I have never done it but have read about gar flies. Apparently you tie a length of nylon rope to a hook and then use a comb or brush to unravel the rope to yield a mass loose fibers. When you are done you have a length of intact rope whipped to the shank of the hook with the unravelled fibers from the rope sticking out behind like the marabou tail on a wooly bugger. The final design is a very simple streamer with a length of a few inches. The idea is that the gar strike it like a streamer and their teeth get entangled in the strands of rope fibers and they can not let go. It sounds like the hook is only there to give you something to attach the rope to and to tie on the leader. I guess you could rig one up without a hook which might make it easier to release the fish. John Gierach talked about the fly in one of his books.

Sounds like a kick.

David