*TEXAS* Some Prehistoric Fish

[SevengillTheVC]

Helloooooo everybody! So sorry I haven't been nearly as active recently, what with no sharks and making a big move. So I live out in Texas now, been loving it, except now that it's 101 plus with 86% humidity making a heat index of like 117  . Been out here for about two months now and have been hitting the sweetwater hard. Had two days at the surf droning out some baits but nothing but kingfish(corbina) to speak of, but at least they tug pretty good.

I wont innudate this post with black bass pics to make it take hours to load so I'll only share the highlights, needless to say the fishing out here in the Houston area kicks the tar out of my neck of the woods freshwater wise for sure. Almost everyday is a multi fish day and the number of snakes, muskrats, and otters makes every trek out a true joy. The turtles can all die for all I care though, with the exception of the alligator snappers, they're way too cool.

Anyhow lets get into the first nice fish I've got out here. While bass fishing the closer bayou to the house I saw some tilapia making a nest and since they are a kill only species out here (technically illegal to release them, but doubt any game warden would cite you) decided to try him in the bigger bayou for one of my favorite fish species growing up, the GATOR GAR. Get to the bigger bayou and it is sloooowww, a few dips on the float but nothing substantial. Catch a couple dink blue and channel cats then I spend most of the day cast netting mullet. Then some less than desirable litterers on the pedestrian bridge over the bayou scream "Oh my god look at that fish!" It makes me look over as well and I see my float submerge and start flying upstream. Pick up the rod and tighten the drag but open the bail to let it take the bait more, it floats back up. I was thinking I missed my shot but then I see more tugs and another run, I don't give it nearly as much time this time and lay into it. With the heavy runs it was making I was pretty sure it wasn't a cat unless it was a monster flattie or blue. Get it to the "skinny" and there she is, a pretty respectable Alligator Gar, not a monster, but I was super stoked with it.

Finish up talking to a DFW officer for like 3 hours, a bit grueling but the guy was mega cool. He even showed me manual of arms and what he likes about his SIG365 XL since I told him I was thinking of getting one for EDC, which I now have and am super happy with thus far.

Weather rolls through for the next couple of weeks and we don't do any big trips, but I make it out to the local drainage ditch and smaller bayou to get some smaller good bait sized carp, here is where my girlfriend starts outfishing me. Second outing to this spot nails us both some nicer grade blues with her 12lber being the nicest. Then we decide to go further down the bayou and we have a 30 fish day. Mostly her catching bluegill, Rio Grande Cichlids, and pumpkinseeds. Along with some spotted gar and a few solid channel cats and dink blues. Then she's on the bigger rod, fights it like a pro and is rewarded with her biggest fish, another nice gator.



Their dentition is something else I get a lot more anxious dealing with these then even 7's. She nails some nice figer mullet in the cast net and we get rewarded with my first and her best reds. These things do fight like a train, and it freswater to boot!



The last one she got had the prettiest blue on it's tail, must find a lot of shrimp!

The next outing is very similar but started off much slower we got a lot of nice finger mullet and first cast bam! A smaller red that still dogged me to high heaven!

Then her float goes down, she's using the carp, I'm using fresh mullet. She lays into it and immediately we see a nice gar do a jump and flip, really cool seeing a 6 ft fish clear in to the air and land, and she breaks her pb after a week  .


He had a hook and float from a previous battle in his mouth so we went ahead and removed that too. We end up having a couple of homeless people hanging around us, one was super cool and we let him hang with us, the other had me ready to draw potentially. Laying in the bushes, only aknowledging us when we noticed him being weird, stalking my girlfriend from afar as she was cast netting, asking for tilapia. Even the other homeless kid said he thought he was acting sketchy and didn't know him, anyhow who knows and thankfully he left as the sun went down. We give him one of our headlamps and he's tripping on all the bugs, and I get nailed on the carp rod hard. Dogging me left and right and then I feel a hang, and a pop, and it rocked me after 10 mins on my 8lb line. My heart sank as I felt that was my only opportunity to nail a nice fish this day as I missed a few bigger takes on the big rods. Then as we are packing to go home I get another screamer, since we're about to leave I ask my girlfiend to reel in all the other rigs, but it snags on two, so now i have a bobber, and another freeline hook around my rod tip, it's not looking good. Get it to color and I see it's a nice grade red, I really want to land this guy but with all the hangups on my 8lb it's not looking good, after about 15 minutes we get him near enough to net. First net attempt fails and the run makes me feel like he's gonna snap but by this point the fish was so tired I can easily gain back control. Last fish of the night, and I couldn't be happier. My first "Slot" redfish, and in fresh to boot!

So that was the last big game outing, if you guys would like me to make more regular bass, catfish, gar posts I will. Left out pictures of about 80 bass, a dozen or so spotted and longnose gar, and the catfish. Hope all are well and if I get into anything huge and toothy you can bet I'll let you all know!

[jrodda]

That is so sick! I love alligator gar, cool that you're dialing them in. Surprising amount of variety in Fw for you there. Would like to see those other gar species as well.

Shrink your pics down a little! They're a two page horizontal scroll 

And yes the whiting over there are way too easy to catch compared to our corbina. There is a ton of variety in the saltwater over there and it's practically impossible to get skunked. Really cut your teeth in SoCal compared to coastal Texas. And I'm sure the bass fishing is infinitely easier there than Ventura County area.

[SevengillTheVC]

Oh damn I see that with the pics. Thanks man, wish we could've got out together but yeah I feel that all my skunks in SoCal are paying off out here in TX! Will post some of the other gar species, I heard water temps are supposed to shoot up out there, hope you get a wahoo on the mossie !

[SevengillTheVC]

I can't seem to resize easily with IMGUR without having a 4k white background, I'll figure it out later but here you go with the other gar and an actual gator .

Longnose gar, blood isn't it's own but mine since it raked my finger and gashed it pretty good. Mostly channel cats aside from this one gar and we got a look from another dinosaur, still so cool to see these in the wild.

Various spotted gar with pictures of top of the head to differientiate. Most of these are sight casted which is too much fun



Teeth on these things are no joke even with their small size.

And the release of one of the Gator Gars.

[Dark_Knight_9C1]

Very nice! Keep the reports coming.
I just took up bowfishing. I hear it's generally allowed in fresh and salt for gar and other non-gamefish. You mentioned being able to sight fish some. Sounds like it would be a blast with a bow.

-Keith

[sasquatch]

Very cool

I use "huge thumbnail" when I post from Imgur. Seems to be a good size

[Latimeria]

WHOA!  What a way to return with a POST!  So cool seeing all of the Texas Prehistoric critters.  Those teeth on the gar are legit 

Weird stuff about that homeless dude.  I've had something pretty similar happen to me out in Mission Bay a few times and you always have to be on high alert.  Wow!

[vdisney]

If memory servers me right, it's 'Adam"?  None the less, thanks for sharing.  A gar is on my life list

[Latimeria]

BTW, keep them TX reports coming!  It's nice to have some variety!

[KogaHead]

Sweet!!! And TX BBQ to boot! Betcha loving the move and lower taxes.

[SevengillTheVC]

Thanks all! I will use that technique from hereon Squatch, thank you! You are correct Verne, keep some grinners coming from our old spot  . Will do Tom, stil have a lot of fish to scratch off the bucket list. It has been pretty enjoyable Koga!