Looking to fish for gar in the west/south metro

[esoxrocks01]

I'm trying to make some effort this year to cross the gar (longnose/shortnose) off my bucket list. The only problem is I can't seem to find a good body of water where you can catch them. I'm looking for a good place in the west/south metro to catch one of these dinosaurs. If anyone can help me out, that'd be great.

[JBMasterAngler]

Minnesota River is pretty much your only option. From what I hear, there's a pretty good population. I think a lot of cat guys catch them by accident. Check the Minnesota River forum, they might be able to help.

[MattL]

German Lake in Le Sueur County has longnose gar, although not a huge population of them. I have a 48" longnose gar on the wall out of that lake, saw 3 that day, but have never seen another any other time out there. If you wanted to give it a shot I think your best bet would be to get out there early in the summer while the water is still somewhat clear and try to sight fish them.

[Stick500]

From what I understand about gar you might see a ton of them in one spot and then come back a week later and they're all gone.

However I had a spot down in IA where I could consistently find them in a quarry connected to the Miss. They were a real challenge to catch and lots of fun. I have yet to see any up here in MN in any lakes or rivers and I'm always looking for any fish with polarized glasses.

My daughter was with me when I caught my first big one- its started flopping right after I took the pic and she almost fell over that bank!

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[harvey lee]

I have seen many gar while fishing for flatheads on the Mn river. Soemtimes it is unbelievable how many we see in one night.

[fishuhalik]

I've heard the best way to catch em is with a piece of rope instead of a hook. Rope gets tangled in their teeth & holds good I guess

[StillwaterAaron]

Rope lure is easy to make and there are many ways to make em.

Nylon rope and fray it out. Gnarl it up to make the teeth stick in better also. Bring thick leather gloves and needle nose pliers to get the rope untangled.

[Ctrl_Alt_Dlt]

The powerplant in Bayport has some. Fish near the dam and the line buyo. Seen an all-species angler pull quiet a few during July of last year casting a small jerking rapala. All were small though.

[HossFisher]

The Mn River from Shakopee to Jordan seems to have a good population of them. Like any other fish, find the baitfish and they won't be far behind. I've caught a few on cutbait catfishing and a few more on rapalas. The bony structure of their mouths makes them near impossible to hook. They are aggressive though, I've left my bait a foot off the shore while fiddling with the rods and they'll come up and smack it.

[Mike_Bennewitz]

I have to give a X2 on the discharge area of the King Plant in Bayport on the St.Croix. I Caught my first 4 Gar there on fatheads. I didn't have a difference in bite activity from fresh live, barely moving, and stone cold dead minnows. The key I found was to use a basic bottom slip rig with 1/4oz walking sinkers like Walleye guys use. Cast it out a bit upstream towards the buoy line, let it sink to the bottom (hoping the current doesn't tangle it up), then reel it in just enough to occasionally tick the bottom. The gar will feel like you're bumping rocks or Sunfish are bumping it. I used a treble hook for this because when you feel the bite, you need to snap that rod tip and reel a few feet to dig the hook into the bony jaw of the fish. Three of mine actually got snagged near the gill right under the jaw corner. A really good sign of them biting is your minnow will have slash marks or look like it barely escaped a meat grinder. Oh and have quite a few minnows, it took me a scoop and a half (about 2 dozen or so) to get my 4. You might also get a bonus fish or two. I caught a few Smallies, lost a Walleye, and caught a Sheepshead pushing 20 pounds on that setup! I also saw an absolute WHALE of a sturgeon jump clear out of the water! For time frame, this was in late August, early September in 2013. Good luck!

[mwal]

The only places I have seen Gar are MN River, The St Croix, Mississippi and Bald Eagle Lake. I have had them hit minnows but have never got a hook to hold. very cool prehistoric fish.

Mwal

[esoxrocks01]

I'll try HossFisher's suggestion, being that the St. Croix is a tad far for me. Thanks for the suggestions guys. I've already bought a rope lure from someone, so I'm all set! Now I just need to find some nice feeder creeks or backwater areas.

[tolle141]

If you're up for the drive, Whitefish Lake in Sawyer Co has quite the population and some monsters. They sit up on the sand flats. Smaller ones stick to the reeds and the big girls (+36") patrol no man's land. Kind of like bonefishing

[Stick500]

what's the water clarity like at Whitefish?

clear enough for snorkeling?

[tolle141]

what's the water clarity like at Whitefish?

clear enough for snorkeling?

It's Calhoun-clear. I think you could definitely have some fun there.

[Stick500]

tolle are you talking about Sawyer County in WI?

I'm looking there on Google maps but I can't find any Whitefish Lake. Can you point me in the right direction?

Or are you referring to the Whitefish Lake up by Thunder Bay? That would be quite a drive!

thanks in advance

[WasteManagement]

Straight south of Hayward. South of the bigger chain of lakes right there.

[tolle141]

Right next to Lac Courte Oreilles. Fun lake

[JBMasterAngler]

Are you sure there are gar in whitefish lake? I couldn't find any info anywhere that says there are gar in that lake.

[Stick500]

My guess is it would be rare to find any info at all on whether or not there's gars (or other non-game fish such as bowfins, or buffalos, etc.) in any lake, with the exception coming from the characters who inhabit roughfish forums such as this.

[tolle141]

There are definitely gar in that lake. Not sure how to post pics. During the hotter months we'll find them up on the big sand flat. Smaller ones seem to pair up and hang out near shore. The big girls cruise the open no mans land. Anyone who's fished this lake knows how big that flat is.