Natural Predator For Gar

[Guest]

deleted

[Dumb to fishing]

I kill those nasty things every time I catch one...they proliferate and are a nuisance. We have hooked some 20-30 lbers while striper fishing. Often times they will strip every line of it's bait that took hours to catch and if your lucky enough to snag one while hes stripping...time to take the club to him! We usually move when we get into gar...if they are around the game fish are not it seems.

I wouldn't mind catching a few dozen 8-12 inchers and trying them out for bait. I bet they would work well.

I have heard some old timers say they are pretty good eating..but man they sure are slimy and stinky! I have heard some old timers say skunks and possums are good eating too..

SK

Wow you just opened a can of worms around here! LMAO

[mhall02]

Gulping air is not the primary source of oxygen. Gar have gills and will "breathe" like other fish. They have a lung like air sack so that in times of low dissolved oxygen, they can gulp air to supplement the air that comes from the gills.

If you don't believe me about gar drowing (personal experience with hoop nets), read this. If they can't gulp air (or break as the article states), they die. A good informational read on gar:

http://www.nanfa.org/captivecare/gars.shtml

[KATroutman13]

EAT THEM!!! They are really a great fish to eat, the meat is really white. Many people think they are trash fish, but they are actually very predatory like bass. My father in-law is a big bow fisherman and I never even thought about eating them (we'd just catch them on white jigs and let them go b/c they were HUGE) until he brought a mess home one afternoon and we fried them up. They take a bit of work because you have to trim the filets up to get rid of any dark meat, but are really freaking tasty.

[creek wader]

As far as little ones are concerned. I'm sure a few critters may eat one occasionally. But, I'm sure they are not a prime food source for any critter. I doubt that anything will eat a grown one except humans. And yes, I agree with KATroutman13. You can eat them. They have a tube, like a sturgeon or a spoonbill. Thier meat is white, and they eat the same things as a catfish, which most everybody eats. I've had people show me how to clean sturgeon. I imagine it would be the same way. Although, I really can't remember how they did it. I've never eaten one. When you think about it, people eat livers, gizzards, rocky mountain oysters, brains, chittlins, and other organs. So, in comparison, a gar won't be that bad. Besides, everything tastes good, when it's fried.

[Chief Grey Bear]

If you don't believe me about gar drowing (personal experience with hoop nets), read this. If they can't gulp air (or break as the article states), they die. A good informational read on gar:

http://www.nanfa.org/captivecare/gars.shtml

Uh, feel free to believe that info if you want but, from my experience and observation, I see a lot of false information.

I have had gar in an aquarium. Never have they grown to a foot in their first year of life. And yes they were properly feed. Well, I feed my natural food not pellets.

I never noticed a high metabolism as I condsider it to be. My observation was every movement was very slow and deliberate. That is until they had slid in next to the intended prey and then if you blinked it was over. How fascinating it is to view a small gar "walking" a minnow or small perch from the front of his beak to the mouth and getting it turned head first for swallowing.

Of all the hours that I watched them I can honestly say, I don't recall ever seeing the young gar gulping air.

I wonder how they do this when the ice is on? The ice can get pretty thick in the northern areas of their range.

[jdmidwest]

Gar are fun to fish for and great on the fly rod. Fishing is always best when water temps are up and they are closer to the top gulping air due to low O2 levels. I went out for a while a few weeks ago after a cold front went thru and had a few bites. Most were deeper and not interested.