Garfish on Soft Plastics

[wishing2Bfishing 0]

i was recently flicking around a 110mm squidgy flickbait in white pearl colour for some salmon and flatties (got a few nice salmon but not even a hint of a flattie. i saw a wide brown shape following at one point and got mega excited but when it got closer saw that it was a tail biting little puffer) and had more than a few follows from a few nice sized garfish. Now, i know that some of you will be thinking that they could have been little Snook but i am as certain as u can be without actually catching the fish in question that they were Garfish. Has anyone else had follows from Garfish on SP's or indeed any takes by a Garfish on SP's?

[keenfisho 1,416]

Not on soft plastics but i have caught garfish on surface lures over at the Pines on YPWas flicking along the blue line and was very surprised when I caught it. If they will hit a surface lure then it would only make sense for them to have a look at a sp

[wishing2Bfishing 0]

true enough. i was just surprised, these plastics really do throw up some unexpected scenarios dont they?! anyone else have any stories of garfish on lures?

[4THALOVE 45]

yep have had them interested but due to the way the hook sits its near on impossible to hook em squid also have chased in my sp before I reckon the scent that is put on em is a huge attractant cheers 4THA

[archerfish 685]

Often wondered how these would go on the gardies:http://www.berkley-fishing.com/products/soft-bait/gulp/maggot-gulpI have a jar of them in the back of one of my tackle boxes and I haven't yet got around to trying them.Cheersaf

[Kuerschie 2,309]

I've caught one gar on a hardbody and had some follow surface lures before. But SP's might be hard to replicate a lifelike bait, it would be weightless so it floats or slowly sinks. Those berkley maggots might just do the trick on a small jighead.

[fished out 0]

Think extremely small marlin, tricky to hook and need time to eat but a lack of pauses. I have had them swipe at a Rapala X-Rap 04 but never landed one. I imagine you would need to let them get it down a little before striking.

[Boyington214 0]

Got a couple on gar on Squidgie Wrigglers last Snapper season. Small hook / jighead I was using to catch Slimey Macks. They were very aggressive and came as a bit of a surprise.

[piratepom 3,197]

Never hooked one up myself, but have watched Gar follow all sorts of lures, so you'd think if they are competing hard enough for a feed it would happen, like Boyo said. One of the fishing shows had a segment where they were chasing Tommies off the beach with a cut down straw on a long shank hook and they got a few big Gar with this set up, so.....Fishie, I think, suggested cutting off Flick Bait tails and using them if you run out of bait, but thats a slightly different method of SP fishing! :silly:

[wishing2Bfishing 0]

i guess i was just surprised as i never thought of gar as a predatory fish. We all use gents to catch them of course but whenever i gut them I've only every noticed weed in them. What do they eat normally and what do they they think the gents are?

[piratepom 3,197]

i guess i was just surprised as i never thought of gar as a predatory fish. We all use gents to catch them of course but whenever i gut them I've only every noticed weed in them. What do they eat normally and what do they they think the gents are?

From my very limited understanding, and from a non scientific view point, they're bottom feeders, mainly weed during the day, but at night they will feed on small critters near the surface. Your surface burley will get them to the top level of water, day or night, and depending on multiple factors they will feed freely on whatever you offer, or you'll be scratching your head wondering why they will not bite, sooooo many theories. :whistle: I don't fish with gents anymore. I think the theory is they like the scent and the movement as they wiggle, but not so convinced. Good luck if you chase them with SPs.

[Cal 480]

Dont know if it counts,but years ago at rapid bay catching Tommies and chow ,on one of those sabiki rig things i caught a big gar.the rig was similar to this

[Crusher 18]

Silver fish are a preferred bait by some of the people in the club for gardies. now these are small fish, there is no known reason why they wouldn't be interested in a SP. Selecting the SP for the job might be difficult, and determining if it is an effective means of catching them... well... I'll let you all make your own call on that.

[Alexsfishin1 781]

Garfish love chasing fluro coloured lures. At semaphore I was flicking an omg lure which was bright pink and every cast had follows of about 5 garfish. They were just following the lure but not taking it. :pinch:

[kbnrs 0]

I have caught one about 30cm on a 65mm squidgy rainbow trout plastic and a size 6 hook on a half gram head intended for salmon trout on the surface. hooked in the jaw to

[archerfish 685]

i guess i was just surprised as i never thought of gar as a predatory fish. We all use gents to catch them of course but whenever i gut them I've only every noticed weed in them. What do they eat normally and what do they they think the gents are?

w2Bf - I reckon I read somewhere once that gar normally feed on weed, algae and small sea creatures (plankton?), but after the winter blows, flies would lay their eggs in the rotting seaweed and any fish carcases that had been washed up - the next big spring tides would wash out some of the developing maggots and the gar would come in close to feed on them (that was the theory, anyway - might be just crazy enough to be true!).Cheersaf