Some buddies and myself are trying to catch a gar and eat it. We had heard that they are poisonous, but appartently only their eggs are dangerous to eat. Has anyone else ate one of these prehistoric monsters?

Thanks

if you get a big gar,you can split it down the back and get an icecream scoop and scoop the meat out like melon balls.down each side of the back bone is a strip sorta like the backstrap of a deer.scoop it out and season ans deep fry. really good.

Never heard about them being poisonous. My grandmother and dad would eat them all the time. Fresh Garfish balls...deep fried

They are not poisonious. Use tin snips to cut the skin down the backbone. Then make 2cuts with the snips across the "shoulders" and the tail piece. you can bone out 2 nice chunks of meat from the sides of the backbone. cut it up and fry away! If it appears muddy give em a soak in buttermilk for a few hours.

HNI Christine posted complete directions, with pics, for properly cleaning and cooking gar, a search should turn it up or you can just PM her.

Right thats what i heard ,just the eggs are a problem.

How do you( or others_catch yours ussally when using a line& pole?

I caught one( first one) the other nite while catfishing.

Weirdist fish i ever cut up& seen.(i thought they where more like pike) We have seen a few lately mostly smaller ones& mostly long nose types i think)

Wish i had seen these here posts or the ohers beforehand( would have made things easyier)

But i did find this link looking around( as Kev mentioned)aafter- in how to clean them with good info. pics etc
http://www.illinoisbowfishers.com/gar.html


Got mine with a hook- its a spotted gar( i didnt relize they dont get as big as the other types -tillafter i cut him up& looked in the fish book relizing what one it was)

He broke the line& almost got away to- but i will be eating him real soon (the meats in the frezz)along with some cats[8D]


I heard some ppl catch them on ropes without any hooks.

Got another- this one was a long nose gar- built a lill different longer then the one above but much skinnier body& not so heavy- we threw him back- he wasnt even hooked -just had mouth clamped on the bait& wouldnt let go.

i wouldnt eat em but thats just me

I don't mess with them unless they are about 4 feet long or bigger because you are dealing with too many bones and too little meat. With big ones you can cut them into steaks and cook them on the grill.

I thought the gar was very good eating- much firmer flesh then the catfish i was eating with it- the gar was much more like chicken meat i think then fish to me & had no fishy taste the the cats did some.


But i can see where itcould be hard to get to much meat off them - but i did cut the back strips off them& they was tasty deep fryed& coatedin spicy breadcrumbs[8D]