Upper End in the Heat

[Bill Babler]

As has been mentioned Youtube is just full of the how and why to skin gar. mostly they take a small hatchet or a pair of snips to open up the back and ferret out the white loin meat and then there a zillion ways to prepare it. Most involve boiling and then forming a ball or croquet and frying. Sounds like a lot of work.

As 5bites says, I get more reaction on them from a fin as just about anything. Phil and I did one year catch them pretty good on a fly rod and white jig. Never got a one in the boat.

As far as everyone knowing the difference between Gizzard Shad and Gar working the surface vs bass. 99% of the clients I fish and some of these are 3 to 5 day a week fishermen, have absolute no idea. They all just assume they are bass.

I've had experienced fishermen tell me surfacing carp are smalljaws so I am a bit skeptical on the knowledge of just about everyone.

I have fished this lake from one end to the other in the last 30 days and seen 2 bass on the surface. If your seeing them you are way luckier than I have been.

Today was really tougher. We had 11 bass all K's and 11 bluegill. The gills were huge and they are extremely thick in that 15' to 25' range. You got crickets you got gills right now

Good Luck

[merc1997 Bo]

If I knew how to clean them I'd like to arrow a few. That's a lot of freezer bag swimming around in one fish. I've heard they are very good cleaned by someone that knows what they're doing.

Btw we set down on a big school of them Friday at grand. My son am was amazed as they porpoised around the boat. He grabbed his redfin and started casting. No idea why he had a redfin. I said boy if one of them takes a notion to eat that you've just lost that redfin. I wish he would have though. I've hooked them cranking on grand before and the power is amazing. It basically felt like the bottom of the lake moving and there just wasn't much you was gonna do about the direction he wanted to go. I lost one of my cherished strike king series 3 lake fork specials this way.

got to bleed them, skin them, take off all the red meat. cube the white meat. boil in shrimp mix and have at it. very good. however, you want to eat them while hot. they get rubbery after they get cool.

bo

[5bites]

I wondered about bleeding them out. I'm glad you brought that up.

When they cool of does heating them back up do any good or is it over after the first time it's hot? What texture do they have if you was to just fry it?

[5bites]

Thank for all the advice guy! Very much appreciated.

[flyrod17]

I've found that purple (Grape Ape) rope works best but it can be hard to find. Skeet Yeller is a good second choice and that blue/white checkered rope (Blue Shore Minnow) will produce at times, too.

I tie nylon-rope flies for gar, down here the old red/yeller is a staple...... There's nothing like "hooking" a 30 or 40 pound gar on a flyrod to give you religion ......... "oh God let him stay one, oh God my arms are burning, oh God he pulled off" <repeat>

[fishinwrench]

If I get one to the boat and feel ambitious I will try it. I hope I like it because it obviously flys under the radar. Where to keep one if I get it will be the biggest issue. Bass boats aren't exactly geared for gar.

Just throw him in the rod box.

[Sam]

"maybe a piece of nylon ski rope would have worked a bit better"

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My grandpa taught me that trick for catching gar, so long ago that Tablerock Dam wasn't built yet and our rope was cotton, not nylon.

And all this time I thought I knew something nobody else did. Guess not. LOL

[Flysmallie]

Just throw him in the rod box.

How much to convert the rod box into a livewell?

Oh wait. It has an arrow in it.

How much to convert the rod box into a cooler?

[5bites]

How much to convert the rod box into a livewell?

Oh wait. It has an arrow in it.

How much to convert the rod box into a cooler?

This crossed my mind. I guess that's all good depending on how long it is until I put it back on the trailer.

[5bites]

I could bungee him to the talon too. That would get some looks.