Genna Ibsen with a 55-inch+ Alabama longnose gar caught using a hookless rope fly. (Trevor Ibsen photo)
It was Genna’s first time fishing for longnose gars and it turned out to be a memorable one. She spent her first fly-fishing year targeting trout in Montana and Colorado, and some bonefish in Belize, but the long winter had her longing for some warmer weather and new challenges. After flying from Colorado to Alabama, her goal—with me as her guide—was to catch some Alabama spotted bass, freshwater drum, and then target some of the river’s toothier inhabitants, notably longnose gars.
We had already checked off the other...