had you honestly never heard of a gar-pike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shurik_muff Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 (edited) i found out that gar pike easier to catch with live minows. there are tons of them in grand river. and you set it the same as any other pike.... wait up to 10 seconds, let it spin the minow in the water, and then set. can't miss. problem is if you fish in the water that has bass and pike. with bass you have to set right away. if you have the pike, most likely you will miss it. about 2-3 weeks ago, on grand river, by caledonia damb, gar pike came in in huge school.... cant say for sure, but more than 50 of them. they scared all the fish away. and didnt bite itself. ruined our day. gar pike is not a good fish to eat. meat is very dry, big scales to clean.... pure pain in the butt. basically, its fun to catch, and i guess thats the most important. Edited June 25, 2009 by shurik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greencoachdog Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Were you just having some fun, or had you honestly never heard of a gar-pike? Pike: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Superorder: Protacanthopterygii Order: Esociformes Family: Esocidae Genus: Esox Gar: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Lepisosteiformes Hay, 1929 Family: Lepisosteidae When the association stops at class... they're not even really that close! ... I think a Pickeral would be closer to a Walleye than a Gar would be to a Pike!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvmedic Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 (edited) My Nephew catches them on live minnows, there are thousands in our local river. Hard buggers to catch, for me anyway I've never caught one by rod and reel. I used to gig them in the shoals when I was young. Jeff. Edited June 25, 2009 by wvmedic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish4Eyes Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 .. and sometimes we use a 45" Musky for bait!!! I believe thats a alligator gar. I watched a show on sunday where dave mercer was fishing for them somewhere in texas. He said they grow to like 7'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish4Eyes Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 I have caught a gar pike on the grand river. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thgen Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 (edited) Pike:Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Superorder: Protacanthopterygii Order: Esociformes Family: Esocidae Genus: Esox Gar: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Lepisosteiformes Hay, 1929 Family: Lepisosteidae When the association stops at class... they're not even really that close! ... I think a Pickeral would be closer to a Walleye than a Gar would be to a Pike!!! You nailed it. Garpike is just a slang term for longnose gar and other gar species. I've seen them from time to time but have never had the chance to try the nylon rope trick, which apparently works pretty well. Edited June 25, 2009 by 4thgen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Calling a gar a gar pike is just as wrong as calling a walleye a pickeral. A lot of folks do it but it just isn't correct. No such animal as gar pike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhunter Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 When I was a kid, we fished'em in the Thames, Springbank Dam... loaded with them. I tried every trick in the book to get them in. They would hit just about anything, but getting a hook set turned into a pure luck situation. We finally ended up using the following technique: Firstly, we used a bobber as they were almost always within a couple of feet of the surface. We would tie a treble hook, just below the bobber, 6 inches actually and cover the entire treble with minnows. It wasn't fool proof, but it was the best way to land them. Stopped fishin for them after a while as they really don't fight... just get the tip of their nose out of the water and motor boat them in. HH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyder3g Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Local GarPike from the Grand. Looks nice but useless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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