Catching shortnose gar?

[Carp-fisher]

My brother and I were out catfishing a few nights back and we watched a pack of shortnose gar move into our area. We pitched a small rapala to them and they hit it ferociously. The only problem is that out of a dozen hits or so, we only hooked two, one of which popped off at shore. I did a little google searching and found that rope lures are recommended for longnose gar.

Any recommendations for shorties? Do rope lures work?

[Mudcatman]

Try dropping a fathead minnow on them with no weight (sinkers) at all. Let the fish have it for a bit, you know swallow the bait pretty much. Remember to use a bronze or gold hook and nothing stainless. Bronze or gold will have a better chance of rusting out over time. This is the best way I have found to consistantly catch shortnose gar....

And yes, rope lures work best on longnose, but I know of a few that have got shortnose on them as well.

[Carp-fisher]

Thanks for the tip. There's tons of gar in the MN river.