Any NY gar fishermen?

[fontona19]

Make sure the camera is rolling. Injury or not it would make a great video. 

[fishnmachine]

My money's on blood.......

[skinny40]

I fished from a canoe since I was a kid. I have caught over 50 pike and several steelhead and a few salmon. Never even a scratch. I kept a lot of the pike. But I net them and use pliers to remove hooks and just dump them out. Not big on pictures. Its can be safe if you are careful. I even caught a 15+lb snapping turtle once. I just cut the line and he swam away with a circle hook in his tounge and a few feet of line. Also I wear a life preserver...not so I don't drown, just so I can hold my pole after I tip. Lol

[trapper2000]

i too have  fished a lot  from a  canoe ...theres a  big difference in a  canoe  you  are  in a  seat above the  floor  in a  kayak you sitting on the  floor  now  think about  the  room ...and  unless you want the  fish on your lap  you are  reaching extending your  arms  ....it can be  done .  but  some things  in my opinion and i have a  few  years of  experience  i  think the  kayak is  not the  most reasonable choice  is all....first thing i  would get a  good  fish grip  not a  plastic one  ...i  use  these  a lot on bluefish now .... and  although a  rope fly is a great fly for  gar i wouldn't use  one in the  yak it  would  be  really hard to  release the fish ....second  is  to realize gar pike  really do get mean and  really will try  hard to bite  just like a  bluefish ... good luck  with your project  oh  maybe  ya  should carry a  first aid  kit and  make  sure  your tetnus shot is up to date  .....have  fun 

[fishnmachine]

Unlike northern pike, steelhead, or salmon, a gar's teeth are exposed along its bill. That's where the trouble lies.  They will attack and thrash violently. As Trapper said, in a kayak you're sitting low and right at their level. It wouldn't take much and you've got 4 ft of pizzed off prehistoric hell flailing a foot long snout of those razor sharp needles in your lap. Good luck.

[skinny40]

You can take a piece of poly irrigation pipe and cut a slit in it and slide it down the line to free the rope fly. I wouldn't tell any body to go catch them in a kayak. But I wouldn't say not to, if you know how to use a kayak and how to release gar. I never caught any really big gar. But regardless. If it was going to be a problem. I net them and get back to shore and deal with it there. A lot of this depends on if we are talking about a $99 Walmart kayak or a real "fishing kayak". There are a lot of people out there in them. It could be deadly or smooth as silk. Depends on the kayak.

[trapper2000]

I have  a  heritage  12  feather lite  and  a  ocean prowler  I  got used  i'm  not sure  why the  wal mart  or  the  a  cheaper kayak isn't a  real kayak .... one  of the  best  kayaks I  ever  had  was a  "cheap" otter they are all made  out of  recycled  laundry  detergent bottles  anyways..... now  before  this  goes  any further  no one is telling anyone  what to  do or  not to do ....we were asked  to voice  our opinions  by a  new  member that  states he's never even caught a  gar .....no this isn't ice shanty   this is  myfishfinder  and it's  not about  fighting  it's about  honest solid advice on  how to  do something   and  how to be safe ..... joel seems  like  a  really  nice  guy  and I  wish him all the  luck in the  world  if  he  cares  to  take a  trip i'll  put him on some huge  gars  this summer 

[rgfixit]

I've looked at Walmart Kayaks. Look fine to me. Never seen one for $99 though. Let me know if you do. I could use a deal like that.

Rg

[Joel Spring]

i too have  fished a lot  from a  canoe ...theres a  big difference in a  canoe  you  are  in a  seat above the  floor  in a  kayak you sitting on the  floor  now  think about  the  room ...and  unless you want the  fish on your lap  you are  reaching extending your  arms  ....it can be  done .  but  some things  in my opinion and i have a  few  years of  experience  i  think the  kayak is  not the  most reasonable choice  is all....first thing i  would get a  good  fish grip  not a  plastic one  ...i  use  these  a lot on bluefish now .... and  although a  rope fly is a great fly for  gar i wouldn't use  one in the  yak it  would  be  really hard to  release the fish ....second  is  to realize gar pike  really do get mean and  really will try  hard to bite  just like a  bluefish ... good luck  with your project  oh  maybe  ya  should carry a  first aid  kit and  make  sure  your tetnus shot is up to date  .....have  fun 

In my fishing kayak, I'm not sitting on the floor.   You really need to check out the newer angling kayaks!

[Joel Spring]

No, we're not talking a Walmart kayak.   We're talking a full-sized, fully-outfitted 12' fishing kayak.   All of this is by way of getting more photos for a kayak-fishing book I have coming out in 2017.    Trust me, the kayak fishing community is huge, and growing and "catching fish from a kayak" isn't at all the same thing as full-blown kayak fishing.   If you don't know, you just have to trust me on this.    Trapper, I appreciate you worrying about my well-being, lol, but there's a whole big world of kayak fishing out there.    I encourage everyone to look into it (not just so I sell books).   It's a great way to access a lot of water that other boats can't navigate, yet the new kayaks are also plenty stable to be out on big water (Lake Ontario in my case) as well.    Here's my last toothy critter in my fishing kayak.   No blood.   No lost fingers.  lol. 

[trapper2000]

oh I been kayaking  since  the early 70's my  first  yak I made  in  boy scouts   canvas  and banana oil plans  were  from  a popular mechanics  book  or  boys life I can't  remember   yup  kayaks  have  come a  long ways  without  doubt  I  would  say  I  have  gotten into back water places I never could have  with  anything  else  ... fished  salt water  too ....but make  no mistake i'm not concerned  about  you at all ,your a  big  guy and  are going to do what ever ya want  ...and that's great .....I do worry  about  inexperienced   people  especially  children and young adults .....like I  stated  before  I  have   two fully set up  yaks  a  12 foot  sit in heritage featherlight  and  a   ocean prowler ....I  don't  think mine  are  considered   wal-mat  kayaks  although I  would   use  one  in a  heart beat ....I  am not telling you in anyway  what or  what not to do ....you do what you think is best ....I simply gave my opinion (that you asked  for)my opinion comes  from  about  50 years   in a  yak  and  having  caught   big gars ....if  you don't like the  advice ignore it   but maybe  some  teenager  won't  drag one  in a  yak and  end  up  hurt now ......... now  I ment it  good  luck  to you and have  fun  and  I have  no problem  fishing big water  or  putting  pike or  blues  in the  yak

[Joel Spring]

oh I been kayaking  since  the early 70's my  first  yak I made  in  boy scouts   canvas  and banana oil plans  were  from  a popular mechanics  book  or  boys life I can't  remember   yup  kayaks  have  come a  long ways  without  doubt  I  would  say  I  have  gotten into back water places I never could have  with  anything  else  ... fished  salt water  too ....but make  no mistake i'm not concerned  about  you at all ,your a  big  guy and  are going to do what ever ya want  ...and that's great .....I do worry  about  inexperienced   people  especially  children and young adults .....like I  stated  before  I  have   two fully set up  yaks  a  12 foot  sit in heritage featherlight  and  a   ocean prowler ....I  don't  think mine  are  considered   wal-mat  kayaks  although I  would   use  one  in a  heart beat ....I  am not telling you in anyway  what or  what not to do ....you do what you think is best ....I simply gave my opinion (that you asked  for)my opinion comes  from  about  50 years   in a  yak  and  having  caught   big gars ....if  you don't like the  advice ignore it   but maybe  some  teenager  won't  drag one  in a  yak and  end  up  hurt now ......... now  I ment it  good  luck  to you and have  fun  and  I have  no problem  fishing big water  or  putting  pike or  blues  in the  yak

I appreciate all the opinions -- just trying to clarify that a sit-on-top, stable, kayak, is a different animal than a touring kayak.  I especially appreciate the info on gars and readily admit that I know little to nothing about them, despite decades of chasing pike, musky and bowfin.  It's one of the reasons I want to chase them.   I consider myself forewarned.   And I swear on my PFD that if I get one this weekend, and he hurts me, capsizes me, or otherwise damages me or my stuff, I will post photos!   Especially if there's blood...I will gladly and honestly post photos, even if they are of me eating my words....

[trapper2000]

I don't want to see a photo of  someone hurt.... and my ocean  big game  prowler is a  fully angler ready sit in  kayak .....my  heritage  is also a  fishing  sit in  for cold and  rough weather ....so i'm not sure  why you think  touring

[UglyStik]

This guy used to hollow out and carve the gar into a kayak.

[trapper2000]

just put a  saddle  on him and  ride him ,no paddleing