and do you have any pictures or videos of you making it into food? How's the taste? I hear the eggs are poisionous (True,False)?? Is it legal to net them for food?

They will tear a net up I know that

I think you can net non-game fish legally. They will destroy a net, not the best option. I have eaten spotted gar, several threads around describe how to clean/cook.

almost everyone at work prefers to eat gar over all other species most are from the valley.

Eggs are poisionous.The meat from a gar is delicious,but bony.

Lightnen , I dont know who misinformed you but gar ARE NOT bony they only have rib bones and back bones no small bones in the meat at all , they are very good to eat very white meat and a very mild taste

i believe it is only spotted gar eggs are poisonous

Did a little search and all I found was All gar eggs are toxic.

I know you can get a big slab of meat from a good sized one

I have never eaten them, but I would have no problem trying it. There is at least one old thread showing pictures of how to clean them and others with recipies. Just do a search on the forum going back a few years using "eating gar" in quotes.

I ate some spotted gar once, some of the best/cleanest fish you can eat. Once you get past the scales/armor plate its really an easy fish to clean, regardless of species. Using either tin snips or a jigsaw(be careful with electricity)make an H shaped cut on the back and then cut the meat away from the skin/ribs. Cut vertical behind head but not all the way through, then cut vertical a little ways above tail not all the way through, then cut down the back joining these cuts together. No small bones to cut out or anything, you end up with two long pieces of meat much like loins off many 4 legged animals.

I have eaten longnose/spoted and gator gar.

I clean them with a pair of stainless shears and a hatchet.
-chop off head and tail with hatchet
-use shears to split down middle of back from head end to tail end
-fillet between hide and meat peeling hide down, then cut off of the back and rib bones. Once the shear and hatchet work is done its fast and easy and you get quite a bit of meat.

It has a good flavor to me, but is kinda mushy compared to other fish, so in my opinion makes a better fish cake, mix with onion breadcrumbs and some galic and fry or bake.

matt

I've ate spotted gar. Tasted okay but meat was a little dry for my taste. We fried ours like we do other fish.

cut and slice as explained above. grind meat and prepare like patties...egg, bread crumbs, onion, seasonings....yum

really does taste like fishy chicken....