I was fishing off my dock yesterday when a 3' gar slowly swam by breaking the top of the water with it's fins. I was casting a crankbait all around him which he didn't even look at. Any suggestion on baits for hooking one of these monsters?

I always caught them as a by- product of Wild or Hybrid Shiner fishing, in Fl... But I really have no other ideal on it.

I've caught them before on big, white (3/4 - 1oz.) bucktail jigs, flutter spoons, pretty much anything white and/or flashy. People catch them on a piece of un-raveled nylon rope. I wouldn't throw anything expensive at them though, they'll destroy baits in a hurry.

 

Tom

Good to know thanks for the advice.

Live baitfish or cutbait works really well. My preferred bait for gar is a fiberglass arrow with a barbed tip though 

I catch them on Night Crawlers sometimes. Most of time they just steal the bait. People fly fish with the nylon rope method.

Xraps, or Flukes. They always seem to go after those fish style baits.

Sight cast with pieces of fresh cut bait, gotta let them swallow it because their mouth is 100% bone and hard to hook. 12 or 15lb test leader should be fine, their teeth just stab, they don't slice. #6 or #4 light wire hook, unless you are fishing for giants  (I only fish for long nose gar, haven't caught any over 7 or 8lbs)