Longnose Gar

These primitive fish are found in pockets throughout the Finger Lakes region. Gar jump and are capable of putting up a good battle. If you like to sight-fish to numbers of large fish, gar may be for you. Talk about a neglected species, next to nobody fishes for gar! These fish have scales that form armor and are basically a throwback to the Jurassic period. Gar love flies and stickbaits. They are super active during the hottest part of the hottest days of the year. This makes gar fishing a great way to break up a day spent fishing for bass or other species. I’ve converted many a trout and bass fisherman into a part-time gar fanatic!

Most gar I encounter in Western NY run from 30" to 40" long. Occasionally I'll see some big gar in Sodus Bay and on Cross Lake, but that varies from year to year. I haven't encountered any monster gar in a while in the region. 

Here's a solid gar from Sodus Bay caught by John a few years back.