Hawkeye, that 'secret spot' of yours is about to become your full-time hangout just as soon as you hit that first fish. You'll want to get out early, stay late, and get ALL of your friends into bowfishing so you have more people to share it with. For gar, I recommend a good point with a sharp tip, like the Muzzy's.


Most people thinkgar taste better than carp and buffalo too. You just need tinsnips to clean the toothycritters. Here's a demo that will help you deal with the armor-like scales if you haven't done it before...
http://www.illinoisbowfishers.com/gar.html
There is also a gar-cleaning video link at the bottom of that page from our friends at Aim Low Productions.

Also, you don't need to invest a lot of $ into BF gear to get started.
My Dad introduced me to it 20-some years ago and we shot fish sharing a single bow with a homemade hand spool for 15 years. Get a bow setup for yourself, and then take your friends with you and pass it around. They'll be saving up for their own bows in no time.

Gar can be a pretty skinny target for beginners, so don't get frustrated. Just have fun and pay attention to wheather your first shots are too high or too low. Once you can hit a skinny gar, the other types of fish are easier.

-Bulz