# Weirdest thing!



## tank banger (Oct 2, 2012)

So me and my brother-in-law decided to go out on fish river this morning and try to get some spec's. Put in at waterhole branch and started north saw dozens of gar rolling on top of the water thought it would be fun so i tried to catch one he kept coming to the top of the water sticking his head up and swimging on top slowly. He wouldn't bite or even look at it. Told my brother-in-law bet i could catch him with my hands if he came up again. Got up close ran my hand under him grabbed him behind the head then the tail pulled up out of the water and threw him in the cooler. Didn't fight to bad.

Heard from few people that they aren't bad to eat just curious if anyone has tried them before?


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## DAWGONIT (Jan 16, 2009)

Never tried; clearly sporties.
looks like decent filets though.
catch 'em up.


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## pcola4 (Apr 13, 2009)

If you survive, post something to let us know how it tasted.


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## PLS (Feb 9, 2012)

Glenn and Mitchell Guist loved to eat em right up to Mitchell passing away. Think they made gar balls.

Is it a male or female?


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## BananaTom (Feb 16, 2008)

*Yep Gar Balls*


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## Randy M (Jul 8, 2012)

Garfish is a good eating fish although the texture is different than most fish. It's kind of coarse with tendons running through it which make it chewy. Most all of the Gar I have caught were bigger than that and the meat was much whiter.
It's excellent fried!

In Florida, Alligator Gar is protected while in Louisiana it's considered a "trash" fish with no limits at all.


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## phil c (Jan 19, 2008)

Bet you dulled your knife down good cleaning that thing! I've had arrows bounce off em bowfishing.


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## rfh21 (May 17, 2012)

Had one scare the crap out of me today. Came up right next to the boat out of no where. Props on grabbing him, that takes some skill.


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## tank banger (Oct 2, 2012)

phil c said:


> Bet you dulled your knife down good cleaning that thing! I've had arrows bounce off em bowfishing.



That thing was a booger to clean had to use a machete and sheet metal shears to get the shell off. Not bad after that though.


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

tank banger said:


> That thing was a booger to clean had to use a machete and sheet metal shears to get the shell off. Not bad after that though.


LMAO!!! I tried to clean a twenty pounder once, when I was younger. I gave up and just buried it. Haven't kept one since. The skull makes a pretty cool trophy. Has anybody noticed the gar skull trophies Predator has, in the movie?


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## GatorBane (Jan 11, 2010)

Cold weather will bring certain species to the surface to lethargically float around and warm up.


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## johnf (Jan 20, 2012)

When I was a kid my dad some friends that bow fished and brought us all kinds of really big gar and carp. Dad used a jig saw to cut through the skin after ruining sever electric knife nlades. Mom canned the fish in a pressure cooker. She said the have lots of small bones and the cooker softens them up. She would mix the meat with crackers, onion abf egg, make them into patties and fry them. They were tastey. I remember they were especially good the next day on a sandwich with some yellow mustard.


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## Randy M (Jul 8, 2012)

Yakavelli said:


> LMAO!!! I tried to clean a twenty pounder once, when I was younger. I gave up and just buried it. Haven't kept one since. The skull makes a pretty cool trophy. Has anybody noticed the gar skull trophies Predator has, in the movie?



We always used a hatchet and chopped a strip like peeling bark on the top, then using a filet knife skin the carcass and then fillet, easy.

Here's a link showing pics:
http://www.tigerfan.com/threads/how-to-clean-a-gar-fish-pics-included.102020/


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## johnf (Jan 20, 2012)

Duplicate oops


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## jailbait (Apr 5, 2010)

They were all out there Saturday morning along with some slots, couldn't get the slots to hit anything, threw every thing I ha and nothin. People where out using some live shrimp and they came up with nothin from what I seen, nice hand catch though! Hats off cause I'd be scared that one o those things would bite me and that wouldn't be good! ( guess I've seen to many movies )


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## tank banger (Oct 2, 2012)

Well after sitting in milk since yesterday it was time. Used mashed potatoes onion, green onion and garlic cloves. Boiled gar in crab boil shredded and added to potatoes. Made thin patties dipped in egg then Zatarain's fish fry. Fried till crispy. Turned out pretty good. Will have to try it by itself next time.


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## joseph_zlnsk (Jan 24, 2012)

You need to be a little carfull cleaning them. They carry some sort of poisen or poisen sack around their guts. Got to filet them carefully.


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## jaster (Oct 7, 2007)

joseph_zlnsk said:


> You need to be a little carfull cleaning them. They carry some sort of poisen or poisen sack around their guts. Got to filet them carefully.


Ahh what doesnt kill you only makes you stronger!!! LOL. Nice catch by hand there. Use to make a slip rig with a minnow dangling in the middle to thin them out on yellow river. Had an old fellow that would cook uo some patties with em. Not to bad


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## joseph_zlnsk (Jan 24, 2012)

That's true but it can kill you, we used to catch gar in louisiana usually by juggling. They say the poisen is more potent in the smaller ones. I've only eaten them a few times, they are kinda considered a trash fish, same as saltwater cats


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## joseph_zlnsk (Jan 24, 2012)

They didn't taste that bad too me, just hard to clean, I used a machete to breat the skin at one of the back fins, then a pair of tin snips to cut up the lenth of the fish. Tried a serated butcher knife and it wouldn't cut.


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## Bullgat0r (May 13, 2012)

The individual segments of muscle have a rubbery membrane between them. I've tried it fried and discovered this. All in all the spotted gar had a decent flavor and a texture much like chicken breast.


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## Seatmech86 (Mar 8, 2011)

Here you go fellas, came across this when I was stuck in youtube last time.


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## pole squeezer (Oct 29, 2008)

The roe are poisonous in gar, just don't eat the eggs. People have died after eating those.


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## joseph_zlnsk (Jan 24, 2012)

Bingo, I mencioned that earlier, people don't realize that and end up busting the sack when their cleaning the fish, and get sick, and ..... Well some die


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