Sea of Monsters

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. That’s what they say anyhow. It was certainly true for me the first time I took to the waters after I moved to Georgia. There I was, a Yankee fishing in the obscene humidity and unbearable heat. I trolled my way along a rock wall that made up a bridge separating part of the lake. It wasn’t a necessarily exciting day. Honestly, I think it was hot enough the fish said “screw it.” Still, a slow day of fishing beats a good day at work anytime so I was in no position to complain.

As I continued my way around the rock bridge I caught a flash under the water. As my boat drifted around an outcropping and my angle to the sun changed I saw an apparition that I’m sure was not from this planet. Or, at the very least, it was not from this time. In the few seconds that followed I realized I had seen my very first gar. Not a big deal to the locals, but I nearly jumped in after it. The beast had to be every bit of three-and-a-half to four feet long, as best as I was able to tell. Thus was my first impression and the start of a journey to get a shot at one of these prehistoric monsters.

I had wanted to tackle this fine predator for a number of years. I had seen plenty of bowfishing videos where alligator gar were the target, but I had never seen these smaller, longnose gar before. Being the born and bred Yankee I was I was well accustomed to bass, pike, musky, crappie, and catfish. But this was something new and very different from anything I had seen before. At that point I set out to learn all I could about this magnificent animal. Here’s some of what I was able to learn along the way.

Lepisosteus osseus, or the longnose gar, as we know it is a finned fish that hasn’t changed a lot in the past 100 million years. So these fish are a literal throwback to the cretaceous period, 145 – 66 million years ago. The climate on Earth was relatively warm during this period in history. For a majority of this period dinosaurs were still running the show on land, while there the waters were ruled by a number of reptiles, ammonites, and rudists. It was also during this time geologists have discovered different groups of mammals, birds, and flowered plants emerged.

The Cretaceous period saw some cooling from the end of the Jurassic period. Snowfall was somewhat common in higher altitudes and glaciation was restricted to higher altitudes. There was also some extensive volcanic activity and large quantities of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A more gentle temperature gradient from the equator to the poles meant weaker winds which in turn amounted to less upwelling and more stagnate waters across the lands and oceans.

Not only did our Cretaceous fish have to adapt to such harsh conditions, they were also doing business when the pterosaur, Triceratops, Velociraptor, and the famed Tyrannosaurus rex still walked the Earth. The gar managed to survive in a world with these and other dangerous animals, on both the land and under the waters. The Cretaceous period came to an end with a mass extinction event, known as Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. A majority of the creatures had vanished, but the gar remained to carry on.

This happened about 66 million years ago, when about eighty percent of the plants and animals on Earth went extinct in a very short period of time. Few animals over 55 pounds managed to survive. It is commonly accepted this event was caused by a massive asteroid strike. A theory which is supported by a line of sentiment found in numerous core samples from around the world. Still, the gar managed to endure and is here to tell the tale.

Today, these living fossils inhabit a variety of bodies of water all over the world. The longnose gar, which is the white whale of my obsession, is a long fish, with brilliant camouflage coloration and ironclad scales. Olive green, brown, white, silver, black, and deep green in a perfect harmony make this beast look like an efficient and stylish predator. The long snout has a battery of viscous teeth set in the bone fixture.  Frogs, snakes, other fish, small turtles, baby waterfowl, and small animals have all been reported to have fallen prey to this most magnificent of fish.

The longnose gar can reach 4 to 5 feet in length and weigh up to 30 pounds. The alligator gar can make it to 8 feet in length and weigh up to 200 pounds. These fish are hardy survivors just by nature. For this reason they can literally be anywhere.  I personally saw a spotted gar on a fishing trip on the Ottawa River several years ago. While they are versatile, they seem to like slower moving water and can often be found in brackish waters. Gar are vulnerable when young, but have few natural predators when they reach maturity.

Conservation is always a concern when talking about any fish. Gar are a slow fish to grow, with their mating season taking place between April and August. They will often travel in small schools during the mating season, with several males accompanying one female. Her eggs are toxic to humans and have an adhesive quality, which allows them to stick to the floor of the body of water where they can be fertilized and hatch. It generally takes 6 to 10 days for the eggs to hatch and the newborn gar are usually 8 to 10 millimeters long.

The newborn gar attach vertically to objects on the bottom of the water by using an adhesive disc on their underdeveloped snout. They remain like this until their yolk sac is absorbed (about 9 days) and they can remain horizontal. They can then take their first aerial breath and begin feeding. The frylings find cover and begin feeding on any available foods smaller than them. The female gar can get significantly larger and will reach sexual maturity in about 6 years, and can keep the show going until the ripe old age of 22 years old. Male gar can start chasing the ladies after only 3 to 4 years, but will only live to be 11 years old if their luck holds. With the gar’s slow ability to reproduce we should consider the option very carefully when we choose to take one of these amazing fish.

Now that we’ve discussed saving them, let’s talk about hunting them. About eighty percent of a gar’s diet is fish and they are ambush predators. Most species are more active at night, but they feed in the day too. They prefer shiners, sunfish, some catfish, and any in a number of such fish depending on the area. Gar generally lay in wait or stalk their prey and will usually strike from the side. They will lunge at their prey, throwing their head from side to side and ultimately maneuvering their kill so they can swallow it head first.

For the angler, spinners, cut-baits, spoons have al met with success. Still, many species of gar had boney snouts that make effectively setting a hook difficult. Then there is the issues of those razor-sharp teeth cutting through your line. Many fishermen fashion rope lures out of sections of nylon rope. Basically, you take a section of rope, 6 to 8 inches long, fold it in half and secure an eye to the end. Frey the nylon out with a comb or brush and you have it. When the gar strikes its teeth get tangled in the rope fibers and it becomes one with your line. How fancy or simple you want to be with your lure is up to you. The internet is full of suggestions and ideas.

Finally, there’s always hunting them with a bow and arrow. This has proven to be my favorite, as always. Imagine stalking boar, only you have to watch for alligators. Watch from shore and be ready to make some pretty long shots, but this is a productive and fun way to chase after gar. On that note, hope to see you on the water.