Fishing For Huge Rare Predatory Fish In The Rain

[SharkBait >*)\\\><(]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_CAGzPTn4I" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
VIDEO ^^^


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Fishing with Ty Kleeb From Pig Patrol on a new ramp late in the season with cold fronts on the way and huge storms all around us, we managed to wait out the gar and storms and avoid the lighting through several hours of torential downpour and we were rewarded with a nice alligator gar over 100 pounds and 6 foot.
this gar makes the 16th alligator gar over 100 pounds i have caught and released this year.
Alligator gar are North Americas largest predatory freshwater fish thats species has survived the test of time living for over 147 million years on the planet since the beginning of the Cretacious Period. In Texas their primary diet consists of roughfish such as Smallmouth Buffalo, Common Carp, Gizzard Shad, Freshwater Drum, Talapia, and Mullet. They play one of the most important roles in the ecosystem being a top level predator and even a keystone species. sadly these fish are becoming inceasingy more rare as the popularity of bowfishing for them explodes. slow growth fish like these that can live at least to be as old as 86 years old cannot be sustainably harvested at the rate they are being and its showing on the fisheries.
At SharkBaitTV and Catching Dinosaurs we are 100% comitted to catch and release and promoting this amazing fish species protection. Alligator Gar need a gamefish status in Texas, for too long they have been killed off being classified as roughfish when they should be considered some of the most important species in our waters.
If the United States had not killed off their alligator gar populations for decades do you think we would have the problems we have now with the invasive asian carp? since thats what Alligator Gar eat is carp. most of the alligator gar caught on the channel have been caught on Common Carp a fish species native to Asia.

[Spoonbill]

How rare are they? They're beautiful fish, and can put up a helluva fight, but there are many times I have to switch up spots because the alligator gar are so plentiful.

[The Angler]

Isn't it already 1 per person, per day?

Back in my bass fishing days it would be common to see a gar corpse discarded on the bank from ignorant fisherman. I wouldn't mind one bit if they give this fish a protected status, but I guess bow fishing for them is pretty popular? Maybe the back straps are pretty good? I wouldn't know. How about proposing a season and tags for harvesting?

Well anyway, I'm glad there are people out there like yourself looking out for these unappreciated species that have an integral role in our marine ecosystems; thanks for bringing it to our attention.

[SharkBait >*)\\\><(]

How rare are they? They're beautiful fish, and can put up a helluva fight, but there are many times I have to switch up spots because the alligator gar are so plentiful.

pretty rare considering not a single other state is producing 7 foot alligator gar. i have been researching these fish for a long time and there is not another area in the world other than Tx where these fish get as large as they do here. tarpon are considered to be rare fish and yet you can catch them in several oceans.
alligator gar can only be targeted in about 3-4 states and i have yet to see a single gar over 7 foot caught from any other state than Tx by someone sport fishing. the problem is when people kill these fish once they get passed 6 foot they are taking out 30+ year old fish who's place in the food chain will never be replaced. those genetics that have survived 147 million years are lost. due to the specific conditions these fish need to spawn its entirely possible they could be overfished and then they won't spawn like they didn't for 12 years because of the lack of persistent floods.

you are also more than likely seeing long nose gar not alligator gar or at least most people do depending on where they are.

my personal opinion is these fish need to be protected like goliath grouper or tarpon are in florida
caught and release only and can't be removed from the water. if TPWD just has to let people harvest them they need to protect them once they hit 5 foot or larger, protect the 20 year old breeding fish, the fact people can kill 80 year old alligator gar for pics and bragging rights and throw them in a ditch afterward has to stop, or you will be showing your grandkids my videos online about alligator gar instead of them seeing them in person because they are all going to be gone.

i guide for alligator gar, i talk and have talked to the most well known alligator gar guides in the world regularly, it is absolutely 100% fact these fish are becoming more rare and it is becoming harder and harder to find these fish over 7 foot as bow fishing for them become more and more popular.

when you remove a 7 foot alligator gar from the ecosystem her place will never be replaced in your lifetime.

[teen yaker]

I don't think the gars could even dent the Asian carp population, even if there were a LOT more of them. Yes, they eat them, but not that many; compared to the huge number of carps in the USA. Plus, it seems like most of the main problems, involving carp (like the bullheads, and silver carp) are way up north, close to the great lakes, which is far away from the alligator gars natural range (south).

[SharkBait >*)\\\><(]

there range is larger than your thinking it is, it does reach further north, they have just been eradicated from those states int he last 50 years, Illinois is an example where they are restocking alligator gar to fight the invasive carp https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/conservati ... pecies.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

my point is if the populations of alligator gar in those states had not been hunted down and eradicated, then there would not be an explosion of invasive asian carp that has no predators to combat them like there is now.

[on a mission]

Cool video as always Sharkbait.

[teen yaker]

there range is larger than your thinking it is, it does reach further north, they have just been eradicated from those states int he last 50 years, Illinois is an example where they are restocking alligator gar to fight the invasive carp https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/conservati ... pecies.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

my point is if the populations of alligator gar in those states had not been hunted down and eradicated, then there would not be an explosion of invasive asian carp that has no predators to combat them like there is now.

Oh, okay. You're right, I thought their range was only in the southern states. Thanks for clearing that up for me...


But about the carp. In the article you provided, it does say that it is highly doubtful that gars could have prevented the carp from being established.

[Cuervo Jones]

Great to see that somebody cares about these awesome fish. Hopefully, they'll get protection like redfish and bison and alligators did.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Spoonbill]

I'm seeing bigger alligator gar. The longnose I see, too, but much smaller. Depending on time of year I know spots where you could catch gar after gar up to 5' definitely.

I see AG over 6'+ when I hunt Colorado and the Trinity. Haha, now that I think about it I could name two creeks where I see huge gar from time to time, but yeah, somebody'd probably go out there with a bow and be an idiot, so I won't. Last year right after the big floods I saw three that were about 7' in a single cove. I thought about coming back for them with the right tackle, but then I figured the risk of them swallowing a big treble was too great and I didn't wanna seriously injure a big fish I had no desire to clean.

FWIW, I don't think they taste all that GREAT, but they're certainly not bad. I wouldn't try to dissuade anyone from at least trying some, but maybe take something under 4'. There's plenty of meat in that size fish, and if you're someplace there are gar you're someplace there are plenty of other fish that are easy to catch.

[teen yaker]

I'm seeing bigger alligator gar. The longnose I see, too, but much smaller. Depending on time of year I know spots where you could catch gar after gar up to 5' definitely.

I see AG over 6'+ when I hunt Colorado and the Trinity. Haha, now that I think about it I could name two creeks where I see huge gar from time to time, but yeah, somebody'd probably go out there with a bow and be an idiot, so I won't. Last year right after the big floods I saw three that were about 7' in a single cove. I thought about coming back for them with the right tackle, but then I figured the risk of them swallowing a big treble was too great and I didn't wanna seriously injure a big fish I had no desire to clean.

FWIW, I don't think they taste all that great. Not bad at all, and I wouldn't try to dissuade anyone from at least trying some, but maybe take something under 4'. There's plenty of meat in that size fish, and if you're someplace there are gar you're someplace there are plenty of other fish that are easy to catch.

A family member of mine cook some gar up once (she called them gar balls). It's was really good, I wouldn't keep a gar. way to much work to cut then open and prepare them.

[Crusader]

How rare are they? They're beautiful fish, and can put up a helluva fight, but there are many times I have to switch up spots because the alligator gar are so plentiful.

They are not rare at all and typically are a nuisance. But they need rather specific environment/conditions to procreate (that is flooded grass in spring and it doesn't happen every year) -- so they are vulnerable to constant pressure. Plus it takes them like few decades (40 years?) to reach 6' length, so really large specimens are relatively rare.
Wouldn't call them beautiful -- more like stinky, slimy and ugly... but yes, they are quite unique.

P.S. "SharkBait >*)\\\><(" is beating drums because he is making money off of them. Take everything he says on this topic with a grain of salt.