And the results are in...[Pics included]

[11Bravo]

Finally getting to post about the recent bowfishing trip. All in all it was good. We headed out to a place we'd heard about with intentions of launching the boat and heading out to the marsh, but unfortunately the only boat lauch available to the pubilc was shut down for repairs. Luckily we got there early enough to scope out some more places in the area. After dark, we ended up finding a weir where they were really rolling. We ended up with a total of 11 gar, all shot from the shore. If we would have been able to launch we would have had a boat load. 2 of the 11 were aligator gar, including the biggest, weighing just over 15lbs. Dustin left with four, as wellas Brett. I left with three, but I made up for it with the fifteen pounder.

The big guy

Betcha didn't know I was a Cajuns fan.

Would hate to get caught in there...

 

[cajungunslinger]

nice gar man!

 

[LACamper]

Sounds like fun!

 

[Tulse Luper]

Are they any good to eat?

 

[11Bravo]

Very good to eat, if you have the patience to clean them. But once you get the hang of it takes really no time at all.

 

[cajungunslinger]

Are they any good to eat?

Them blacks like to eat'em.like the one my cousin caught in port fourchon.

 

[11Bravo]

That's a nice aligator gar. We saw some that were 6 ft+. We were praying to find a boat launch.

 

[jmcrawf1]

Gar is very good fish. clean them and put them on the smoker.

 

[CajunTim]

I'll give you the most famous Gar recipie and you tell me how it sounds.

Gar Balls

1 part fish
5 parts breadcrumbs


I'll pass

 

[GBob01]

I'll give you the most famous Gar recipie and you tell me how it sounds.

Gar Balls

1 part fish
5 parts breadcrumbs


I'll pass

You sure that recipe isn't for bowfin?

 

[CajunTim]

You sure that recipe isn't for bowfin?

Im sure it has been used for many of fish, I dont either one

 

[jmcrawf1]

I'll give you the most famous Gar recipie and you tell me how it sounds.

Gar Balls

1 part fish
5 parts breadcrumbs


I'll pass

Then what? You supposed to fry it or something?

 

[tb2]

Bow fishin, sounds like somethin id like to try.. Looks like a good catch too. So i take it you bow fish at night?

 

[CajunTim]

Gar Balls
Description:
Ingredients: Deboned gar meat free of gelatinous tissue.
boiled potatoes. ( pound for pound of gar meat )
green onion tops, finely chopped. 1/2 cup/
1lb. corn flour, not corn meal or white flour
Crawfish boil. Premixed type such as Zatarans.
Add no other seasoning as the crawfish boil will supply the seasoning.
Use the real spicy suggestions in the instructions.
Directions: wrap gar meat in cheese cloth and boil exactly as you would crabs or crawfish. This renders the gar meat snow white and taste like lump white crab meat. Combine the gar meat,shallots, and potatoes. Mash this mixture until you are able to form patties. Dip firm patties in egg/milk mixture then dredge in corn flour. Deep fry at 350 for approx. 8-10 minutes. Serve with cold beer !

Here is one, not the one I was looking for as this one is called balls when in fact you are making patties

 

[jmcrawf1]

Gar Balls
Description:
Ingredients: Deboned gar meat free of gelatinous tissue.
boiled potatoes. ( pound for pound of gar meat )
green onion tops, finely chopped. 1/2 cup/
1lb. corn flour, not corn meal or white flour
Crawfish boil. Premixed type such as Zatarans.
Add no other seasoning as the crawfish boil will supply the seasoning.
Use the real spicy suggestions in the instructions.
Directions: wrap gar meat in cheese cloth and boil exactly as you would crabs or crawfish. This renders the gar meat snow white and taste like lump white crab meat. Combine the gar meat,shallots, and potatoes. Mash this mixture until you are able to form patties. Dip firm patties in egg/milk mixture then dredge in corn flour. Deep fry at 350 for approx. 8-10 minutes. Serve with cold beer !

Here is one, not the one I was looking for as this one is called balls when in fact you are making patties

Now this I could eat.

 

[LACamper]

No, its sushi, you eat it just like that...

 

[11Bravo]

Yeah, I bowfish mostly at night. Daytime is tricky. Fun, though.

 

[Tulse Luper]

Yeah, I bowfish mostly at night. Daytime is tricky. Fun, though.

You'll have to excuse the city boy here, but what is daytime more trick?

I see gar at the spillway a lot. I was thinking about trying my hand at this.

 

[11Bravo]

The fish are a lot more weary...and a lot less active. At night they run with the shad and baitfish...so they're a lot easier to find. Just throw the Q Beam across and find the jumping shad. I highly recommend the sport. It easily fills the gap for those guys that get antsy when hunting season ends. If you ever have any questions about anything just ask.

 

[Tulse Luper]

The fish are a lot more weary...and a lot less active. At night they run with the shad and baitfish...so they're a lot easier to find. Just throw the Q Beam across and find the jumping shad. I highly recommend the sport. It easily fills the gap for those guys that get antsy when hunting season ends.

Makes sense. This was during the dead of the summer, midday, when I saw them last year. About every ten minutes one would creep by, heading toward Airline Hwy. Most were a bit smaller than yours, but I saw 2 or 3 that topped 3ft. long.

If you ever have any questions about anything just ask.

Oh, you shouldn't have done that.

How can you tell it they are alligator gar or not?

What kind of rig can you use. I'm guessing it doesn't have to be a dear slaying monster.

What's the limit? Couldn't find anything on the Wildlife and Fisheries site.

Thanks.