I Tied a Couple of Gar Flies

I have been told by a few folks (some in jest while others were more sincere) that I'm kind of a weird guy.  It doesn't hurt my feelings.  I get it.  I think I see the world a little differently than others sometimes.  I don't mean that I think communism should replace capitalism or anything.  I just like some things that other folks don't.  And yes, sometimes I get fixate on things that others do not.  Take for example, my obsession with catching a gar.  

This species of fish has eluded me for years.  I have hooked a few but never landed one.  For one reason or another, they all got off.  After talking with a few folks about where to find some gar and how to catch them, I started mocking up some ideas for what I might be able to catch a gar on.  After doing a little research, I determined that I did not like the flies that I was seeing.  What I mean is that I recognized the ideas and the points of view of others, but I wanted to meld different ideas together to develop my own design.  

For example, some flies didn't even have hooks!  A lot of flies incorporated frayed nylon rope and I liked that.  The purpose of this was for the small teeth of a gar to get tangled in the rope which made the need for a hook unnecessary.  I decided that I was going to incorporate this idea but not utilize it exclusively.  I also decided to go to the opposite end of the spectrum in regards to hook(s).  Not only did I want a hook, I wanted a treble hook...at the minimum.  I also wanted to articulate this fly.  I didn't think the nylon rope would have a lot of realistic properties but a joint in the fly might give it a more lifelike action.  

In the end, I came up with three different patterns.  One pattern was made to be very light (the one with the big eye).  Another pattern utilized bead chain eyes to make it sink a little bit.  A third pattern had dumbbell eyes to ensure the fly sunk and didn't rest on the surface of the water.  I wasn't sure how buoyant the nylon was going to be, but I was hopeful that I would have three different sink rates.  That was the only variable that I wanted to tinker with.  My thought was that if I could get the sink rate down now, I could play with colors and materials later.

So there they are!  What I had in mind was pretty close to what materialized.  While that is fine and good, the real test will come when they are placed in front of a gar.  Will any of them work?  Will one work better than the others?  Will I finally land my unicorn that has evaded me for years?  Only time will tell so stay tuned!