Strange catch this week.

[DR.SPECKLER]

So i was out ice fishing specks the other day and i ended up hooking a gar early in the morning which broke me off because i was light lining 1lb test line.later on in the day i was reeling in a speck and a different gar came right up into the hole with its beak out of the water!!it went back down in my hole about 6" under the ice so i quickly dropped my jig towards its mouth and i sight fished and it slowly open its mouth and gently grabbed my jig.fight was on and after 5 minutes i landed it.i can't believe i got it on 1lb.ive caught pike on light line but not a gar.im from Oklahoma and if it was bigger i would tin snip the backstraps out.lol

[zcm_82]

You definitely don't see that everyday. Never caught one through the ice.

I actually don't even think I've ever seen one when ice fishing 🤔 Caught a few from the boat by accident, though.

[DR.SPECKLER]

Alot of guys think they are trash fish but its one cool species of fish, armored scales cut me up when i grabbed it out of the hole.they taste good too.like alligator,but theres only the 2 round tenderloins in them.i released this one.i have never seen a gar caught icefishing either.

[Doeslayer]

My dad catches em in the summer in dragon lake near coldwater.... He has a place there.... Ive never caught one... Never heard of getting one through ice..... Should have kept it doc might have been an ifga record for line class lol

[DR.SPECKLER]

What made it stranger was that it had its back rubbing on the bottom ice plate and i sight fished it over 22ft of water.he really wanted the speck i caught i guess.he settled for a 4 mm jig tipped with a micro nuggie.

[zcm_82]

They're weird fish. I caught one on a small grub bouncing it through a rocky riffle for smallies one time, and then a couple on little niblets of nightcrawler on the bottom fishing for redhorse. I've never actually gotten one on purpose lol.

[DR.SPECKLER]

They're weird fish. I caught one on a small grub bouncing it through a rocky riffle for smallies one time, and then a couple on little niblets of nightcrawler on the bottom fishing for redhorse. I've never actually gotten one on purpose lol.

right.i see huge schools in the river and i never get one to bite targeting them but get a few while fishing other species.

[zcm_82]

Same, see them up in shallow flats along the river sometimes. I've tossed plugs, spinnerbaits, and spoons at them and never gotten one to hit any of it.

[icefishman]

Caught one through ice in Ellsworth lake northern part of chain of lakes that flow into Torch lake 20 years ago. I haven’t seen one since

[Ronnie D]

Ditto on the ice , never saw one.
During the spring I'll walk lake Erie canals w/ an Oneida & shoot em' till my shoulder hurts.

[sebago2jigtima]

now thats kool !
nice fish 

[stevenmang85]

Awesome catch and Awesome story.  Only heard of 1 other being caught ice fishing.  I used to catch them in the summer on a local lake. They hang out in a mucky shallow bay area and I'd go wade through the muck and cast for them with plastic lizards.  Great fighting fish! So much fun.

[fishinator]

Awesome catch. We occasionally have them bite while throwing stick baits on the river. They rarely hook up which results in 3 treble hook baits flying at your face!

[ftwwalleye]

I was fly fishing in open water spot near stream on a frozen trout lake..would put tip ups on the frozen part and fly fish the open part..anyways a gar was chilling right next to me at the edge of the frozen part. He was so lethargic I reached down and grabbed him. First time I have seen one in winter..he was in a pretty dormant stage.
I love to fly fish for them in the summer. Can be a lot of fun on fly rod.

[800stealth]

That's pretty cool.

[jdgambler]

i'll have to fillet one now. I get um sometimes. You can see them swim by under my open ice fishing holes. minnows seem to be the desired bait.

[DR.SPECKLER]

i'll have to fillet one now. I get um sometimes. You can see them swim by under my open ice fishing holes. minnows seem to be the desired bait.

you use tin snips down the back and cut out the 2 tenderloins.the rest is crap with bones and not worth anything.the tenderloins are round like deer loins.a knife will not cut the armor like scales.

[Carpn]

Had a day on sag bay back in about 2018 we kept having gar ghost thru a couple feet under the ice . Finally one cane thru and I saw my flasher start flickering . So I reeled up super fast and as it floated under me I snagged it under the bill .

The really odd part is on that save day I caught a freshwater drum thru the ice . I was pretty convinced they lived in groundhog holes during winter . I joked with my buddies that I was gonna catch a carp next to complete my slam that day .

[Doeslayer]

I catch drum through the ice a lot... Caught 3 today

[Carpn]

That's crazy . My experience has been that they seem to disappear once the water cools off . May I ask what type of habitat you caught them in?

I have honestly lost sleep wondering where they go Oct to May . Lol

I mainly fish lake Erie tho .

[RapShack]

Same, see them up in shallow flats along the river sometimes. I've tossed plugs, spinnerbaits, and spoons at them and never gotten one to hit any of it.

Spooks drive them crazy but the only way you'll ever really catch them is to swap out the rear treble for a piece of synthetic rope.

[ftwwalleye]

Spooks drive them crazy but the only way you'll ever really catch them is to swap out the rear treble for a piece of synthetic rope.

I actually catch them with really flashy flies or top water frog style flies in heavy weed cover in the summer. Gotta let them grab it and count 3 seconds before you set the hook...and really set again. Half the time when you get them in they are not even hooked just holding onto the fly. But I agree rope flies work best. Essentially I make Wooley bugger flies from synthetic rope with no hook. Teeth get tangled up. They are so fun to catch on the fly rod minus the part where they bury in heavy weeds after they get hooked.

[Fish Killa]

I caught a gar two winters ago thru the ice. Hit my teardrop with spikes. Little guy was only about 12". All snout and tail!

[DanO2013]

Holy crap that's a wild time man.  And you caught it!! Did you try to grab it the first time initially when it came up beak first in the hole?

[DR.SPECKLER]

Holy crap that's a wild time man.  And you caught it!! Did you try to grab it the first time initially when it came up beak first in the hole?

no.i was busy unhooking the nice speck that it wanted when its beak  was out and it all happened fast, plus i wasnt grabbing it by the head with all those teeth.i thought about it tho.lol.