did you know that gar skin is unreasonably hard to penatrate?

[recurve shooter]

as yall know i been trying to shoot gar. i have got severall that were about 2 foot long, but today i got a shot at one that was around 6 foot. this thing was huge. i had been standing on a bridge over a little backwoods river for about two hours waiting on the thing. i had been seeing him 30 yards upriver, and was waiting on him to come down. suddenly i saw him come to the surface directly benieth the bridge. my heart kinda jumped into my throught and i drew my old 55 lb pearson hunter recurve and loosed. the arrow struck him just behind the head with a solid wack, so i just knew that i had stuck the big one. as he dove i grabbed my line and pulled on him, and my arrow just slipped out of his back.  i had got a good hit on him, as he swam away after the shot i could see the arrow sticking in him, but i guess the point didnt go deep enough for the barbs to grab hold. anyone got any idea how to get him? he stays in the same stretch of river and is pretty easy to find. if i cant figure out a fair way to get him, im gunna tape the reel to my grandpa's 180 lb crossbow. 

[Hillbilly]

That skin is like tin, but a 55# bow should put that arrow through him. What kind of tip are you shooting? Those Muzzy gar points will poke a hole. I've noticed that you sure have to hit them straight on, if you're at an angle, the arrow will skip off them sometimes. And right behing the head is about like solid bone, especially on one that size.

[recurve shooter]

thanks hillbilly. i have the muzzy gar point on a 32 inch solid fiberglass shaft with a cheep hand wind reel. where you rekon i should shoot for?

[sailordad]

   .410   right smack in the middle of the head,guarantee he wont swim away again
plus you wont rip your hands to hell trying to pull him in with the string

[recurve shooter]

i was concidering that, but once i kill him with that i dont know how i would get him up on the bank.

[Justin Snyder]

Try to get him going slightly away so the point slips between the scales.

[recurve shooter]

UPDATE: ok. i took yalls advice into concideration and went back out tonight with a light, and amazeingly i got another shot at the thing. this was an angling away shot, as justin said, at about 15 yards, and as hillbilly said i didnt aim for the head, and i hit him just to the rear of the dorsal fin. my arrow got a good bight on him and me and my sis drug him to the bank, and i jumped in after him while she held the line for me. as soon as i got in the watter i grabbed the arrow (cuz gar dont come with  handles) and bear hugged him, but the barbs wernt quite deep enough and the arrow came out and he mannaged to get out of my arms. i was upset. we going back out tomorrow with a .303 and 3 bows.

[Kegan]

I vote 70# longbow and Lily Iron !