# Should you kill the gar you catch?



## Etter2 (Apr 18, 2010)

I've never heard what kind of effect they might have on game fish populations.  They obviously grow very large and would have to eat a lot of fish to survive.  Anybody ever seen any research on the subject?  I let a big one go today and am wondering if I should have killed it.


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## Buck E. (Apr 18, 2010)

no sense killing a fish unless you are going to eat it or mount it. they have an important role in the ecosystem. they are great sportfish to catch- they run and jump a little, especially on the flyrod.  by the way, they are great on the grill.


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## nickf11 (Apr 19, 2010)

I've heard the best way to eat a carp or a gar is put it on a peice of cardboard, stick it in the oven, cook, then take it out throw away the fish and eat the cardboard! . 

I'm not positive on what kind of effect gar have on gamefish but i do remember reading in GON about a "Trashfish" tournamnet on Oconee several years ago. They all went out with giant coolers strapped to the backs of their bass boats and caught a big mess of carp and gar and kept and killed them all, so apparently some people do think we should kill them.


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## sinclair1 (Apr 19, 2010)

Etter2 said:


> I've never heard what kind of effect they might have on game fish populations.  They obviously grow very large and would have to eat a lot of fish to survive.  Anybody ever seen any research on the subject?  I let a big one go today and am wondering if I should have killed it.


One gar is not going to make a difference. I see the bow fishing guys with the whole floor of the boat slap full of gar and carp, they are still thriving with some of these boats shooting hundreds per night.


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## jonkayak (Apr 19, 2010)

Buck E. said:


> no sense killing a fish unless you are going to eat it or mount it. they have an important role in the ecosystem. they are great sportfish to catch- they run and jump a little, especially on the flyrod.  by the way, they are great on the grill.



x2 it they were the JAWS of the lake like some people claim then their would be no fish left in Lanier. The fishing in Lanier only seems to be getting better as the years pass and the gar population is growing as well. I have seen schools of gar that you would think could clear the lake clean. They have there place.


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## Jeff1969 (Apr 19, 2010)

I caught a 4 footer in Clarks Hill some years ago. Outstanding fight on 8# test line. Plus, that backstrap on either side of the backbone is some good eatin.

The only issue I have with em is when they eat fish off my trotlines, and only leave the heads on the hooks.


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## nickel back (Apr 19, 2010)

Buck E. said:


> no sense killing a fish unless you are going to eat it or mount it. they have an important role in the ecosystem. they are great sportfish to catch- they run and jump a little, especially on the flyrod.  by the way, they are great on the grill.



x3...


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## Sam H (Apr 19, 2010)

The gar is to the freshwater ecosystem,what the shark is to the saltwater ecosystem..God put them there for a reason and I'm not gonna kill it unless I eat it!


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## ylhatch (Apr 19, 2010)

anyone ever use gar roe to chum bream


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## Gordon (Apr 19, 2010)

Gar roe is poisonous, to protect the eggs.

The meat however, is delicous.


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## NCHillbilly (Apr 19, 2010)

nickf11 said:


> I've heard the best way to eat a carp or a gar is put it on a peice of cardboard, stick it in the oven, cook, then take it out throw away the fish and eat the cardboard! .
> 
> I'm not positive on what kind of effect gar have on gamefish but i do remember reading in GON about a "Trashfish" tournamnet on Oconee several years ago. They all went out with giant coolers strapped to the backs of their bass boats and caught a big mess of carp and gar and kept and killed them all, so apparently some people do think we should kill them.



That's about true with carp, but gar are really good eatin'. 
The only people who will tell you that gar aren't good are people who've never tried one. It's not like any other fish in taste or texture, it's white meat somewhere between chicken/turkey breast and gator tail. Gar backstraps are delicious cooked on the grill seasoned with some butter, salt, pepper, cayenne, and lemon or lime juice. They're also good fried, stir-fried or several other ways.


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## nickf11 (Apr 19, 2010)

NCHillbilly said:


> That's about true with carp, but gar are really good eatin'.
> The only people who will tell you that gar aren't good are people who've never tried one. It's not like any other fish in taste or texture, it's white meat somewhere between chicken/turkey breast and gator tail. Gar backstraps are delicious cooked on the grill seasoned with some butter, salt, pepper, cayenne, and lemon or lime juice. They're also good fried, stir-fried or several other ways.



Interesting, I'll have to give that a shot if what you say is true.


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## fishinbub (Apr 19, 2010)

Aren't gar native to this part of the country? Unlike the wild, and stocked, brown and rainbow trout that everyone gets bent out of shape if you keep a few. Just sayin'.


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## Sultan of Slime (Apr 19, 2010)

Dont kill'em unless you are gonna Eat'em!

Slice the backstraps up in medallions and cook like you would a scallop in garlic butter!!!


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## fishinbub (Apr 19, 2010)

You guys are making me want to go catch some gar.


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## nickf11 (Apr 20, 2010)

Likewise! Gonna have to go out and get me some Nylon rope! LOL


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## nickf11 (Apr 20, 2010)

BTW they sure are  ugly  haha!


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## saltysurf (Apr 20, 2010)

I found last year that they are fun to catch I was useing shiners free lineing and the bite was on heavy side for them the bass stopped biting and the gar took over. that same day I caught this small aligator of of my shiner that got lost in a shallow place with weeds was cool to hold the lil guy till momma showed up lol. Sounds like they might taste like the big northern pike do in the west. Dont know if I would be brave enought to eat one though. I am still trying to find some gator meant to try to see if it really taste like chicken like I have heard
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Sunshine1 (Apr 20, 2010)

Free lining with a big bobber and a piece of cut bream is a great way to catch gar. I have caught some HUGE ones that way. 

However..........the big ones aren't that great to eat. Little on the spongy side. 

The small to medium size ones are good though. Gotta cut through that tough hide with a pair of tin snips then gash the meat like you would a jack fish.


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## plottman25 (Apr 20, 2010)

gar are pretty fun to catch, but i have never eatin one i may try it next time.  Anybody got any good recipes?
Also, I used to catch alot of Bowfin, people around here call them gremlins.  I was going to eat one of them one time but someone told me it was not good.  THey have very pretty white meat. But pretty bloody.  ANyone eat them?


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## Sunshine1 (Apr 20, 2010)

plottman25 said:


> gar are pretty fun to catch, but i have never eatin one i may try it next time.  Anybody got any good recipes?
> Also, I used to catch alot of Bowfin, people around here call them gremlins.  I was going to eat one of them one time but someone told me it was not good.  THey have very pretty white meat. But pretty bloody.  ANyone eat them?



Bowfin are what we call mud-fish or cotton fish.  
They are very bony and bloody. Never ate one and don't know anyone who has either. But I'd try it...........if it was done right. They sure do get big.........and they will ruin a good crankbait.


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## gwyatt202 (Apr 20, 2010)

I like to catch gar, but I've never fished for them this early in the year. In my experience it seems like the hotter it is, the better. Are yall seeing a lot of them out?
I also never ate one, might have to try that.


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## FERAL ONE (Apr 20, 2010)

i bowfish and rod and reel fish for gar a lot. i don't eat all i kill, some go for fertilizer or turtle food but the rest go to the freezer. here is a thread with some pics of the prepared tucker
http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=305074&highlight=gar
i would not kill one i caught on a rod unless it was headed for a skillet.  the carp does more damage to our fisheries due to the silting of bedding areas and i gladly put the whammy on them every chance i get.


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## russ010 (Apr 20, 2010)

I saw my first gar during Saturday's tourney at Lake Acworth. I can't repeat was I said, but I swear I thought I had just cast to a gator. Luckily my partner saw it the second time it surfaced so that I knew I wasn't seeing things


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## NCHillbilly (Apr 20, 2010)

gwyatt202 said:


> I like to catch gar, but I've never fished for them this early in the year. In my experience it seems like the hotter it is, the better. Are yall seeing a lot of them out?
> I also never ate one, might have to try that.



They're starting to spawn now-we did some bowfishing on Saturday and were seeing pods of gar-a big female with several males chasing her-all over the place in the shallow weedy coves. We put out catfish jugs Saturday night and caught four gar on them while we were still putting them out. 
For cleaning them, just chop their head and tail off with a hatchet, then go down the back with some heavy shears or tinsnips, then pull the skin back and fillet the backstraps out. doesn't take long at all. It's clean, firm white meat with no bones and no fishy taste at all.


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## Etter2 (Apr 20, 2010)

guess ill start eating them.  bowfin taste fine but the meat is very mushy


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## Spinnerbaits (Apr 21, 2010)

OMG!!!!! YOU MUST BE Kidding me!!!!

I keep a long sharp knife in my boat for these. Every single gar and bowfin I catch, I slit their throats and chunk them back in the lake.

Gar and bowfin are not good for a lake. I completely agree that they are part of a natural ecosystem and all that, BUT, has anyone thought about moderation??? How are Gar and Bowfin any different than crappie, bream, bass, etc. when it comes to over-population???? Too many gar are a bad thing, just like too many crappie, etc.

There aren't that many gar fishermen, not to mention not many gar are removed for harvesting. How many people do you know who keep gar for food? Population control is out of sight on these. We shouldn't wait until a lake has been taken over or destroyed because of having too many gar or bowfin. 

Go ahead and keep on taking up for these and preserving them and see what happens. I guess it will take an full page article in GON or a press release from DNR for people to realize.


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## BDD (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm not much of a lake fisherman,  but I can certainly see the effects they have on small rivers like
the upper Flint.  Some of my favorite holes for Shoal Bass over the years have been taken over by Gar. A Gar will eat
everything that swims, and removing them from the water will only improve the numbers of bass and brim.

 And with the numbers of Gar I've seen last year floating the Flint, killing a few isn't going to hurt anything.
Sure it's great if you're going to eat them, but even if you're not KILL them and toss them in the woods and
they'll get eaten.  

 I always thought it would be very beneficial to the Flint to have a Gar tournament, from Sprewell's Bluff down to 36
just to get the population down,  anybody want to get one up ??


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## vaindioux (Apr 21, 2010)

Buck E. said:


> no sense killing a fish unless you are going to eat it or mount it. they have an important role in the ecosystem. they are great sportfish to catch- they run and jump a little, especially on the flyrod.  by the way, they are great on the grill.



What he said!

Patrick


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## nickf11 (Apr 23, 2010)

Spinnerbaits said:


> OMG!!!!! YOU MUST BE Kidding me!!!!
> 
> I keep a long sharp knife in my boat for these. Every single gar and bowfin I catch, I slit their throats and chunk them back in the lake.
> 
> ...




There is some truth to this and if people say they only kill what they eat they are lying. 
We harvest certain things when they are said to be a nusance and often don't eat them. It's kinda like putting insecticides on our lawns and we don't eat bugs. Or when we were encouraged to kill all of the armadillos and I don't think any of us eat those. And I know many duck hunters who end up throwing away certain species of ducks they kill. 
However if gar is as tasty as everyone says it is, we should do our best to put it to good use.

Oh no, hope I didn't just start a rant!


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## Bullpup969 (Apr 24, 2010)

I  normally  break their snout off with a pair of needle nose pliers and throw them back in the water to starve to death.


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## soopadoopa (Apr 28, 2010)

Bullpup969 said:


> I  normally  break their snout off with a pair of needle nose pliers and throw them back in the water to starve to death.



Eat em, release em, kill em, whatever. But I can't believe you just said that. Hope you don't really consider yourself a sportsman.


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## Sunshine1 (Apr 28, 2010)

Bullpup969 said:


> I  normally  break their snout off with a pair of needle nose pliers and throw them back in the water to starve to death.




Wow, that's uncalled for. If you want it to die, then do it quickly and humanely. Starving something to death is cruel.


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## NCHillbilly (Apr 28, 2010)

I've shot a few of those that had their snouts broken off, and they hadn't starved to death, but they didn't look like they were having a good life. There's no excuse for that. Kill it or turn it loose like it was, no need to torture anything. Gar are native fish and belong in the waters where they are.


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## 1nightstalker (Apr 28, 2010)

I keep a small axe on the boat just for gar. I killem and drop back in the water for the smaller fish.


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## turky93 (Apr 28, 2010)

Bullpup969 said:


> I  normally  break their snout off with a pair of needle nose pliers and throw them back in the water to starve to death.



That's just brilliant. 
Why would you do that to ANY animal? Especially a native fish species. 
If you want to kill it, that's fine. It's wasteful but legal. 
But torturing them? That's ignorant and completely unneccassary.


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## GarAngler71 (Apr 28, 2010)

I LOVE to catch them!!!!I always put them back dont see any reason to kill them unless your gonna eat them.


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## fishndinty (Apr 28, 2010)

How do y'all kill them humanely?  Those things are tougher than a two dollar steak!


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## turky93 (Apr 28, 2010)

Tote a billy club in the boat with you. If you don't think you can kill it, then just throw it back.


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## little rascal (Apr 28, 2010)

*The smaller ones are*

better eating. An ice pick thru the skull is about as humane as it gets. Then chop the head off and it will fit in the ice chest. Keep a towel or some heavy gloves in the boat and you can grab them by the snout and un-hook and release them safely or whatever.
 Be careful when you take the backstraps out, the skin will stay at a full curl and can cut you bad. So don't get in a big hurry with it. It is good fried, or broiled(poor man's lobster), and you can chop it and make into crab cakes and fry or make Gar balls( same as crabcakes, except they look like hushpuppies!!! It ain't bad, but you ain't gonna want to catch a mess of'em if you have done a few!!


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## nickf11 (Apr 28, 2010)

Bullpup969 said:


> I  normally  break their snout off with a pair of needle nose pliers and throw them back in the water to starve to death.



I can't tell if this is a joke or if you're serious. I'm suprised that anyone would admit that.


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## Etter2 (Apr 28, 2010)

nickf11 said:


> I can't tell if this is a joke or if you're serious. I'm suprised that anyone would admit that.



If so, that's a horrible thing.  I kill lots of what we consider "vermin" (rats, crows, mice, coyotes, creek chubs, blueback herring, armadillos etc)  all humanely though


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## ylhatch (Apr 28, 2010)

Bullpup969 said:


> I  normally  break their snout off with a pair of needle nose pliers and throw them back in the water to starve to death.



you sho gotum riled up in hear


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## WestPointLakeGarGrabbers (May 9, 2010)

I knew it wouldn't take long for the prejudice passed along from generation to generation to show it's ugly head.

I'm not talking about guys who give Gar an ice pick through the head, after all you have to kill them to eat them and a Gar isn't easy to kill. I'm talking about these second and third generation bass fishermen who think Gar or other fish are the reason for declining populations or quality because they were taught to think like that! Did you ever think that declining populations or quality is due to over fishing the most popular game fish there is, bass? Are you going to sew your buddy's mouth shut so you can have more bass for yourself, cut his head of with an axe or billy club him to death maybe. After all it’s his fault and your fault. They’re over fished!

By the way, bass eat other fish too. Do you blame bass for the reason there's no quality or sizable bream fishing on West Point? Let’s put all bass in a livewell that doesn't work very well on a hot summer day and suffocate them to death to save the bream! That would fix that problem. There are enough bass fishermen that it would take long for the bream population to come back if they all would cooperate. Many of them do it anyway indecently.

The above statements make as much sense as blaming Gar for destroying your favorite bass hole rather than blaming yourselves (not all but many of you) for over fishing bass and because so many bass fishermen don’t practice catch and release.

By the way, I haven’t eaten a Gar yet; maybe this is the year I will. It’s because I’m not a fan of eating any freshwater fish for that matter but I have tasted bass and they taste terrible to me. They’re the fishiest tasting fish I’ve ever eaten!

It's amazing to me that people still think this way today. Good grief!


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## Sultan of Slime (May 9, 2010)

WestPointLakeGarGrabbers said:


> I knew it wouldn't take long for the prejudice passed along from generation to generation to show it's ugly head.
> 
> I'm not talking about guys who give Gar an ice pick through the head, after all you have to kill them to eat them and a Gar isn't easy to kill. I'm talking about these second and third generation bass fishermen who think Gar or other fish are the reason for declining populations or quality because they were taught to think like that! Did you ever think that declining populations or quality is due to over fishing the most popular game fish there is, bass? Are you going to sew your buddy's mouth shut so you can have more bass for yourself, cut his head of with an axe or billy club him to death maybe. After all it’s his fault and your fault. They’re over fished!
> 
> ...




Well Said!!


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## firefighterfree (May 9, 2010)

WestPointLakeGarGrabbers said:


> I knew it wouldn't take long for the prejudice passed along from generation to generation to show it's ugly head.
> 
> I'm not talking about guys who give Gar an ice pick through the head, after all you have to kill them to eat them and a Gar isn't easy to kill. I'm talking about these second and third generation bass fishermen who think Gar or other fish are the reason for declining populations or quality because they were taught to think like that! Did you ever think that declining populations or quality is due to over fishing the most popular game fish there is, bass? Are you going to sew your buddy's mouth shut so you can have more bass for yourself, cut his head of with an axe or billy club him to death maybe. After all it’s his fault and your fault. They’re over fished!
> 
> ...


Well Said X2


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## firefighterfree (May 9, 2010)

Im going to make a statement. Obviously some of you have never eaten gar. Gar meat is actually good to eat unlike carp. What  would you do if that was the only thing you had to eat.


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## mtr3333 (May 9, 2010)

Sultan of Slime said:


> Dont kill'em unless you are gonna Eat'em!
> 
> Slice the backstraps up in medallions and cook like you would a scallop in garlic butter!!!


The meat looks great. Does the flavor change with size or age like some other fish? To stay on topic, kill only what you will eat.


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## NCHillbilly (May 9, 2010)

WestPointLakeGarGrabbers said:


> I knew it wouldn't take long for the prejudice passed along from generation to generation to show it's ugly head.
> 
> I'm not talking about guys who give Gar an ice pick through the head, after all you have to kill them to eat them and a Gar isn't easy to kill. I'm talking about these second and third generation bass fishermen who think Gar or other fish are the reason for declining populations or quality because they were taught to think like that! Did you ever think that declining populations or quality is due to over fishing the most popular game fish there is, bass? Are you going to sew your buddy's mouth shut so you can have more bass for yourself, cut his head of with an axe or billy club him to death maybe. After all it’s his fault and your fault. They’re over fished!
> 
> ...




Well said x3. Gar are a very interesting species that have been around for millions of years. A whole lot more interesting fish than bass, for that matter. A bass is just another fish, but gar are pretty unique critters. I guess you just can't make money off gar like they do off bass, so gar get a bad rap while bass are desirable.


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## stepup (May 10, 2010)

Its kinda like Northern Pike. People say its no good to eat because of the slime coat they have. I went to Canada fishing and they cooked pike everyday for lunch and it was very good fish. Big flakes of white meat with a very clean taste to it. So don't always listen to what people tell you is no good to eat.


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## Sunshine1 (May 10, 2010)

mtr3333 said:


> The meat looks great. Does the flavor change with size or age like some other fish? To stay on topic, kill only what you will eat.



To me...............the big ones aren't as good to eat as the little ones. The meat becomes more spongy as they age. But...............the big ones are more fun to catch!!


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## charliecfh (May 10, 2010)

The only thing I have against gar is that they like to destroy my $8 Rapalas!  Otherwise they are a blast to catch....I keep a couple of gar lures in my boat, which are Johnson silver minnows with some frayed out nylon rope attached.  I can throw them a mile, and do when the gar are feeding.  I'd only kill one if I planned to eat it.  After all of this talk about eating them, I think I'm going to have to give it a try.

Also I think a mount of the head of one coming out from the wall would be a nice edition to the house, even though my wife may disagree.


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## Gordon (May 10, 2010)

Gar is very good to eat, along with Pike and Bass.  I cannot agree to anyone killing any type of fish, other than taking them for the pot.  People who are being cruel to ANY kind of animal should be prosecuted.  Have some respect for the animal you are taking by killing it immediately and humanely and take it home to eat.  "Fertilizer" is just an excuse to slaughter masses of fish.

Gar occour naturally in our waters and are not stocked anywhere.  This should lead them to find their own natural size and population levels in any given water.  If there are waters where they are now overpopluated it is because of us stocking other fish - either natural species (bream, crappie, bass) at higher than sustainable levels for the water, or unnatural fish - stripers and historically carp.  These stocking policies will alter the natural balance of other species.  So we only have ourselves to blame if we get overpopulation issues of any particular species.


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## EllijayFalconsFan (May 11, 2010)

Bullpup969 said:


> I  normally  break their snout off with a pair of needle nose pliers and throw them back in the water to starve to death.



You would be surprised how many gar probably survived that.


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## shakey gizzard (May 11, 2010)

EllijayFalconsFan said:


> You would be surprised how many gar probably survived that.



So thats where the shortnose comes from!


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## nickf11 (May 12, 2010)

WestPointLakeGarGrabbers said:


> I knew it wouldn't take long for the prejudice passed along from generation to generation to show it's ugly head.
> 
> I'm not talking about guys who give Gar an ice pick through the head, after all you have to kill them to eat them and a Gar isn't easy to kill. I'm talking about these second and third generation bass fishermen who think Gar or other fish are the reason for declining populations or quality because they were taught to think like that! Did you ever think that declining populations or quality is due to over fishing the most popular game fish there is, bass? Are you going to sew your buddy's mouth shut so you can have more bass for yourself, cut his head of with an axe or billy club him to death maybe. After all it’s his fault and your fault. They’re over fished!
> 
> ...




That's a pretty good argument, but go back up and read Spinnerbaits argument. It's a little more believable. 

Bass are a gamefish. Gar are considered a Trashfish. They're not even listed on the Freshwater Game Fish Daily Limits page on GeorgiaWildlife.com. 

Yes it's true fisherman are to blame for as much, if not more for the declining bass population than gar are. But clearly, there are way more bass fisherman than gar fisherman out there and as Spinnerbait said, it may not be long before an article gets published about overpopulated gar in our lakes. The population needs to be controlled just like anything else. JMO


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## ted_BSR (May 12, 2010)

Bullpup969 said:


> I  normally  break their snout off with a pair of needle nose pliers and throw them back in the water to starve to death.



Huh? What? Really?  That is just mean, and uncalled for.


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## killitgrillit (May 12, 2010)

Gar, it's whats for dinner.
I like them, their deeelicious


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## BDD (May 12, 2010)

When I don't see the normal numbers of the 12 to 18 or so inch fish , you can blame the fishing pressure.
 But that's ok, there is usually a lot of small ones that will be that size next year. UNLESS YOU HAVE A GAR
 IN THE HOLE. Most anglers only target legal size fish, the Gar clean out next year and the years to come fish.


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## NCHillbilly (May 12, 2010)

BDD said:


> When I don't see the normal numbers of the 12 to 18 or so inch fish , you can blame the fishing pressure.
> But that's ok, there is usually a lot of small ones that will be that size next year. UNLESS YOU HAVE A GAR
> IN THE HOLE. Most anglers only target legal size fish, the Gar clean out next year and the years to come fish.



So do bass, white bass, crappie, stripers, catfish, trout, and most other gamefish. Maybe we should cut all their lips off and throw them back in the water.


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## Oldstick (May 12, 2010)

So, I finally have my answer to what kind of fish is that at Captain D's.  



I am going gar fishing now, because Capt D's is the only kind of fish I like except for snapper, grouper, flounder and maybe a couple others from the ocean.


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## little rascal (May 12, 2010)

*Thanks Donnie*

for not beating me up!


> I knew it wouldn't take long for the prejudice passed along from generation to generation to show it's ugly head.
> 
> I'm not talking about guys who give Gar an ice pick through the head, after all you have to kill them to eat them and a Gar isn't easy to kill.



I eat what I take and don't take what I won't eat. Gar are good to eat, but there are better fish out there. They were here long before us, and will probably be long after us. I agree with, too many people hate non-game fish because they think it takes away from their bass fishery. While in fact, if some of the smaller bass were removed enough from the fishery, there would more bigger bass!!! It ain't the poor little Gar's fault!!!!!!!!!


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