Ocmulgee at Jackson Dam.... anything but Gar?

[The Rodney]

Been four times.
Threw worms caught small bream.
Threw liver caught an eel and a striper.
Threw cut-bait caught a bass. Not a bad afternoon then....
Threw cut-bait and every cast after hooked up with gar. Next trip only gar taking cut-bait (8 hook ups) and bream hard to find and all too small for eating.
Gar... 45" and was really fun to catch but I like to eat fish and the gar I've cooked just didn't eat well.

So in that area below the dam any tips for fish other than gar? Reading suggests cats are much further south and this part of the river is too shallow for summer crappie. Favorite lure for bass here?
Thanks

 

[Semi-Pro]

All I've ever caught below the dam in the spill way was 5 ft gar. A lot of them

 

[The Rodney]

Yup.... Over four trips about 15 hook ups with gar. I wonder if their profound presence makes fishing for other species difficult?

 

[trial&error]

Plenty of shoal bass below the Juliette spillway, North of it it's pretty much Gar country in my experience.