So we just had a house built in a nearby town and moved in May 1. It put me about an extra 8 miles from my usual spots. However I just found out today that we live about 5 minutes from a huge river here in NC called Cape Fear River. This 202 mile river has large mouth bass, warmouth,red ears, crappie, gar, and more! So I can load my kayak in there at a 24/7 access port with ease. I usually fish for LMB but I want to land some other fish too there. I wonder if they will all hit the same lures at LMB do??? Also, I can't wait to see my Lowrance pick up readings deeper than the usual pond depths of 3-15 feet. :-)

I once caught an alligator gar on a hula popper.  It took 30 minutes and the eventual killing of the fish to get the hooks out.  Crazy.

Good luck with that new spot! I always love when I move and see all the new fishing spots that I find.

I'm so pumped!!! Thanks!

Where exactly in NC have you moved to?  The NE Cape Fear runs through my tiny town of Burgaw, NC and is loaded w/just about everything...largemouth, all types of pan fish, crappie, blue, channel and flathead cats, pickerel, gar and the unfortunately hooked too often blackfish (that's what they call them around here; proper name is bowfin).

Angier, NC off hwy 210

Get an UL spinning rod with some 4lb test to chase after the panfish, crappies are GOOD eating. For gar I usually sight fish, just use small pieces of cut bait with no weight and drift it by them, they are a lot of fun. 

You might also want to look into a wire leader if you go looking for gar.  They tend to shred anything else.

Yeah, I heard about the wire leader with gars. They do tend to chomp right through the regular line.