Releasing A Giant Gar.

[Moosebunk]

The spring of 2012 was unusually hot and early. By mid May, the boat had been in the water for eight weeks, and some of the best spring trout and crappie bites had already come and gone... The gar began to stir.

 

 

 

It was amidst a sunny, week-long, heat wave, that on the morning of May 14th a noisy blackbird outside an open window woke me earlier than expected. A sound and solid sleep through the night, fresh air energized, I felt eager to face the day.

 

My good friend Mike was to be waiting at a nearby Timmies, and come time to depart I slipped from the house and into the truck. Before shifting gear, a sudden urge came over, and I rushed back inside and downstairs to grab my Backroads Mapbook. It was not the book I was after, but pressed neatly inside its pages was an OFAH Record Fish Registry Form, which a month earlier I had printed offline and filled out, "most" of. To confess, it was a rarer moment of optimism.

 

Once picking up Mike on route, it was obvious he was excited to fish gar again as well. The previous week he tried it for the first time, and by the end of his day he had caught and released his personal best, a 16lb & 7oz, 52-incher. Quite an exceptional initiation...

 

 

 

... The spring of 2006 was when I was first introduced to fishing gar. A few online friends had been chasing them for a couple years, and viewing their fishing reports sparked interest in this relatively elusive and mysterious fish. Living up north at the time, the possibility to regularly pursue gar would really only happen once relocating back home here to the south in 2009. It was then, that a second chance with the gar did happen one day. I hooked my first four gar, and they in turn hooked me.

 

 

Come spring of 2010 I was on my own and ready to fish, but some steady work up north called me away. Unfortunately, that meant only three gar outings would come to fruition. The bite then was just heating up too, and the experiences building together nicely when the season had to end. When 2011 arrived, days for fishing opened up big-time. A secure job with a great schedule allowed for about 100 hours for gar during the season, and with vast amounts of water to search them out, it was game on.

 

That time on the water in 2011 was exceptional. My father came along one day and caught a 16lb & 6oz, 53-inch personal best, and during a day out with my good friend Pat, I released a personal best, fat 50-inch, 16lb & 7oz gar we aptly named "Crocsocks." Two fish within a couple weeks which if kept and registered would have broken the current Ontario gar record.

 

Time and experience continued building better results and before long a days fishing meant passing up tonnes of 3 to 4-footers, in search of 4 1/2 to 5's. Many hours on the water became experimental as well, following through with different approaches and lures, and even dabbling with the fly rod a little.

 

 

 

 

... Back to 2012, the gar season was finally in full swing. The play schedule was pretty well wide open for two months, and with several friends and family along during different days, time on the water was simply a joy for us all.

 

 

Again, Mike had released the big fish of the spring so far, before we ambitiously set out once more on the chase.

 

About 11:30am we were cruising the shallows looking to sight fish. Traveling the shoreline I spot a good solid shadow and move cautiously to better position the boat for a cast. Mike's eyes are fixated on the big fish as well.

 

A clear shot and free of debris, we are about to cast when the fish begins swimming towards the deep. We let a couple go and just miss the mark, the fish seemingly unaware of our first attempts.

The boat now slides in behind and we creep after, keeping the fish at twelve o'clock and in good range for Mike and I to both make easy casts from the bow. Time is of the essence, for the fish continues to swim for deeper waters.

 

We both let lures fly together, again and again, and on my third crack the gar's head snaps quick and directly to the right stopping my lure in it's path. Huge set to drive the hook, and the fish tears off on it's first reel peelin' rip. Mike unbeknownst to me is preparing to shoot a video.

　

 

　

 

Camera rolling we capture the fish steal a few good solid runs. Nervously laughing while playing the fish I'm calling it out as we go... "I've never had a gar do that!" "That's over twenty pounds." "Should be filling the livewell." "That's my biggest gar Mike, that's my biggest, I think?" Until the fishes snout was firmly in grasp, my knees were shaking. I held it there in the water while looking around to make sure all things were readied in the boat, while at the same time with my other hand driving the MinnKota pedal and bow towards the shore.

 

On deck we first laid the fish into a dry net and hung it for a weight, settling the scale firmly at 22 pounds & 11 ounces. Fish laid flat we took a length measurement and noted the gar a hair over 54 inches to the tail tip. Mike was readying the camera for photos while I snuck a quick weight on the net, two pounds exact, making the fish 20lbs & 11ozs. But, I couldn't leave it at that and felt I had to know the fishes true weight. Suspended on the scale there was no bouncing around of any numbers, the gar held like a brick on 20 pounds & 4 ounces. So with that, I quickly came to realize quite a big and special personal best had just been caught.

 

 

A few incredible photos taken, my best gar at 20.25 pounds was official. For an angler who lives to chase big fish, this one was a solid achievement. To have my good friend Mike alongside too; someone who understands and shares a same passion for fishing, made it all that much more perfect.

 

 

 

Measurements and photos finished, the gar was back over the gunnel in short order. Gripped snout and supported belly, it seemed a long time I just held the fish there in the water. The livewell had not been turned on at all, and after a silent pause Mike was ready to ask the question. "You're releasing the fish?" "I have to," I replied after little thought, "I have seen bigger... and until I catch one of those fish I'm not killing one after another." There are truer giants swimming, have seen a few pushing sixty inches and guessed to be 25 or more pounds. In some years ahead, possibly this returned fish will be an equal to those.

 

 

From the moment they're hooked they are all in for as quick and easy a release as possible. Even any other potential record breakers went back with little hesitation, and I have wondered a time since, if it's even in me to bother keeping one? What I do know though, is this one gar has a lot more personal meaning than most will ever know, and Mike, my father and a few close others were rather surprised that the OFAH Registration Form did not get completed on this day...

 

And so that was it, and the winter flew by quick with the luring of spring gar now rearing its toothy-filled head once again. If another giant lifts over the gunnel sometime, I guess it'll be then with that fish when fate gets decided. Today though, I am happy that this best is still swimming, and looking onwards and upwards in the hunt. Afterall, that's truly the best fishing experience to keep.

 

 

The end of it.

[lew]

Some incredible fish there MB !!

[woodenboater]

My utmost respect for letting them go instead of chasing records.

[Nipfisher]

No specifics requested but do you target them casting minnow style baits?

[Terry]

they look like they would be fun to catch

[fishindevil]

Wow !!!!! Amazing Andrew !!!!!

[Angler management]

I hooked into a few last week for the first time, however never landed any. Saw countless ammounts of 5' beasts roaming around while pike fishing so i figured to give it a try. Only bait i got strikes on was a 6" white grubtail. Rigged it with a trokar size 6 swimbait hook, and no weight. All hits were top-water. Every fish i had on would launch out of water like a marlin and do a violent head-shake repeatedly until the hook was off. Now im not sure what i did wrong... Used the sharpest and strongest hooks and set the hooks like a baseball swing... Still remain a gar virgin...

[SirCranksalot]

Be gar, those are some big fish!!!

[mattyk]

What a prehistoric beast!

[t4runner]

Amazing! Great post and pictures of those hugh gars! Thanks!

[pidge]

Very nice repot I enjoyed reading it. I've never had the pleasure catching any, but have seen them in the shallows up North once. Awsome job.

[moemoe]

Nice fatties, fish registered with ofah that qualify as records, dont they get a free mount of their fish? If so, bye bye gar and onto the wall, as it would be an awesome conversation piece? So many people have no idea that fish like that exist, and can be caught...this was given to me from an old bar i used to frequent, tiny compared to those lunkers, but still interesting. I would never pay to get a gar mount, but something I would consider

 

Edited May 13, 2013 by moemoe

[bobogo]

the scales on those fish look so amazing

[Joey]

They really are prehistoric looking. Some awesome catches there Drew

[limeyangler]

Nice one Drew...would love to try for those.

 

What do they smell like?

 

LOL...weird question...but i was curious.

[aplumma]

They smell a lot like a carp.

 

 

Art

[BillM]

Nice Drew!!!! I've seen a few of these things swimming around the waters I've fished... Never targeted them before. What's your go to setup for them?

[muskymatt]

Awesome!!

[musky_hunter]

awesome

[ehg]

Everything in this report is super well done.

Like how you target the top species according to the season of your area.

 

Can't wait till you target the biggest muskies that call that region home.

[fishnsled]

Awesome!! :worthy:

[mr blizzard]

Prehistoric is not the word, lol but very interesting and informative read, dynamite picture taking for sure, educational and thanks for sharing

[Jacques]

Beautiful fish!

[GbayGiant]

Georgian Bay has some giant Gar in it.

What is the record for Gar? That Silver one looks much bigger and different than all the rest.

 

Thanks for posting.

 

[Moosebunk]

My utmost respect for letting them go instead of chasing records.

 

 

Only ever chase after personal bests... Doesn't matter the species. Who doesn't love catching BIG fish?

 

 

No specifics requested but do you target them casting minnow style baits?

 

 

You certainly can... and I have.

 

 

Now im not sure what i did wrong... Still remain a gar virgin...

 

 

Unless fly fishing... use lures with strong trebles.

 

 

What do they smell like?

 

 

Kinda bad Simon. Some are quite slimey, some not. Many do crap alot in the boat.

 

 

Nice Drew!!!! I've seen a few of these things swimming around the waters I've fished... Never targeted them before. What's your go to setup for them?

 

 

Use a variety of gear Bill. Baitcasting, spinning and fly. Your pike gear would likely be perfect.

 

Rods 7 - 7 1/2 ft. Med-Heavy. Spinning 12-17lb, Casting same or 15-25lb. Braided lines 30-50lb. Fly 9wt and floating line.

 

 

Like how you target the top species according to the season of your area.

 

Can't wait till you target the biggest muskies that call that region home.

 

 

Fishing in Eastern Ontario is incredible. Since moving home south again it's been amazing sampling anything and everything available.

 

I'm looking for a mid September to mid October fish. Muskies could fit that bill around here.

 

 

Georgian Bay has some giant Gar in it. What is the record for Gar? That Silver one looks much bigger and different than all the rest. Thanks for posting.

 

 

OFAH - 20.1 pounds. 54 inches... Surprisingly..?

 

Some fish are quite silver throughout... some very spotted... and then from time to time you find one black backed and brown bellied.

 

What would be the longest you've seen in G.Bay?

 

 

Nice fatties, fish registered with ofah that qualify as records, dont they get a free mount of their fish? If so, bye bye gar and onto the wall, as it would be an awesome conversation piece? So many people have no idea that fish like that exist, and can be caught...this was given to me from an old bar i used to frequent, tiny compared to those lunkers, but still interesting. I would never pay to get a gar mount, but something I would consider.

 

 

Not sure if the OFAH still has that program in effect. I was told no...

 

Would like one for the wall. In part, because you are right with everything you say, and as well, because the fish I'd keep would likely be significantly better than this PB 20+ pounder... or an exceptionally spotted gar of about the same size.

 

 

 

Thanks all for your interest.

Edited May 13, 2013 by Moosebunk