Gar Fever - Sponsored by AMS Bowfishing

A large lateral glow began to take shape at the edge of my lights. As the boat approached quietly, I broke the silence, "Get ready boys!" My body tensed as I began to point out the fish to my clients.

"It can't be? That's a tree, It's gotta be a tree! You're just tired Jack! There's no way! It's too big to be a fish!" All three clients dismissed the apparition now only fifty feet away! But as I slowly closed the distance, mouths began to drop! Hunters now whispered! Hearts began to beat in slow motion inside their throats! Three hunters came to full draw almost simultaneously at the sight of an eight foot alligator gar! "Wait", I barked, "Not yet." I began to turn the boat slightly for a better position and closer shot. "If she starts to go before I call for the shot, take her!!" All nodded in unison. Twenty feet, fifteen, now less than ten feet! "One......two......three!!!!!

What happened next took an e t e r n i t y to transpire. All three shots entered the water simultaneously with a splash! With one sudden thrust, the fish bolted straight under the boat. "Who's got her?" I pleaded, as I turned the boat 180 degrees to chase the fish. No answer. Not a word. Everyone looked at each other in disbelief! "Did you all miss that fish?" Again, no answer.

Silence overtook the boat once again. One of the hunters sat down quietly on the security rail that borders my deck. He slowly pulled a cigarette from his jacket, lit it, and sat quietly without saying much for the next fifteen minutes. His brother-in-law knelt on the deck and peered endlessly at the water as if in prayer. The other hunter took up stargazing while all of them contemplated what they had just witnessed! Soon the silence broke with the question, "How did we miss a fish with the girth of a 32 gallon trash can?" "Easy!" I said, "Gar Fever my friends, Gar Fever!!!!"

I wish I could tell you that this was an isolated incident, but I would be lying! The truth is that a lot of the people miss the first time they see a monster fish! Most customers have never seen fish as big as the one I have described, especially not in fresh water! Very often, the fish are mistaken for trees in the water, only to be realized as trophy gar when they are all too close! The result, quick forced shots! Some times they hit and sometimes they don’t.

So what happens when we hit a big fish? What do we do? What can we expect? I get these questions a lot! Imagine if you will, trying to stop a locomotive with a thirty yard lasso! That should give you a fair idea of what its like to fight a big alligator gar. Although their runs are fairly short, you can count on them to be very powerful. These fish have huge tails and a body that is streamlined, built for propulsion. They can fight for long periods of time, especially in open or warm water. Last year, I had a fish pull my twenty foot boat around for 30 minutes before finally being subdued and landed.

Although bouts with these huge fish can vary, the technique employed by Extreme Bowfishing does not. Once a fish is arrowed, a split second decision must be made on how to proceed that is based on shot placement, arrow penetration, and water conditions. Here are some simple guidelines to improve your odds of landing a monster gar.

Only use a float in open water situations or if you're concerned about being pulled overboard. Use of floats in timber or near weed beds will lead to lost gear and more importantly lost fish!

I prefer to gaff large fish. This allows me to control the business end of the fish at all times. Nooses are great on smaller fish, but fail to control the movement of large fish entirely.

That is what makes bowfishing monster gar special! That kind of rush can only come from hunting something bigger and meaner than you are! Gar Fever!