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A Warship would fire its cannons harmlessly out to sea, until all ammunition was spent, to show that it was disarmed, signifying the lack of hostile intent. This naval custom quite adapted, "A Fifty Gar Salute," chronicles the beginning to end of 2013's exceptional fishing season battling with giant gar. Longnose gar are prehistoric. They are an adaptable, fast-growing, durable species with no predators in this region other than themselves, and even their eggs are toxic to humans, animals and other fish. Without any reference I would have to guess they are some evolutionary link between the Ocean's needlefish and the World's wetland crocs and alligators. Interestingly, I have heard they can reach fifty years of age, although I have not found any literature supporting that wild fish actually live longer than about twenty years; or captive fish to thirty. Females are the older, larger and I will say wiser of the sexes. Day or night hunters, double-scaled for armor, good peripheral vision, a sometimes wily, aggressive demeanor, and a beak-full of pinpoint teeth ready to turn and snap under strong jaws, gar are the nightmares of anything in the water that might just fit down their throats. To help them breathe and tolerate their preferred shallow, warmer, summer habitats, gar are able to gulp air through their nostrils and fill an overly vascular swim bladder for added oxygenation beyond what their gills can provide. Because of this, they can actually live for a short time out of water as long as they remain wet. A gar's weakness I have found are their soft fins and tail. Careful control and handling; and maybe even not using a net, will do wonders in helping protect them. These are a fascinating fish supposedly quite sensitive to human pressures and sudden ecological changes, (extinct this century to Europe) although they have been around and evolving since the age of dinosaurs. In Ontario the distribution of gar ranges all along the shorelines of the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers, including some inland rivers and lakes, making them available to much of our angling population. In our waters I believe a fish greater than 48-inches to be a great catch and 50's are trophies, akin to catching trophy class northern pike at forty inches. Our current Ontario Record lists a fish at 20.1 pounds and 54-inches, although fish beyond this mark are regularly seen and caught in some home waters. The Official World Record longnose gar is Townsend Miller's Texan brute at 50-pounds caught in the 1950's. A great link to view a more recent angler's catch and report of a possible near World Record 61-inch longnose gar caught in Texas, is found here... http://www.fishing-headquarters.com/boundlesspursuit/2012/04/18/monster-fish-april-15-18/ 　 My gar fishing this year started a little cloudy, both figuratively and environmentally. It appeared the season would be cut short, as it had been planned during prime-time that I would be somewhere on the Attawapiskat River. This 10-day Northern stretch was cause for work shifts at home to be condensed pre and post trip, thus limiting gar chances even more. Add to that the late spring, unpredictable weather we'd been having, and a second trip booked during the later end of gar season, what opportunities might be garnered remained a big mystery. All that could be done was to simply wait and see how it unfolds. 2012 had been so good to me though, with a dozen days out, friends and family along, plenty firsts and personal bests, a 20+ pound catch for myself, six other fish boated over 50 inches and many, many more 48 and over, there was this intense urge to build on that great year and chase gar again with even more determination. I'll admit, there's little akin to hunting for big gar, so anticipation ran high until that first day arrived. 　 MISSION 1. SOLO 1. Shoving off the dock at the launch, I waved to local legend Big Jim with a guide and received his smile and hello in return, they had it in mind to seek out some gar too. As I rolled into a corner of the bay with those fellas gliding in behind, the first fish of the season I spotted just might have been the biggest. So here I go... an audience, a huge fish, so much investigating to still be done, my nervous knees started knocking while trying to place casts to that one big gar, until it spooked away. Plenty of water to fish yet, the two boats divided and we didn't see each other much thereafter. Over the afternoon amongst a few fish in the high 40-inch range, I also managed to boat my first 50-incher of the season. It was from that point on I decided this year I would not photograph myself with anything less than a fifty, and so the idea of "A Fifty Gar Salute," was born. Begged the question, did this early thought (or maybe goal for that matter), effect the outcome of the season? You will see. 　 MISSION 2. BREN. It's rare with Bren's new practice, Ju Jitsu schedule and the girls that she takes a day to join me in the boat, but on this weekend she was willing and able. There are many things about her I love and respect. Her patient determination and all she has overcome in her life. Her strong will to always improve, achieve and succeed. Her care for others and her endless energy, just to name a few more. She is a woman who gives me the longest leash a man could ask for, and loyal to her I would rather not wander far but instead have her fishing more by my side as we grow old together. On this day we searched the gar out, she took a handoff for her first then hooked a couple more on her own with some coaching and practice. Bren's third fish and personal best was a 50-incher, adding another one to the boat's total. For what Bren would call "an ugly fish" before, she found a bit of a new appreciation for. By the time this report gets posted, she and I will nearly be off for a week to chase walleye and pike back in our northern home. 　 MISSION 3. FLOAT & MAGNET. Us three in the boat it's like having Obi-wan, Luke and Solo aboard except with all of us playing all three characters at any given time. It's a fun ride. In my story book, Floaty doesn't get left behind either, and gar has been something that for a number of years he's been wanting to cross off his lifetime list. So, this spring during a mint day we warped into some shallow galaxy, probed around 'bout twenty minutes, then discovering a long gar stationed on the surface totally in an open shipping lane, the man during his excitement fired a cast probably 500 yards beyond his target. Collecting and correcting himself he shot again, this time on the mark, destroying his first gar. Later that day, after battling many more fish between us, Patty captured himself a great 50-incher as well, before he and I chased down an absolute beast bogie gar we stumbled on out in some deep space. A fish on the run from many casts, it engaged me and I cracked her hull hard. Well beyond fifty was this Jaba, and by some measurement standards light years from one end to the other. 　 MISSION 4. SOLO 2. This was a day for me that all other gar days will measure up to. The chaos of it was absolutely mind-blowing and exhausting, but during one late afternoon on the water it must have gone so perfectly smooth and calm because had it not, it probably couldn't have happened. Keeping chill while fishing and handling the fish is so utterly important to catching and photographing gar. I was alone, just one pair of eyes, one pair of hands, a camera on a tripod, big fish crossing my path one after another, and in the span of just a few hours managed to catch, photograph (only the 50 plus fish) and release a 54, 53, 52, 52 and 50 inch gar, as well as a 49 and two 48's that were sent swimming immediately after noting their disappointing lengths. Over 400 inches of gar, alone, and all eight of them four feet and longer. The Fifty Gar Salute only allows the qualified fish pics get posted, but you'll get the idea... it was totally amazing fishing here at home, a day anyone hopes for. Do I believe in a lucky shirt too... yeah, this one has some memorable miles on it. 　 MISSIONS 5&6. SOLO 3. Two different days started out great but were cut shorter by cloud and breezy conditions. Weather this season for gar was hardly ideal at all yet to my surprise it didn't slow down the big fish bite one bit. I was only four trips into the spring with nine fish over 50-inches, already bettering the great fishing conditions during 2012's dozen outings for seven of the same size. Online weather this year often forecasted for ideal days but because the water was high and cool for so long, when the days sun began heating the land convection winds were actually strong enough to really screw over the ability to sight fish. Not only that, the variable temps seemed to increase afternoon cloud cover more than what was experienced the previous two seasons, and some days the morning haze just didn't burn off at all. It's while fishing solo and facing such challenges that these types of thoughts come to mind more often. Why this, why that, how is it affecting this, how do I adapt, where are the best chances, etc? Like it primarily was living up north for those years, the freedom for continual, uninterrupted thinking and experimentation on the water is probably every bit as important to individual angling growth, as is say the media and fishing with others. It's also a great opportunity to really study if you're not too school for cool. Before these two afternoons would finish, two 53's a 52 and a 51 would get boated, but the best photos came because of being forced to really slow down during the scan for fish, and stay stealthy while working smaller fish-able areas with extra care. 　 　 Continued...