gar

[beavercleaver]

always heard it was trash fish..tried it and it is actualy very good...if you catch a 5 or more pound gar use tin snips to cut down middle of back scales they are very tough peel them back and remove filet comes out like deer loin ...slice into 1/2 in slices batter and fry ...dont try to freeze it doesnt freeze well

 

[Eric Revo]

We always used a hatchet to split them and only kept the top "loin". Actually it's a very flaky white meat that isn't fishy at all. I will only eat river fish out of cleaner rivers as gar are both apex predators and scavengers and all the bad stuff that smaller fish eat will be concentrated in these types of fish.

 

[nontypical]

Glad to hear! I've had fried gator tail before years ago, It was yummy best I remember.

 

[Part-time hunter]

I've had other people say this fish or that fish isn't any good. The only way to tell is to try it yourself. Good to know gar is another example of how wrong "they" can be.

 

[Eric Revo]

I've always been told that the roe is very bad for you and can cause severe diarrhea or worse. That's why we always leave the bottom half alone.

 

[Hank62]

Interesting, I was told it want worth the effort. To many bones. I'll try this.

Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

 

[JD1107]

There’s a episode of meat eaters where he goes gar fishing and shows the process to clean and cook them. Not sure I’d go through all the work for it though.

 

[woodmoose]

To many bones.

common misconception when it comes to a wide variety of fish species,,

 

[Eric Revo]

common misconception when it comes to a wide variety of fish species,,

Kinda like puffers, once you've done a couple it gets lots easier. And the effort is worth it, the return is delicious.

 

[KTMan]

never tried gar but was told the same thing about carp. Actually don' t mind carp. Not going after them to catch and eat but when shoot a few with the bow I keep some and smoke.

Grass carp is much better than common carp.

 

[Longrifle]

On the St. Johns River in Florida we actually targeted gar. For a freshwater fish that backstrap is second only to gator tail to me. I floured and deep fried both in the same basket.

 

[Eric Revo]

On the St. Johns River in Florida we actually targeted gar. For a freshwater fish that backstrap is second only to gator tail to me. I floured and deep fried both in the same basket.

We used to catch the mess out of them while waiting on catfish to bite. Wire snares would do a number on them with live bream as bait or even catfish guts. Sometimes if the flatheads weren't cooperating gar would keep us from coming home skunked and provide dinner that night.

 

[Bailey Boat]

Youth story.... My Grandfather was going to try Gar once. I caught a 2 footer in Lake Ouchita and he cleaned it and fried it up. The minute it went into his mouth it came right back out. My Grandmother rolled her eyes and asked, "George, what did you really expect??".... Last time Gar was ever mentioned around our house....

 

[shotgunner]

My daughter is a big fan of Hannah Barron. She is dead set on us trying gar this spring. I have no problem catching and cleaning it for her. Just hard to get over what I have been told for 50 years. I hope I build up the courage to give it a fair shake by the time we get one.

 

[ncscrubmaster]

I'll pass. I guess next somebody's gonna try bowfin. I would probably eat one but it would have to be a last resort.

 

[beavercleaver]

way too many bones..

 

[DRS]

I'll pass. I guess next somebody's gonna try bowfin. I would probably eat one but it would have to be a last resort.

A buddy took all I could catch. Said the meat looked like snot, had to spoon it out. Batter and fried, had a consistency of like clam strips. It was good and his family finished it off before eating the catfish the first time he cooked it. He quit eating it only when the advisories came out not to eat them.

Going to try gar one of these days.

 

[DRS]

double post

 

[shotgunner]

We love bowfin if they come out of cold water. We used to catch them, or shoot them with the bow, January-March maybe early April if it was a late spring. Really good in a stew. Have not had one since moving to Sandhills. May try to slip to Jordan one weekend and see if I can round one up. I have not seen any on Tillery or Badin but I know Jordan has some good ones.

 

[darkthirty]

They call it “poor mans lobster” because of the texture.
I tried one a few years ago. When I first try a fish, I don’t put any seasoning or anything to mask any flavor. I just ran it through some corn meal and fried it. It wasnt good. It wasn’t bad. Zero flavor. The more I chewed it, the bigger it got. Haven’t tried anymore. I bake or fry fish. I’m not interested in any other way. If it’s not suitable for either of those two methods, I don’t eat it.
Not sure where the “too many bones” is coming from. The backstrap is as boneless as you can get.

 

[Eric Revo]

They call it “poor mans lobster” because of the texture.
I tried one a few years ago. When I first try a fish, I don’t put any seasoning or anything to mask any flavor. I just ran it through some corn meal and fried it. It wasnt good. It wasn’t bad. Zero flavor. The more I chewed it, the bigger it got. Haven’t tried anymore. I bake or fry fish. I’m not interested in any other way. If it’s not suitable for either of those two methods, I don’t eat it.
Not sure where the “too many bones” is coming from. The backstrap is as boneless as you can get.

I load most of those kinda fish up with hot sauce, dipping it in hot sauce before battering it then adding more when I eat it. I do the same to fish that I really don't care for like pond catfish and crappie.

 

[beavercleaver]

the backstrap is boneless from the gar..is the bowfin boneless as well i was just going on what my father said about bowfin years ago but never tried to filet one,,,