I installed night lights on my dock a couple of months ago for security reasons. I immediately started seeing bait fish under the dock at night. A few weeks ago I saw a handful of gar schooled up under my boat. Last Friday night I saw a large school of gar—I counted 43 of them—lined up in rows just under the surface and facing the incoming tide. Looked like a small flotilla! I have always been able to catch trout off my dock, but it dawned on me that I haven’t had much luck recently. Wonder if the gar are affecting my trout fishing?
No.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
Were they gars or needlefish? I’ve never seen gars schooled up like that.
oc
I caught a needlefish saturday while fishing for reds. Look very similar. Lots of them around but usually just steal the bait without getting hooked.
NN
I did not know there was a difference between a gar and a needlefish—I always thought they were the same fish—just called a different name. I went online and looked at photos—it appears a needlefish is much thinner than a gar. I believe the fish under my dock are gars. I will take a photo the next time we go down to the Whale Branch.
They will be there as long as you run that light. We have about 10 or so that are at our dock every night. Trout are still there.
Saw a couple gar up in the creeks just hangin out behind a blowdown. It tells me that there is a lot of fresh water around. The crabs seem to be making a comeback too—they like it more brackish than salty too.