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Where did summer go? Sitting down today just kinda sorta wiped right out, this sunny season has been a blur. It's hard to believe my girls are starting school again next week for it seemed like just yesterday I watched on as the youngest graduated into Junior High. Spring into summer fishing has flown by too, and having been away up north the past couple months for work, it's only really now there is this one short window to begin catching up on reports. Lagging furthest behind is the annual gar write-up. The pics had been uploaded to PhotoBucket for weeks with an intent to type away sometime soon but, some days soon kept bleeding into one another and now the barren trees in a few of the below pictures just won't quite fit with the changing reds beginning to brush upon our maples. Initially, I had wondered if there might be one or two later than usual fishing opps for these toothy dinosaurs, but travels and time wouldn't permit anything more after June. What could have been? This summer it has also been sung through the local gar gospel that a new Ontario Record has been caught close to home here in the valley. I'll be looking quite forward to reading about that. Since one of my earliest days in the Lund chasing these beasts, I have always considered past records and even my own PB's as merely stepping stones to bigger fish I knew to be swimming out there. Now I am left wondering just how big this new record will be? Life is not slowing down anytime soon. Been missing much while away, often without reliable internet and even phone. Some big choices this past year have lead to a life sorta changed, and in a coming report there might be time to elaborate more on that. For now, best get this going, for two more reports are waiting in the wings, one of them absolutely mammoth. Enjoy the read and pics. First outing this year the gar were found absolutely jam-pack-stacked in one area. The river level lower than I had ever seen for that early in a season, alongside the gar were largemouth, pike, carp, bullhead and panfish, pretty well everything already staging at prespawn. Swimming lethargically through these same frigid waters, schools of gar spread out and around as the boat crept slowly over the shallows. Spotting bigger fish was the goal. Many, many gar found were mid and up to high 40-inch range, though not among these main schools were the really big 50+ females which lurked outside and deeper. The hunt began. Breaking in a Terrova with a new-to-me pedal and remote, this first day was spent fumbling around too much. Overshooting good casting positions, over-steering, over-thinking, over and over opportunities were lost. Ten feet left off the bow an enormous gar appeared out of nowhere and I got it to snap on the lure before almost running it over. Couple headshakes, it gave my offering right back. But, this fish seemingly oblivious to the moment, staying on it with casts it snapped and took the lure again. Crazy mad fight, it jumped several times from the water, rolling on the line and reel-peeling away before again managing to free itself from the clutch. It sucked. The fish was PB range or better, hooked first day too, but from the time of first spotting it the boat never really had what felt like the optimal position for the best cast. Plenty of gar still around the day continued. For kicks I was planning on later piecing together a short report that would highlight my new gar fishing sponsor, "Duff Beer." Well, by days end six gar over 50-inches came aboard and another two came off, not including the giant. Could have been a nine over fifty day all before an early departure at 3:00pm, and that would have been better than pretty well anything ever heard of around here....... Stupid Terrova!!! But thanks to Duff Beer it still all went down smooth and easy, with a good buzz finish too. Sometime after that first day the dams must have been released on the Ottawa River. Water temps which had almost approached low to mid 70's plummeted into the 50's, reaching up to low 60's at best in the afternoons. The areas where fish could be found prespawn were totally vacant upon return, the level must have come up two or more feet, and plenty spots were real blown out. It was like someone hit the reset button on the gar game and a whole new season began. They surely are a uniquely pretty fish. Pictures like this remind me each time I look at them that despite their overall hardiness to being caught, they do have some weak spots always worth protecting. Gar will thrash in the boat but more often than not they remain docile. Treat them gently and it's found they often respond that way as well. When laying on the deck, this warm water specie with its durable armored skin protection and an ability to breathe a little out of water, gar can sustain a slightly greater length of time in handling. This said, it's most susceptible parts to damage are the eyes, tail and fins, so consider with care. For those eyes, if for any reason they're expected a delayed return or they are acting ornery, try placing a light wet cloth over their head. It's odd, but more often than not this also helps to solve any gar temper tantrums. The tails and fins of gar are softer than other fish. Under a blazing sun, on a hot carpeted deck, a fish lying too long can actually have it's rubbery fins fast dry and stick to the surfaced floor. It will happen once in a season that when you raise a fish up for a photo or lift to return it to the water, it will leave a small piece of itself behind. Best laid right on their belly seems to avoid this, a wet cloth under the fins could even help, but otherwise, just being aware and careful when lifting saves missing limbs. Lastly is the use of nets. This year over any other I caught more bigger gar missing big pieces of their tail and a number with entirely missing fins. Recent publications advocate for the use of a big net, but I don't. After the 2012 season I stopped; although still will only if unable to grab the fish safely. Said before, my recommendation is a thick pair of gloves or two doubled into one, a strong arm, a quick hand and a set of balls. At the gunnel be ready, reach fast and grasp the snout tight. Hold on firm. The fish may thrash two or three kicks but always knows quick that escape isn't happening. When ready, lift onto the deck. Tools always handy and measuring tape out, now you're already holding and controlling the gar as it lays. Remove hook, measure and prepare to photograph. Had this fish been netted, you could still very well be dealing with the snout and teeth stuck through the mesh, or fins and lures tangled up. When gar thrash in a net like any fish does, they will often roll, slice and injure. This doesn't happen hand-landing gar. My buddy Paul and I had been into the crappies when about a week later he finally came out for gar. Having never fished these beasts the hope was I'd find them grouped up some place... It wasn't going to happen like that. During the morning almost nothing was spotted and so we ended up running all over only to settle in on an area of decent numbers by afternoon. Paul lit into a first but it was his second and biggest fish that had him really fired up. A day later Brenda joined me. The morning started cool but by afternoon it was a scorching. She and I moved plenty, both to find fish and cool down. The river glass and the gar rising to the sun, we had a great time to ourselves. Bren wasn't sure she was really all that into gar after two outings the previous seasons. They're a hard fish to cast to, harder to hook and devils to keep on the line. She had only managed a few for herself those other tries as she's not one to EVER take handouts! Hells bent and determined she plucked a real easy fish on about her third or fourth cast into the morn. After that she slayed. Myself... not so much. When Bren's around she usually out-fishes me, probably because I get distracted. These are longnose gar that are caught, yet, every now and then a really spotty looking fish gets hooked. Well, most all actually have rounded spots on their heads and snouts but oftentimes those spots are faded. Although not a big fish, I thought this gar was a looker above most others, and he was "spotted" a mile away too and long-bombed in. Handsome fella! Shooting various different photos of gar makes any day a little more interesting. There have been times I stop fishing awhile and do only that. Pictures like these have built up quite an archive, and this past spring I thought it pretty cool to see two of my photos grace the pages of an Outdoor Canada article about gar. Continued....

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...