Fishing Through the Apocalypse by Matthew L. Miller

Author:Matthew L. Miller
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781493037421
Publisher: Lyons Press
Published: 2018-12-11T16:00:00+00:00

The alligator gar is one of seven gar species, five of which reside in the United States. They’re an ancient fish lineage that swam with dinosaurs. They’ve survived asteroids and other global calamities, but as with so many species, now face what is perhaps their toughest test.

I first learned of gar in childhood, even though the Central Pennsylvania waters near my home didn’t have any. I loved obscure wild animals of all kinds. Yes, I explored the local creeks and woodlots near me, but Marlin Perkins’s Wild Kingdom and a diet of nature and outdoor books and magazines filled my head with more exotic beasts. I loved kudus and anacondas and cassowaries. A guidance counselor advised me in junior high that if I continued my interests in subjects like ground squirrels, I’d be lucky to ever amount to more than the county dog catcher (I actually didn’t think this sounded like a bad option). I continued on my path. The more bizarre the creature, the better I loved it.

One day, I paged through a fishing book at the local library and came across a photo of an alligator gar. The fish certainly bore a resemblance to an alligator, as it was covered with large scales and had a long, pointy snout with fearsome-looking teeth. Another childhood book, called Fish Do The Strangest Things, featured an illustration of a gar actually chomping an alligator. This was fanciful; gar may look imposing but they’d be unlikely to take on a full-size gator. But such a gnarly fish fueled my dreams. As I researched, several books mentioned that gar were not “sport fish.” I didn’t care. I wanted to see this fish firsthand.

102 I got my chance years later during a year living in rural southern Kansas. On a spring day, I visited a river a short drive from my home, a rented little farmhouse on the prairie. I hoped to find bass, but was even more excited when I saw a huge gathering of gar, stacked like logs near the water’s surface. I cast a Rapala, a wobbling lure that resembled a minnow. Immediately a fish hit, and I missed. I cast again. A hit and miss.

Provided the water’s warm, gar may be the least selective fish that swim. They’ll attack lures or baits with reckless abandon. But given that bony snout, they’re difficult to hook. To some, this lowers their appeal. To me, it’s part of the great fun of gar fishing.

I caught several shortnose gar that day, reminding me of those childhood fish books. These gar were 20 inches or so, and put up a good fight on an ultralight spin rod—but they were miniatures compared to the big alligator gar that initially captured my attention.

I began to learn that many others didn’t share the love. For decades, gar have been loathed not only as rough fish but also reviled as aggressive predators that gobble up more desirable species. They have even been accused of attacking humans.

As with other native rough fish, these rumors don’t contain a shred of scientific fact.

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