Some of what we have with teeth, Gar, Bowfin, Chain Pickerel, and Gators.

some nice sized fish there, eh!!!

some nice sized fish there, eh!!!

I'll say!!!!!!!!

Where did you catch them out of? i have to remeber not to go swim there.

Nice fish...........................

They were caught in the Flint River, north and south of Albany, Georgia.  The alligator lives there also.

Gotta love those toothy critters!

Did that big gar jump during the fight?

The Gar did not jump, boiled a couple of time and headed under the boat, 3 times.  Until he boiled, I thought I had a nice bass.   Thought my rod would get broke under the boat, but he came out my side of the boat.  The smaller Gar, 2-3 feet will jump, but the larger ones head down.  All the fish, Gar and Bowfin, were caught on the trailer hook of a spinner.  

oh yeah, i've been on the flint. the gar gewt big and nasty there.

Albany, GA.  That brings back memories.  I lived there back when I was 9-10 years old.  Lived at the Naval logistics base.  My father was in the Marine Corps (Semper Fi) and I hated fishing.

Man, I didn't know what I was missing...

That' s a shame, the front pond aboard the base is, and has been for 40 years,  stocked yearly with Channel Cat.   Every year or 2 the front pond is drained and the fish are netted and placed in the back pond/swamp.  You also have some fishermen that put large cats and bass in there from other lakes.  Some people get a big surprise when the catch a 25 LP flathead there.  The back ponds has always had large bass, bream, cats, gar, and huge bowfin.

From the main gate it's no more than 15 minutes to 3 different boat ramps on the lake and river, less time from the back gate.  

I was stationed at MCLB, Albany 68-70, 71-73, 76-78, and 84-88, then I retired and stayed here.

I wonder a little why these fish are not more popular with fisherman.  If they lived in Brazil, people would be flying there to fish for them.  But since they are right under our noses, most fishermen consider them nuisances or trash fish.

Pickerel are one of the feistiest fish you can hook into.  On light tackle, a 2 lb pickerel will put a 2 lb bass to shame.  They just don't give up.

Bowfin, these things are pit bulls.  They will literally destroy plastic baits.  Pulling up a 2 lb bowfin is like pulling up a 10 lb log.  On top of that, they remain mean out of the water and will gladly snap down on a misplaced finger.  Their friggin teeth are all out of proportion to their super hard, bony head.   I love catching these fish.

 

You don't have gator gar on there. They get as big as you and they have BIG TEETH and unlike pike and other mentioned cirtters they have the bite pressure to make you sorry.

I wonder a little why these fish are not more popular with fisherman. If they lived in Brazil, people would be flying there to fish for them. But since they are right under our noses, most fishermen consider them nuisances or trash fish.

Pickerel are one of the feistiest fish you can hook into. On light tackle, a 2 lb pickerel will put a 2 lb bass to shame. They just don't give up.

Bowfin, these things are pit bulls. They will literally destroy plastic baits. Pulling up a 2 lb bowfin is like pulling up a 10 lb log. On top of that, they remain mean out of the water and will gladly snap down on a misplaced finger. Their friggin teeth are all out of proportion to their super hard, bony head. I love catching these fish.

Right on !! We have some world class pickerel here in Jersey. They are like torpedoes. Like you said, they absolutely destroy anything they get a hold of. How anyone considers them a trash fish is beyond me.

Where did you catch them out of? i have to remeber not to go swim there.

lol

I wonder a little why these fish are not more popular with fisherman. If they lived in Brazil, people would be flying there to fish for them. But since they are right under our noses, most fishermen consider them nuisances or trash fish.

Pickerel are one of the feistiest fish you can hook into. On light tackle, a 2 lb pickerel will put a 2 lb bass to shame. They just don't give up.

Bowfin, these things are pit bulls. They will literally destroy plastic baits. Pulling up a 2 lb bowfin is like pulling up a 10 lb log. On top of that, they remain mean out of the water and will gladly snap down on a misplaced finger. Their friggin teeth are all out of proportion to their super hard, bony head. I love catching these fish.

Right on !! We have some world class pickerel here in Jersey. They are like torpedoes. Like you said, they absolutely destroy anything they get a hold of. How anyone considers them a trash fish is beyond me.

How anyone considers them a trash fish is beyond me.

Couldn't agree more !

One person's trash is another's treasure.  The list of so called non gamefish is long, many of them make excellent table fare and give remarkable battles.

Especially if one is in to "catch & release" why not target some of these for some memorable moments.

WOW those are some awesome pics