Our heart rates are only just beginning to slow down after a crazy weekend of fishing with Bubba Bedre’s Garzilla Guide Service in Palestine, Texas.
Long-time friend of the show, Damon Bungard, joined us on this shoot and both Damon and I landed our first alligator gar! It was incredibly rewarding reeling in these monsters from our kayaks. On this trip, I alternated between paddling the Coosa HD and the Coosa FD. It was different pedaling instead of paddling but I all got the hang of it after awhile (even if I did reach for my paddle every now and then).
Bubba taking a well deserved break on the Coosa FD
Damon was paddling the Mayfly throughout the shoot, and even managed to snag a gator gar on the fly, which was impressive! As an avid fly fisherman, Damon really enjoys the features of the Mayfly —especially because it makes for a great standing platform for sightcasting.
Damon enjoying the view from his Mayfly
Damon and I celebrating another monster from our kayaks
We rejigged our kayaks to accommodate these behemoth fish on arrival and began our hunt for gar under Bubba’s guidance. During our first long day in the sun, I managed to land a small 20lb alligator gar while Damon landed a couple of other species on the fly.
Getting our kayaks ready for another day on the water
Our second day on the water proved to be even hotter and a bit slower but in the final moments of the day I hooked a beast! A long fight ensued—which involved maneuvering the fish out from under a log—and with assistance from Bubba, I landed a respectable 140lb monster.
Bowed up!
Our third day on the water mirrored day two almost exactly, with high temps and a slow day. Just as we were about to head in to seek shade, I hooked into another beast, weighing in at a decent 130lbs.
Bubba and I with one of the many monsters caught on this trip!
…and another one!
This shoot was fantastic: With jumping prehistoric monsters, tons of laughs and wild characters—we can’t wait to get back down to Texas and get some more gar on the board!
Kayak Fishing Tales 