****please, if you have anything negative to say, send them to me in private email. This is my effort to demonstrate that NOT ALL BOWFISHERS should be lumped into the same catagory. My family eats what we shoot****

Well, the temp is right and the gar are out cruzing big time. My brother comes down every year from New Mexico and we go to town, bowfishing, bass fishing, sandbassin, bowfishing, pig hunting, etc. I took my son with me one time and he had a blast.

I wanted to share a few pictures of our take including the processing of one of them. We did process "ALL" of our catch and take the meat home. The small ones we wait until we have a few, beach the boat and go off shore to clean them. We take the meat, and dispose of the remains so they wont be visible as opposed to leaving them on the bank! The bigger ones we haul to a cleaning station because you need a big table. You get 2 strips of "loin" meat per gar!!!


I would like to see more folks process gar and carp at the cleaning station so we can elbow to elbow with the catfishing and crappies folks!!!

If you havent experienced having a gar stuck at the end of your line, you need to give it a try!

Small ones taken:
Brother-

USA1

Brother-


Biggest taken (USA1 and son):



cleaning gar:

First you have to cut them down the middle with tin snips.


here is the pic with gar cut ready to split open.


pull the sides open = NOTICE THE LARGE "LOINS" OF MEAT.



remove the meat which is one big solid piece of muscle.

Great pics, and good info!!

When you fillet the meat off, are there any Y bones or fine bones that need to be removed?

How do you normally cook it?

Fish killer - Their armour plating outside does a great job protecting their internal organs so NO need for so many bones. When you remove that meat, its all meat!!! All that is left behind is the rib cage and you wont cut into that so easily.

Lots of ways to cook gar. The meat is something like aligator along the same texture too. The meat can be marinated and fried, breaded with flour/spices and fried. Here is one offered by Basspro shops:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores...&subcatID=0

Get you a bow that fits in your rod locker. When the bass slows down, catch you a gar or carp!!

Basspro sponsored page on gar meat preparation:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores...&subcatID=0

Hey USA. Looks like fun! Also congrats!

Hey Brewer - Thanks!

Since you now have my Basscat, we had to borrow my brothers Triton Aluminum to go out. We have taken many gar from that boat. I hope all is well and peace to you.

I had some fried gar once, tasted great.

I have ate a lot of buffalo ribs in my life time, but I cant remember if I have ever had gar.

I haven't been bow fishing in a number of years, but I may just have to bust my bow back out and give it a shot.

good job on the post!!!

USA Im with you brother

Nice job Johnny. Looks like fun!

Nice info USA, makes me want to try some myself and I like the idea of a Bow and arrowin the rod locker haha.

Regards

My grandmother would make buffalo cakes that would make you drool as she cooked them.

I've never tried Gar, but I'm very open minded. I will have to give it a try!

That there...that's some gooooood info for a fishing site!!!!! I always pictured the 'filet' as about as big around as a silver dollar. MAN! that looks gooooood!

We used to have a Game Warden that would come miles to get a gar. He said he skinned them and then cut sections out and grilled them. Swore they were great. Great pics and information.