Gar to be specific. What kind of tippet material would one use for such a species?
Fly fishing for toothy stuff?
- Thread starter CATCHDAWG
- Start date
There are a couple of ways to go about it. One is to use a heavy flouro bite tippet (maybe 60#)
The other is to use some of the Wirebite tippet from Rio. It is a braided, coated wire that you can tie with regular knots.
If you want to get serious with gar, use a rope fly. That is one with a hook in case something else hits it, but, unbraided nylon rope for the gar. When they hit it, their teeth get tangled in the rope enough to get most of them in.
The other is to use some of the Wirebite tippet from Rio. It is a braided, coated wire that you can tie with regular knots.
If you want to get serious with gar, use a rope fly. That is one with a hook in case something else hits it, but, unbraided nylon rope for the gar. When they hit it, their teeth get tangled in the rope enough to get most of them in.
Setterman
Well-Known Member
I've never had an issue with them biting through my tippet. But they're not leader shy so like SCN said, the knotable wire works fine. The rope flies seem to be the best at actually holding them, but are a pain to get out of their teeth
Appreciate the tips. I'll pick up some flouro and give it a go. I've been bitten off with braid before using spinning gear. I think I've got a got a couple of rope lures laying around somewhere. If not, they are easy to make. Just looking for something to do after the wild trout streams get to warm later in the summer.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Any of you ever purposefully fish for big bowfin (aka grinnel or swamp trout)?
MickThompson
Well-Known Member
Now that's a fish that would be game on a flyrod! I've never seen a fish that could wreck a spinnerbait like a bowfin.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Agree.
Typically, your spinnerbait will be a twisted mess, unusable after hooking a big bowfin.
Crank baits & typical top-water lures can be destroyed with a single hit.
Bowfin are one of the hardest fighting fish you can hook.
I've many times "fooled" tourist fishermen via landing a big bowfin, then releasing what they would think must surely have been a 10-plus-pound monster bass. At least from a short distance, they can look very much like a largemouth bass.
Never gone after gar, but caught plenty of toothy or at least abrasive saltwater fish with the fly. I just used a standard tapered leader with a 12-18" piece of 20-30lb standard fluoro leader on the end. Never had issues
