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Do you want to fish for garfish? Would you like to learn how to catch garfish? Do you relish the thrill and excitement of a fishing adventure with garfish? Garfish is a freshwater fish that inhabits North America. In this article, we will share information about garfish, fishing methods, fishing tips, and equipment to help you be successful when you fish for gar.
Table of Contents
Types of Garfish
1. Alligator Gar
The alligator gar is the largest member of the gar family; hence, it was named alligator gar.
2. Spotted Gar
The spotted gar has dark spots on its head, body, and fins. It is a smaller species than the alligator gar.
3. Longnose Gar
The longnose gar has a large snout that is used to identify it. Its snout is more than twice the length of the rest of its head. It is second in size to the alligator gar.
4. Shortnose Gar
The shortnose gar is known for its snout which is shorter and broader than the other species of gar.
5. Florida Gar
This gar is found in Florida and is often mistaken for the spotted gar.
How To Catch Garfish
1. Sight fishing
Sight fishing can be used to catch garfish. When you spot garfish, cast in front of it using topwater plugs. Your patience will be put to the utmost test when fishing garfish with topwater plugs.
2. Fly Fishing
Fly fishing is another fishing method that can be used to catch garfish. Catching garfish by fly fishing will put your fly fishing skills to the test.
3. Trolling
Trolling can also be used to catch garfish. When trolling, you slowly move the boat, at 2 to 4 knots, and attach the line with the bait to the back of the boat. When a fish strikes, take the line and reel it in. Live bait is the best for trolling but you can also use lures.
Garfish Fishing Setup
A regular fishing rod and reel with a 15- to 25-pound test line will work for regular garfish. For bigger gars, like 20 pounds or more, you will need heavy tackle with a 30- to 80-pound test line. A strong and sturdy fishing rod and reel with an excellent drag will work.
Best Bait For Garfish
1. Shiners
Live shiners work well as bait for garfish.
2. Perch
Live perch like shiners, scad, and carp work well for garfish fishing.
3. Scad
Live scad, perch, shiners, and perch are great baits for garfish fishing.
4. Sprats
prats work well as bait when suspended under a float.
5. Sand Eels
Sand eels are effective baits for garfish
6. Prawns
Prawns are one of the best baits for fishing for garfish.
7. Ragworms
Ragworms, lugworms, and prawns are effective baits for garfish.
8. Minnows
Minnows work well to catch garfish.
9. Pilchards
Pilchards are excellent bait for garfish.
10. Silverfish
Strips of silverfish work well when targeting garfish.
Best Garfish Lure
1. Spinners
Spinners are very effective when fishing for garfish as they almost always will go for spinners.
2. Topwater Plugs
Using topwater plugs and being patient will yield good results when fishing for garfish.
Garfish Fishing Tips
1. Garfish can be found at the surface and mid-water levels of water area that has small fish.
2. Garfish is often found in the company of shoals of mackerel.
3. When fishing for garfish, the brighter the lure, the better.
4. Some of the best waters to catch garfish are bayous, sluggish delta rivers, and oxbow lakes.
5. Stream bends, quiet backwater pools, the mouths of in-flowing tributaries, and lock and dam tailwaters are other bodies of water where you can find garfish.
6. You can catch garfish using still fishing, fly fishing, or bow fishing.
7. Bait, lures, and flies can be used to catch garfish.
8. Dawn and dusk during the hot summer months is the best time to catch garfish.
9. You can also find garfish around piers, break walls, reefs, weeds, and over the rubble.
10. You can catch garfish in the incoming tide although they can be fished at all cycles of the tide.
11. Cast the lure in front of the garfish close to its head as the garfish does not have good vision.
12. Use a large 9/0 or 10/0 J-hook or strong treble-hook to hook a garfish as it is a difficult fish to hook because its jaw and mouth are all hard bones and teeth.
13. Using a fish handling glove when you grab a garfish by the snout is a good idea.
14. Bow fishing, topwater tactics, trolling, fly fishing, and using a nylon rope are some of the fishing methods used to catch garfish.
The Bottom Line
Garfish is a uniquely shaped fish that is powerful and catching it is one of the exciting challenges that anglers relish. You can find garfish in dams, bayous, slow-moving stream bends, backwater creeks, and lake edges close to woody and weedy cover.
In this article, we share information like fishing methods, tips, and equipment to help you be successful when fishing for garfish. If you are interested in catching bonefish, bowfin, and bonito, then read how to catch bonefish, how to catch bowfin, how to catch permit, and how to catch bonito.
