Alligator Gar Fishing Tips

Top Fishing Techniques to Boost Your Gar Fishing in Texas

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 01:14:26 GMT

Top Fishing Techniques to Boost Your Gar Fishing in Texas

Most anglers waste hours without landing a single gar in Texas waters. You know the frustration of watching those long, sharp fish slip away just as you think you’ve got them. This guide shares proven fishing techniques that will boost your gar fishing in Texas and sharpen your outdoor fishing skills for a true Texas fishing adventure. Learn more here.

Essential Gar Fishing Tips

Let's dive into some key strategies that will help you reel in those elusive gar. From choosing the right bait to mastering your casting technique, these tips are your ticket to a successful fishing day.

Effective Fishing Techniques

Catching gar calls for skill and patience. Start by using the right bait. Gar love live bait, so try using fish like shad or sunfish. Bait makes a huge difference.

Once you've got the bait, aim for a spot near the surface. Gar often swim just below the water's edge. Keep your line taut and be ready to set the hook the moment they bite. Remember, gar have tough mouths, so a strong hookset is essential.

Casting is another skill you need to master. Practice long casts to reach the deeper waters where gar like to linger. Short casts are useful too, especially near structures where gar hide. Having both techniques at your disposal increases your chances of success.

Enhancing Your Fishing Experience

The right equipment can enhance your day on the water. A sturdy rod and reel are crucial. Choose a medium-heavy rod for strength and flexibility. It should be long enough to give you the casting distance you'll need.

Your line should be strong too. Gar are fighters, and a weak line will break easily. Use a braided line—50-pound test is a good starting point.

Don't forget comfort. A long day on the water is easier with the right gear. Wear a hat for sun protection and bring plenty of water. A comfortable chair can be a great addition too.

Best Fishing Spots in Texas

Where you fish can be as important as how you fish. Texas offers some fantastic gar fishing locations that are worth exploring. The Trinity River is renowned for its large gar population. You might even see some true giants here!

Lake Livingston is another prime location. This lake is vast, with plenty of spots where gar like to hang out. Fishing here can be a real adventure, with beautiful views to enjoy as you cast your line.

Don't overlook smaller spots either. Local ponds and creeks often hide some great catches. Exploring these lesser-known areas can lead to surprising success.

By following these tips and choosing the right spots, you’re all set to boost your gar fishing success in Texas. Remember, the key is preparation and practice. Happy fishing! For more insights, check out this gar fishing guide.

Living Dinosaur : 7 Fascinating Facts About the Alligator Gar

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 22:48:44 GMT

Living Dinosaur : 7 Fascinating Facts About the Alligator Gar

Step aside, T-Rex. There’s another ancient predator still ruling the waters of North America. Lurking in the slow-moving rivers, swamps, and bayous from the Mississippi River basin to the Gulf Coast of Mexico is a fish that looks like it swam straight out of the Cretaceous period. Meet the alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula)—a magnificent, misunderstood, and truly fascinating creature.

With a long, broad snout reminiscent of an alligator and a body armored in diamond-shaped scales, the alligator gar is a true river monster. But beyond its intimidating appearance lies a story of incredible survival and unique adaptations. Let's dive into some of the most amazing facts about this living fossil.

1. They Are Genuine Living Fossils

When we say "living fossil," we mean it. The alligator gar's lineage stretches back over 157 million years into the Late Jurassic period. This means their ancestors were swimming in primeval waters when dinosaurs like Stegosaurus and Allosaurus roamed the Earth. They have changed very little over the eons, making them a stunning window into our planet's distant past.

2. They Are One of North America's Largest Freshwater Fish

The alligator gar is a giant. While many average around 5 to 6 feet, they can reach truly monstrous proportions. The official world record, caught in Mississippi's Lake Chotard in 2011, weighed a staggering 327 pounds and measured 8 feet, 5 inches long! It's estimated that this behemoth was between 90 and 100 years old. Their slow growth and long lifespan mean the largest individuals are often incredibly old.

3. Their Scales Are Natural Body Armor

Forget chainmail. Alligator gar are equipped with a nearly impenetrable coat of armor made of ganoid scales. These are not like the flexible scales of most modern fish. Ganoid scales are thick, interlocking, diamond-shaped plates made of a bone-like material covered in a hard, enamel-like substance called ganoine. This armor is so effective that it can even deflect small-caliber bullets and protect the gar from other predators. Historically, Native Americans used these durable scales as arrowheads and jewelry.

4. They Can Breathe Air

One of the alligator gar's most remarkable survival traits is its ability to breathe both air and water. While they have gills like any other fish, they also possess a highly vascularized swim bladder that connects to their throat and functions much like a primitive lung. This allows them to surface and gulp air, enabling them to survive in warm, stagnant, or low-oxygen waters where other fish would perish. This is a key adaptation that has helped them thrive for millions of years.

5. Two Rows of Teeth in a Powerful Jaw

The "alligator" in their name is well-earned. Their broad, powerful jaws are lined with not one, but two rows of sharp, needle-like teeth in their upper jaw. This formidable dental arrangement is perfect for their hunting style. As ambush predators, they lie perfectly still, waiting for unsuspecting prey—like fish, waterfowl, or small mammals—to swim by. With a lightning-fast whip of its head, the gar impales its victim with its teeth before swallowing it whole.

6. Their Eggs Are Poisonous to Mammals and Birds

As a defense mechanism to protect their future generations, the eggs (roe) of the alligator gar are toxic to most animals, including humans, mammals, and birds. The eggs contain an ichthyotoxin, a type of defensive poison. This clever evolutionary strategy ensures that would-be predators think twice before raiding a gar's nest, giving the vulnerable eggs a better chance of hatching.

7. They're Not the Monsters People Think

Despite their fearsome appearance, alligator gars are not a significant threat to humans. There are no confirmed cases of an alligator gar killing a person. They are generally shy and will avoid human interaction. While their size and teeth demand respect, they are often scapegoated for declines in sport fish populations. In reality, they are apex predators that play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy, balanced aquatic ecosystem by preying on weak or overabundant species.

A Survivor Worth Protecting

For decades, alligator gar were considered "trash fish" and were subject to unregulated fishing and even targeted eradication campaigns. Today, however, scientists and conservationists recognize their ecological importance and incredible history. These magnificent survivors have outlasted the dinosaurs, navigated ice ages, and adapted to an ever-changing world. The alligator gar isn't just a fish; it's a living relic, a testament to resilience, and a true dragon of our American waterways. Let's give this ancient marvel the respect it deserves.

How to catch big alligator gar. What you need to catch the big ones.

bubbabedre@yahoo.com (Bubba Bedre) — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 23:55:34 GMT

How to catch alligator gar. What you need to have to go gar fishing.

I am Bubba Bedre, a professional alligator gar guide for over 17 years. I get asked all the time what is the best way to catch alligator gar and how to rig up. So here is what you need to know to catch big alligator gar.

Equipment :

7.5 Mh rod spinning or casting reels will work

At Least 250 yards of 80-100lb. braid

2/0-4/0 trebal hook

90-150lb leader material , crimps, crimping pliers , 150lb swivel and optional slip float. ( link below to buy pre made leaders by us )

Bait: cut bait works the best use any non game species like carp, buffalo, sucker fish.

Rig your leaders up at least 30" long with a treble hook on one end and a heavy duty swivel on the other. you want cut your bait in at least 4"x4" chunks and fish on the bottom like for catfish but without a weight. Big gar tend to drop the bait if they sense or feel a big weight on it. If you have to use a sinker try to not go bigger the 2oz. Let the gar run for awhile before you set the hook.Visit the link below to order some pre made leaders by us. Good luck and FISHON ! Capt. Bubba Bedre

Get Your Hooks And Leaders Here

https://www.garfish-texas.com/store/

From then to now why I practice catch and release.

bubbabedre@yahoo.com (Bubba Bedre) — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 21:53:40 GMT

Why I practice catch and release and support conservation.

I grew up in the Trinity River bottom. My whole life has revolved around hunting and fishing there. I remember when you never even seen a boat on the river for weeks at time and the Alligator Gar were so thick in parts of the river it would seem like you could walk across them on the tops of there backs. Those days we killed every alligator gar we had the chance to kill. It was rumored that they eat all the game fish and we wanted to rid the river of them. One thing led to another. Now we have found a new way to kill them and it was fun and some what sporting. A cross between bow hunting and fishing. The sport took off fast. Wasn’t long everyone was wanting to come shoot one of these monster alligator with a bow. It wasn’t easy. You had to really know what you were doing to get up and close to shoot a big fish. Now the time is about 2007. The internet is growing and people from across the country and world are starting to hear rumors of this giant fresh water half alligator half fish creature that you can go kill in Texas. I now find myself guiding bowfishing trips. Having fun doing what I like to do and make a little pocket change to boot. That’s when we caught the attention of icon films from Europe. They contacted me and wanted to film the alligator gar with some guy named Jeremy Wade. I had never heard of this guy. So be it his show was a hit Success called River Monster , and aired on Animal Planet all over the world. Now we have anglers and bow fishermen alike traveling across the globe to see this prehistoric freak of a fish. Now I am now seeing other anglers, guides , and bow fishermen all over the once remote stretch of river. All trying to get a glimpse of this monster. Fishing holes that once held unbelievable amounts of fish are disappearing. I now find myself working harder to produce big fish for my guest. That’s when I realized and seen first hand the effect my hand played in the role of nature. I put my bow down and went catch and release only. I realized if we didn’t slow down on killing these really big fish that over time it would be to late. My days of running the river and not seeing a boat for weeks are now gone. The Trinity River has now turned into the most popular place in the world to go after alligator gar. I am seeing bowfishing tournaments bringing in people from across the county all set on killing as many of the big fish the law allows. I see numbers declining. Once good fishing spots with no fish there. I am traveling 30 miles of river just to keep my success rate as high as it use to be when I only had to fish 7 miles away from the boat ramp. I am seeing all this because I have seen what it was like before there was all of that. If you didn’t grow up on this stretch of river 40 years ago then you do not know what it used to be like. Now is the time we all need to set our differences aside. come together to protect the alligator gar for all likes of sportsmen. Texas is the best place in the world for trophy alligator gar. If we intend sustain enough big alligator gar for the growing population to enjoy then we must start with some kind of regulations
that benefit us all.

Capt. Bubba Bedre

Garzilla Guide Service

Congratulations Capt. Cody

bubbabedre@yahoo.com (Bubba Bedre) — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 02:29:06 GMT

Capt. Cody Cryer going on six years guiding for Garzilla Guide Service

Photo above of Captian Cody and Famous Japanese actor filming Tv show.

It has been brought to attention that we "sub contract beginner guides". Everyone sees the glory moments , but they don't see what happens behind the scenes. Let me introduce you to Cap. Cody. He has been guiding for us going on 6 years now and has earned my respect as a top alligator gar guide. Cody like myself has come from a bow fishing back ground that he has given up to pursue his passion of catch and release and conservation. With his past knowledge of bow fishing "knowing how to find fish" combined with all my knowledge of gar fishing has molded Cody into a exceptional guide that will deliver big fish in the worst of conditions. Capt Cody has been behind the scenes in almost all my major shows, Scouting location, catching bait ,helping with the film crew. I just want to say thank you for being part of our team.

Capt. Cody far right, Fred Lavitman center, Bubba Bedre left.
Filming Trevor Gowdys Monster Fish on Lake Livingston. We caught this fish in one of the holes Cody scouted for the show.

Cody with some newly weds that choose to go gar fishing on there honey moon.

The first Tv show Cody helped me with. He looked like a kid back then. We were filming Deadly 60 with Steve Backshall

Winter River Catfishing Tips

bubbabedre@yahoo.com (Bubba Bedre) — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 03:12:07 GMT

How to rig up and find big winter catfish in the river.

Winter catfishing is the best time of year to catch big fish. The nasty cold winter days with a over cast ,when you just want to sit in the house by the fireplace, that's when you need to be in your boat looking for a trophy catfish. I am gonna tell you in a short and quick way how to get out there and find them big fish in the winter. I specialize in river fishing so all my techniques are based off of that. lets start off with the rite kind of tackle and gear you will need. Now keep in mind we are targeting big fish so you need to go prepared with the rite gear to handle them. I normally use my same garfishing tackle for catfish but it is a bit of over kill. This is what you need to have.

7' Ugly Stick medium heavy rod
Abu Garcia 6500 c3 reel
High -Vis monofilament line at least 50lb
Clear monofilament line 80lb (for leader)
Trokar 8/0 and 10/0 Kahle hook
Flat bank no roll sinkers 6oz-10oz (depends on river current)
Barrel swivels 1/0
Rod holders
Garmin sonar with side vu (optional)

Catching bait is probably the hardest part of this and with all fishing. You want to use for bait something that is natural to the area you will be fishing. Here is a list of my favorite bait to use for river catfish.

Live bait (brim, perch,Blue gill,sun fish)
Gizzard shad
Cut bait (carp, Buffalo)

I like to use the Carolina rig. Run your main line to a swivel with your weight on the top of the swivel. running a couple beads between the weight and swivel is a good idea but not necessary. Run a 16-24" leader (80lb mono) to your Kahle hook. Now you are all set and ready to go fishing The next step is to get out there and find rite spot to start fishing. Ideally you want the water temperature in the mid 40s. That's when the fish will be heading to to there winter hold up holes. Normally a deep hole or bend in the river with bait close by. That's the key (bait close by). In the winter they don't like to move much but prefer to be in deep water so you want to find a deep hole in the river with bait near by. This is where the sonar comes in. What I like to do is scan the river looking for deep hole with structure in it while watching for bait. When you find your spot with all that in it keep your eye open on the sonar for a big fish on the bottom. you would then want to anchor up river from the structure and fan cast your baits back down river. Give it 30 minutes and if you don't get a bite go look for another spot and change your baits out. Keep moving don't stay in one place to long even if your seeing fish there. They just not might not be biting there but you go around the bend and they just may be hungry there. Hope this helps you out on your next winter fishing trip and good luck .

Rope Lure For Gar?

bubbabedre@yahoo.com (Bubba Bedre) — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 02:30:18 GMT

Rope lure for gar?

Did you know you can catch a gar with just a piece of rope with no hook? This technique only works on long nose gar , spotted gar and juvenile alligator gar. I have tested it on adult alligator gar with no success. They would take the bait but as soon as they could tell it was not something good to eat they would blow it out there mouth and the rope fibers would not get tangled in there teeth. The best way to fish rope lures for gar is by sight fishing, and by fly rod. You would want to cast you lure in front of the fish to get its attention then as the fish pursued the bait you would want to keep it just far enough in front of the fish so it can't smell it. If the gar ever gets close enough to nip the bait and tell its not something to eat then it will loose interest. What you want to do is keep teasing the gar tell it just explodes on it. Then you get them.

The best way to make a rope lure is out of 2-3" of nylon rope. Take the rope and burn one end so it don't fray. Then unravel the rope tell it gets reel fine. Have you ever had a sticker bur get tangled up in your shoe string or frayed piece of nylon rope? Well that's what you want your rope lure to be like. You want it to get tangled up in there teeth like a sticker bur. So next time your out fishing and run across a school of long nose gar cut you a Piece of rope from your anchor line and make a quick lure and try it out.

BEST BAIT FOR ALLIGATOR GAR

bubbabedre@yahoo.com (Bubba Bedre) — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 23:19:32 GMT

The best bait for alligator gar fishing.

Choosing the best bait for alligator gar and when to use it is key to a successful gar fishing trip. Our top choice for alligator gar are, common carp, gizzard shad, and mullet. Now when is the best time to use each bait? That all depends where you are fishing ,type of water, ether brackish , river ,or lakes. You will want to use the one that is present where your fishing and you know the fish are feeding on them. For example mullet will not do as good way up river where there is not any mullet as to using it where there are. Gizzard shad and carp work better in river and lakes. I like to use carp for river fishing due to the weight of the bait and it holds on the bottom better then a lighter piece of bait like shad. When fishing in a lake ether on the bottom or with a float I would choose whole shad. If you have any questions or suggestions on a topic just comment below. For proven gar fishing gear click here.

Marry Christmas

bubbabedre@yahoo.com (Bubba Bedre) — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 02:03:58 GMT

Marry Christmas from The Bedre Family

We all want to wish you a Marry Christmas and Happy New Year from all us here at Garzilla Guide Service. FISH ON!

Best Hook for Gar?

bubbabedre@yahoo.com (Bubba Bedre) — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 04:04:04 GMT

Whats the best hook for alligator gar fishing?

Now that's a good question I get asked all the time. There are several different answers depending on the style of fishing and hook set you prefer. I am gonna tell you what works for me 99% of the time . Eagle Claw 974m hook In a 4/0 is my favorite go to hook any time. You can catch any size gar on that hook from 1lb to 300 it will land them all. Its a 2x hook so you can bend it if you get hung up and if you are practicing catch and release and they swallow the hook, it will dissolve in there system pretty quick. Try to stay away from the 4x and stainless hooks if your going to release the fish. UNTLL NEXTTIME TIGHT LINES

HOW FAR WE HAVE COME

bubbabedre@yahoo.com (Bubba Bedre) — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 03:40:04 GMT

We have come a long way since it all started.

I can remember 10 years ago when I decided to start fishing professionally. I was 32 years old, and There was only one other guide service offering catch and release alligator gar trips . Now look how much the sport has grown. There has got to be at least a dozen guides out there now. All popping up in the last 5 years . I posted my first gar fishing video to YouTube in 2008 and now its got over 1.3m views and here is the link to check that out. https://youtu.be/mil1pe_cF_U We have come a long way since them days. Every trip I am always exploring and trying new methods to catch the gar. I can say I have caught them with Snare lines using no hooks and even caught them on a plain piece of rope. if you got a idea on how we should try to catch one next leave us a comment. May be you idea will work. until next time Tight Lines