Gar Cooking

[fishinwrench]

Pike I've had. It's fine. Cooked up a pickerel with a batch of Okeechoobee bluegill once also and couldn't tell the difference. Carp and Buffalo I've seen filleted and the meat doesn't even look appealing to me at all, but I'm sure if I tasted it I'd prolly grab another piece. The gar meat looks like it would be really good.

[Guest Brian B.]

Nathan, I have heard folks using sections of yellow nylon rope, (as frayed as. You can imagine) -- supposedly their teeth get all locked up in the strands, theyare aggressive enough, no question about that.. But I would have to see it to believe it.

We always just fluked them- half arse at that.

Bowfishing seems to be the most reliable way- but, 12-13" largemouth are sooo much easier. To catch, and in numbers too.

[Al Agnew]

The frayed nylon rope works...add it to the back of a big inline spinner instead of the dressed hook. Other than that, you can fish for them with live minnows; all you have to do is give them plenty of time to swallow the minnow.

I knew a guy who cleaned them by whacking them into steaks, scales and all, with a heavy meat cleaver and rubber mallet. Once you had the steaks you could just cut the meat out of the scales and skin with a sharp knife. This might end up being a quicker way to do smaller ones. Keep in mind that they don't have real bones. Gar are too primitive to have true bones. They have a notachord, I think it's called, a gristly backbone, and gristly rib cage. No small bones in the meat like you have with fish like pike.

I've eaten them and they are quite good.

Don't eat the eggs, though. Gar roe is said to be poisonous.

[exiledguide]

Wrench used to drive up to the Fin Inn in Grafton IL and wait outside in line to eat one of their buffalo meals and they had walleye 0n the menu. But I have never tried to clean a carp usually don't fish for them and too lazy to spend the extra time to clean them.

[Guest Brian B.]

The steak method sounds much easier.

[Feathers and Fins]

Nathan 2 ways I like to catch them are LIVE and FLY. You must have super sharp hooks and a very hard hook set. The Nylon rope works well! The third option is Archery. But of all ways on the fly is by far my favorite they put up a great fight ands some of them will give you a great air show.

Wrench, Gator is a good comparison If you look at the picture you can see the muscle tone in the meat and the density of it. Very firm but not tough at all. Apparently the way I cooked it last night is even Coonass approved from my Facebook lol. Hard to get the seal of approval from those boys on food I don't good lol.

Al's way is good, that method is good on small fish but be warned the Gars skin/scales on the small ones are very sharp and I and a few others have sliced our fingers open doing that, this is why I advise only larger Gar to be kept and the cleaning method I listed. And definitely DO NOT EAT THE ROW!

[Old plug]

Well I been thinking about this. I caught one a couple evenings ago as long as my leg and about 8 " in DIa. With the other fishing in the pits around here I think I am going to give them a shot.

Wrench I was just putting on my shirt to come up there and jaw with you a but about this gar fishing stuff.

[nathanhooper]

Is there a particular fly pattern you have found they like above others? Me likes to fly fish!

[Feathers and Fins]

streamers, I prefer the FOF but I am out and ducky is in Alaska so I will have to wait for him to get back in the fall to get more

[nathanhooper]

FOF? I like to tie, what size streamers?