BIG Surprise while Fishing this Weekend

My dad came down Saturday and we went out to the lake. Fishing was a little slow, caught 10-12 small hybrids in about 8 total hours of fishing. About half way through the day trolling the bank I had a big strike. NOT foul hooked. Never expected this..... it was quite the fight with 14lb test!



He's still sitting on ice, will clean him this afternnon! Bought a one-handed sawzall to use like an electric filet knife last year when we caught 3 of these guys on cut bait. This one hammered my bone pattern rattle trap in the middle of the day! Gar balls anyone??

I'm out but looks like a great fight

nice catch

I caught one of those when I was a kid and tied it behind my mini bike. Towed it around for 20 minutes and this Black guy on the corner offered me $5 for it, I cut the rope, he gave me the $5 and I rode off laughing. Now I am wondering what I missed?

Caught 3 last year so we took em home. Tried to use my bone saw to cut into steaks... didn't work. Went to lowes and picked up a one-handed sawzall with a sheet metal blade. worked perfect. Filleted and skinned both sides, boiled up some potatoes like you would for a crawfish boil, boiled the meat the same way (tasted great, even boiled!). Flaked boiled meat in with potatoes, seasoned with tony's and mixed in a big bowl. Formed into golf ball-sized balls, breaded and fried em up. They were outstanding. I will try smoking this time, and maybe frying some too. The meat is better than most.. no joke. I think its the toughness and the smell [of the whole fish] that turns people off. The last foot or so of the meat is no good, however. It's mushy like fat or something, but the meaty part is firm, almost like gator or chicken!

***also added chopped garlic and onion while mixing.

My grandpa would nail their bill to a board to hold them up right and use a sharp knife to zigzag along the scales on each side of the backbone. He'd pry them open and remove the filets from the top, cutting away from the inside of the scales on one side and from along the ribs on the other. He'd soak the filets in buttermilk and then fry them up like any other. Never tasted bad to me. As an adult, I don't remember the last time I caught a gar bigger than a foot or so. But, if I did, I think I'd give it a go again...in PaPa's memory.

Thanks!!
Matt

Great job! Used to catch these alot when we lived in FL. And yes, blacks love this fish. They used to send their kid's out to the spillway, armed with baseball bats. As soon as we'd land one, the kids always asked if they could have it.

One whack of the bat to the gar's head, and off they'd go.

I didn't know people ate those things. Nice one though!

But Congrats

I never knew that gar had balls

"You'd have to eat about a million of them to get full!"

-Rodney Carrington

Congrats

Good times!

You just don't know how to cook them Then again, neither do I

Good catch On a big fish gar! We catch a gar on our jug/trotlines in the local lake. Last gator gar was 7'5" and 140 lbs, it was good eating. I take a circular saw and cut down the back, then get my filet knife and get to work. Cut the filets into small pieces and fry them up for some great eating.

Nice gar. The recipe sounds good. I'd try it.

Those things put up a good fight.

Nice, glad to see it didn't go to waste! I used to fish the Navasota River outside of College Station. I caught more than a few of them but never cooked any, just turned them loose. It always irritated me to find a big pile of them at the launch from someone out bow fishing.

Nice catch! All these fishin' photos are really stirring me up to go.

They will sure chase a chrome spoon, or any chrome lure it seems, used to be a PITA on Whitney when fishing near the bank.

... but me too!

Ive eaten a few. To clean I lay them down chop head off with hatchet and cut down the center of the back with a GOOD PAIR of hand shears, then trim down between hide and meat and cut meat out like a backstrap.

Its plenty eadible, but to me it is mushy when compared to catfish, bass, crappie etc. Makes better fish patties etc than regular old frying fish.

that's pretty much how I did it last night.. but used the sawzall to cut down the back. this guy was quite a bit fatter than the last few we caught. worked pretty well.

Determination gets you a long ways

I'll pass

nice catch

nice catch but I'm with WTGuide

backstraps off of those are excellent eats