What is the best rig for alligator gar?

The most common setup used in Texas is cut common carp placed on a 3/0 treble hook or J-hook. Considering the potential size of an alligator gar, fishermen are often inclined to use a larger hook; however, hook sizes of 4/0 or larger increase the likelihood of mortality when deep hooked.

What’s the heaviest alligator gar ever caught on record?

327 pounds
The Alligator Gar: World Record Catch The largest alligator gar ever caught weighed 327 pounds and was captured in 2001.

What is good bait for gar?

carp
Bait commonly used for alligator gar are carp, gizzard shad, smallmouth buffalo, and mullet. To decide which bait to use, it’s best to choose the one most common in the area you are fishing. For rivers and lakes, gizzard shad and carp are usually best.

How old is a 6 foot alligator gar?

Hefner explained how to age a catch. “A 1-year-old alligator gar will measure 18 to 24 inches,” he said. “They reach 5 feet in roughly 12 years, and then they hit a wall, growing only about 1⁄2 inch every year after that. So a 6-footer can be anywhere from 35 to 45 years old.

How did Dawson Hefner learn to catch alligator garfish?

Dawson Hefner learned how to catch alligator garfish when he was a teenagers, landing his first alligator gar when he was 16 years old by drifting a chunk of freshwater drum under a Coke bottle in Texas’s Sabine River.

Is it true that gar fish attack humans?

“Fact is, there has never been a verified gar attack on a human. The occasional bites that get reported turn out to be from actual alligators, not gar. These fish care only about eating what they can swallow, which is smaller forage.”

What do gar fish eat?

“The majority of their diet consists of rough fish, like carp and shad,” Bennett said. “They’re opportunistic feeders, so they’re going to eat what swims within reach of the bottom. Bass are stationary, which means a gar would have to hunt them down.