GAR, LONGNOSE

Angling for Longnose Gars is not the dominant method of capturing them due to their tough, bony mouth, they will take live baits. They are more often captured by specialized methods that entangle the teeth in nylon threads, by bowfishing, or by spear fishing.
If angling for Longnose Gars, a small circle-style hook should be used, allowing the gar several minutes with it. The circle hook will prevent any serious injury to the gar, as it is designed to catch only in the corner of the mouth. The fish are known as nocturnal feeders in some waters, so anglers should be prepared to angle for them in the twilight. Because of their unique, slender snout, Longnose Gars are the most difficult gar to hook. It was these Longnose Gar that spurred early anglers to develop bizarre methods to catch them. The most common methods are the nylon rope lure and live baiting.
For live baiting Longnose Gar, try the following:
Rig a 4”-6” shiner minnow through the lips or eyes on a premium, sharp #4 treble hook. Attach a #4 treble stinger back towards the tail. Add split shots if necessary. Cast and gently stop-and-go retrieve this bait with your rod tip held high. When a gar takes, drop your rod tip to give slack then open the bail to let the gar run. Allow the Longnose Gar  to run for at least a minute. Often they will run, then stop to swallow the bait, then run again. On this second run, close your bail, reel in the slack line. For this fishing, we recommend a 6’+ spinning rod with a good-quality spinning reel spooled with 14lb-30lb super braid, like Fireline or Cabela's Ripcord. The super braid has very little stretch which is important for long-distance hook sets. It also resists nicking from sharp Longnose Gar teeth thus a cumbersome leader is not necessary, but you should retie frequently. A similar rig can be set up with a float for set fishing.