I have fly fished for various warm-water fish. I have cast flies for bass, catfish, panfish, and carp. The one species I had not cast my fly toward, until now, was a gar. I had heard about it. But until I recently read an article in a back issue, April-May 2024, of “Fly Fisherman Magazine,” I had not given it a whole lot of thought. The article by Trevor Ibsen inspired me.
According to Ibsen, the gar’s long, narrow nose with a hard mouth and lots of tiny sharp teeth make using a traditional fly with a hook nearly impossible. However, an 8-inch piece of white quarter-inch braided rope, that has been unraveled, with something that flashes added in, tied on the shank of a hook that has had the hook cut off, works great. Again, I had heard of this method but was skeptical. Not now!
The one recommended item for tying a rope fly I had trouble finding was a comb. The article suggested one should use a comb to straighten some of the curls in the rope. Those of you who have seen me without a hat know a comb is nowhere to be found in my medicine cabinet. However, I did “borrow” one of SWMBO’s (She Who Must Be Obeyed) and it worked great.
Gar are predators that eat small bait fish. They are also able to live in shallow, warm, slow-moving water. According to Ibsen’s article, they are known as facility air breathers. Which means in addition to gills, gar have a vascularized swim bladder that can function as a lung. They can breathe anywhere. Thus, you can find them in lots of places where other fish cannot live.
Casting a rope fly is not like casting a size-18 Royal Wulff on a high mountain stream. I think it might be similar to casting a dumbbell. Therefore, I suggest using a 9-weight rod with 6 feet of 10-or-12 pound test leader. Since the gar is attacking an 8-inch long piece of rope, the chances of it biting your leader are slim.
When sight-casting, get in front of the gar and cast your fly to about 2 feet in front of him, let it sink a few inches and slowly strip the rope fly toward you. When the gar strikes, do not set your hook in a traditional method. It takes a gar a few moments to get his teeth into the rope. Once he does lift your rod and hold on.
If you are blind casting, don’t give in to setting the fly when you feel the gar hit the rope. Let him take it; resist the habit of immediately lifting your rod. Once he has chewed on the rope for a few seconds, he will be hooked (so to speak). Now, lift your rod and enjoy the fight these fish put up.
Once you have landed the gar, the question comes to mind, “How do I untangle this toothy fish from my rope fly?” I like to use a spreader, similar to those used for unhooking a pike. Get the spreader between his jaws, open them, then carefully remove your rope. If it is really tangled in the teeth, a sharp pair of scissors is helpful in cutting some of the rope away from the teeth. When doing this, be careful with your fingers.
Once untangled, return him to the water and start the process all over again. Be aware that all those small, sharp teeth can damage your rope fly beyond use. Be sure and tie replacements, you will need them.
I have found it is easier to learn something new if a friend who knows how to do the new technique helps me learn. If you have experience with a rope fly and gar, and have been keeping it a secret, let a friend in on it and help them expand their repertoire. You will really have fun watching your fly fishing buddy land one of these toothy fish using a piece of rope.
