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Old 01-15-2010, 07:31 AM
 
Location: Punta Gorda and Maryland
6,103 posts, read 15,088,066 times
Reputation: 1257
Last time I went fishing, in early December, I caught about a 4' long alligator gar. Has anyone ever caught one?

I had never seen one before, so after getting a quick photo, I let it go. Later I wondered if they were good eating or not, and how to clean one. The instructions I found, said you needed tin snips to cut through the skin before trying to filet it. I thought it was a boney fish too, but evidently it is not, and it is supposed to be mild, but with a texture more like chicken than flakey like fish.

Has anyone ever eaten Gar? It is supposed to be a fast selling item in the seafood stores near New Orleans.

Just wondering.

Also - Jevlte have you gotten your boat out much lately?
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Old 01-15-2010, 08:20 AM
 
Location: Ohio/Sarasota
913 posts, read 2,362,228 times
Reputation: 447
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big House View Post
Last time I went fishing, in early December, I caught about a 4' long alligator gar. Has anyone ever caught one?

I had never seen one before, so after getting a quick photo, I let it go. Later I wondered if they were good eating or not, and how to clean one. The instructions I found, said you needed tin snips to cut through the skin before trying to filet it. I thought it was a boney fish too, but evidently it is not, and it is supposed to be mild, but with a texture more like chicken than flakey like fish.

Has anyone ever eaten Gar? It is supposed to be a fast selling item in the seafood stores near New Orleans.

Just wondering.

Also - Jevlte have you gotten your boat out much lately?
I just saw something on Animal Planet about these. I had never seen one before. They grow very large, like 12 feet or something. Lots of teeth.
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Old 01-15-2010, 08:41 AM
 
Location: Palm Island and North Port
7,511 posts, read 22,922,074 times
Reputation: 2879
Alligator gars can grow to be over 300 lbs. I've heard that they are really hard to clean because their scales are like armor but from what I understand they are good eating. You usually find them in the bayous, river and swamps. They like brackish water.

Hopefully you were wearing your gloves when you unhooked it cause their teeth are like needles. Also where are the picture?
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Old 01-15-2010, 09:09 AM
 
Location: Marion, IN
8,189 posts, read 31,235,578 times
Reputation: 7344
When I lived in North Port I caught a very, very small one with my bait net in the canal behind the house. He was a nasty looking little thing! I had a 50 gallon fish tank set up & running with canal water and he lived in it for a while. He grew really fast and quickly outgrew the tank so I released him.
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Old 01-15-2010, 09:18 AM
 
Location: 43.55N 69.58W
3,231 posts, read 7,464,599 times
Reputation: 2989
OMG! I just googled that! Seriously, you guys would eat that? Tell me you're kidding, right?

BH, if you're THAT hungry, I'll be happy to take you out for a big juicy steak!
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Old 01-15-2010, 11:55 AM
 
Location: sittin happy in the sun :-)
3,645 posts, read 7,150,786 times
Reputation: 1877
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoFLGal View Post
Also where are the picture?
ah it waqs the one that got away !!
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Old 01-15-2010, 01:33 PM
 
455 posts, read 979,148 times
Reputation: 412
Growing up, I always heard the old-timers say that the only people that would eat them were the Seminoles. So of course, because they lived in abject poverty at that time, (pre-casino era) the fish had to be "nasty". I think the truth was that they didn't want to do the work to clean them. I just read that they're not bad.
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Old 01-15-2010, 02:34 PM
 
Location: Florida
4,895 posts, read 14,140,308 times
Reputation: 2329
YIKES....this why I prefer swimming pools!!!
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Old 01-15-2010, 03:27 PM
 
547 posts, read 926,879 times
Reputation: 244
Prehistoric looking creatures. Pro Anglers in Okeechobee preferred that they be killed when caught as they ate bass that were their livelihood.
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Old 01-15-2010, 04:20 PM
 
15 posts, read 39,855 times
Reputation: 12
I've never ate one but when I lived in Florida when I was younger we would hunt them with a bow and arrow and bring them in by a string attached to the arrow. Today I would not want to kill one. I just don't see the point if I can't eat it. Now if you know a good spot to fill a bucket with some yellowtail I'll do the cleaning and the cooking!
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