Comparing your looks, the gar fling took place in the end of last millennium
Catching FL gar is the same thing - they run around with the bait like a dog with a bone and their bony jaws are impossible to pierce with a hook. I fail to land 9 out of 10 gars I hook in the mouth. It's not really hooking though. Just somehow the hook is barely stuck in its mouth or teeth.
Some locals use a strange lure that acts like velcro on the gar teeth, entangling them and holding on pretty strong.
You are probably about right on the timeframe; it was before I had a digital camera. I scanned the print to post the above. I got that shirt my senior year of high school; it says 1995 on it. That was probably the last time I specifically fished for gar, although I have been meaning to try to get some Alligator Gar here in Texas.
