cap'nhaddock
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2020
- Messages
- 1,008
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- 113
- Location
- South Coast
- Favourite Fishing
- Shore
I went to Swanage yesterday to fish for gar to freeze for winter bait. There were plenty about and a couple of other anglers fishing for them but not keeping them so my stock built up steadily, there were lots of small gar cruising just under the surface and quite a few were caught and returned.
One kilo of fillets now vac packed and in the bait freezer, one of the very best baits there is.
It was interesting to see the small gar feed, I noticed one swimming around with something white in its beak, crosswise. I thought maybe it was a bait and trace that had snapped off and was stuck in its teeth but later others turned up, each with a baitfish. It seems that they catch a fish, hold it in its beak until it is dead, or at least stops struggling, before turning it to swallow.
I've seen joey mackerel behave the same way with sprats in shallow water next to the slip at West Bay, dashing around holding a fish across their jaws, you always imagine them just coming across the bait fish head on and swallowing; it explains the odd fidgeting of the float before a bite, it's trying hold it and line it up before swallowing.
I caught this gar a while ago with a deformed beak, it seemed plump and healthy and had obviously been catching its fill of fish, so much for evolution and survival of the fittest, it would seem that any old beak shape will do.
One kilo of fillets now vac packed and in the bait freezer, one of the very best baits there is.
It was interesting to see the small gar feed, I noticed one swimming around with something white in its beak, crosswise. I thought maybe it was a bait and trace that had snapped off and was stuck in its teeth but later others turned up, each with a baitfish. It seems that they catch a fish, hold it in its beak until it is dead, or at least stops struggling, before turning it to swallow.
I've seen joey mackerel behave the same way with sprats in shallow water next to the slip at West Bay, dashing around holding a fish across their jaws, you always imagine them just coming across the bait fish head on and swallowing; it explains the odd fidgeting of the float before a bite, it's trying hold it and line it up before swallowing.
I caught this gar a while ago with a deformed beak, it seemed plump and healthy and had obviously been catching its fill of fish, so much for evolution and survival of the fittest, it would seem that any old beak shape will do.
