you forgot to mention the membrane in the meat. I learned this the hard way and did not remove before I cooked it. Edible, but makes the filet super chewy. We catch and clean these suckers up in Eastern NC. Never thought they would be good, but the meat is incredible and stands up to grilling well.
We shoot the longnose gar in Oklahoma mostly and i believe the 2.5-3 foot size range to be better than the 3.5 and larger because of the finer flakes. I've had no experience with the alligator gar at this point.
I think I would use one or two woodworking clamps to hold the skin down, and I’d use a carpenter’s hatchet to lop off the tail. That way, you have two hands, one to roll the fish, and one to work the knife. And with the tail removed, the skin can held down out of the way on both ends so you don’t have to get both hands down inside the shell to release the fillet.
There are longnose in places that are really big! Just don't harvest a ton of them. I take some home from the St John's river sometimes. Pain to clean but a lot of meat and really tasty. Alligator gar I found way harder to clean, I had to use a sawsall to get through the ones I caught in new orleans!
Well done, sir. It’s good to see you working with some common freshwater fish. I hope one day you get a chance to work up a fairly decent sized catfish or two. I know how I’ve always done it, I’d love to see it done by a professional.
We live on a freshwater oxbow in the MidSouth, & have plenty of gar (mostly the alligator variety). I’ve seen it sautéed with butter, onions, peppers & garlic, actually turns out pretty decent. Is that how you cook Florida gar, & if not, how do you do it? With the tough hide, could you cook it on the half shell?
You can dress a gar fish with a pocket knife, if you know how. I'll explain. Pick a row of scales where you want to part the fish. Insert the knife blade between the scales (it'll slide rite in). Follow the row to the back and belly, repeat on the opposite side where the line matches up. Then you can just snap the fish apart. Move back the length your blade will reach. Repeat the process because you separate the meat from the inside out. Free the flesh from skin, backbone, and ribs from the inside. Easy peasy!
when I was about 14 my friend and I caught a gar on a trot line. we wanted to use it for bait. I remember vividly trying to cut it into chunks with an axe. NO DICE
One time I was kayaking down the bayou by my house and there was a HUGE splash in the water next to me. I like to think it was a giant alligator gar instead of an actual gator lol
You ought to try cajun gar balls, really tasty, couldn't believe it myself the 1st time I tryed it. Or otherwise known as freshwater poor mans lobster, a very rich fish to say the least.
Freaking insane knife skills Reed 😲. To get that flesh out without poisoning everyone is amazing! I don't think we have a similar fish in Australia (anyone please correct me). Great video 🤩.
Basically any faction/character in the WH40K setting could be used as a vehicle to explore the setting, similar to how Mad Max is barely a character in his own movie but we get to explore present day Australia through him.
Gar are actually a pretty interesting fish. They were built to last, from 100 million years ago. They can breath water or air, which gives them a pretty good edge on survival. They don't get much respect from well...anyone, but they're native to our waters and are fun to catch on rod and reel if you know how. As a kid growing up in the 50's, I learned they were a "trash fish" to be thrown on the bank to die. Gar "recipes" were a joke that started out with nailing the fish to a board, then throwing away the fish and eating the board. Then about 40 years ago I went to bowhunting tournament, many gar were harvested, and several guys were fileting them similar to what you did and frying them up like catfish, in corn meal. When they said it was gar I thought they were bullshitting me. It was that good. Just the backstrap meat. And keeping the fish really cold until fileting/cooking makes a big difference, the meat gets mushy if it's warm. That's when it's time to make the traditional "gar balls", basically a salmon croquet made with gar. As always thanks for the interesting video Reed, take care out there.
@michaelogden5958 in south Louisiana, alligator gar are eaten fairly regularly. They're pretty easy to catch on jug lines, and the big ones have a lot of meat on them. Taste delicious too, really firm, almost to the point of being tough, and not fishy at all. People either mash the meat up and make little meatballs and fry them, or cook it down in a gravy like a roast
Gar is absolutely eaten here, know a couple guys that go out to lake Corpus and catch some 5 footers for dinner lol, I’m lazy though, I just go to the back yard and catch them in the nueces river
This might be a silly question, but if the guts are so toxic, isn't shooting it with an arrow kind of a risky way to hunt them? Like, wouldn't the arrow puncturing the abdomen likely contaminate the meat?
Absolutely. If the arrow goes straight through the belly it’s fine. If it goes through the belly and the fillet I’d stay away if you don’t know what you’re doing. 🤙
Hey reed love the videos keep up the good content... i think ill pass on this one tho, all the slime and how they smell 🤢 we have too many other good fish here😆
If the picture goes through the guts on both sides you’re good. If it travels through the party you’re eating and you don’t know what you’re doing I’d stay away.
I've seen gar fillets in person and will not eat it.Also it has a very distinct metallic,musty odor. If you are that hungry I will give you some good food.
Those things are everywhere and not worth the trouble. The only thing I’ve ever seen anyone do with gar is to mince up the meat, mix it with a bunch of breadcrumbs and seasoning, and fry it in balls like hushpuppies.
You were close at skinning this garfish I’ll give you that but you don’t stab through the fish. You actually use a machete or hatchet to cut up the back straight up the back bone all the way up and then you just boat it out and that garfish All of them garfish are way too small , alligator gar is a much better fish and it is all white meat but after you clean it out, you need to cut it in the small cubes about an inch to an inch and a half by the same seasoning salt pepper, fish, fry, deep fry some of the best fish you can get
The meat looks dry to me and with all that hard work just to get that Dry meat. Big pass for me. Nonetheless, the cutting skills were great and thanks for sharing
You're missing out! The little guys are probably more trouble than it's worth, but if you can get a 3 or 4 ft gar, you can get a lot of meat off of them. The meat is delicious too, really firm white meat that's not fishy at all. They hold up so well you can cook the meat like a roast, or my personal favorite, grind it up, add the cajun trinity, roll it into balls and deep fry it
Not that hard to catch on rod and reel when it gets hot foot leader of spider wire #4 bait hook and dead minnow find a school on top of the water gulping air toss in front of the school when get a bite let it run and set the hook been time you could only fish one rod at a time
So you killed it do you want praise or a medal ? How much more people would think of you had you released it unharmed, I catch wild brown trout, grayling and sea trout and they all go back unharmed, it's called preserving stocks.
pointy teeth, armoured body, toxic guts, toxic eggs... holy shit that fish seems to have won the evolution lottery xD
😂😂😂
Yeah, because who would want to eat it ?
you forgot to mention the membrane in the meat. I learned this the hard way and did not remove before I cooked it. Edible, but makes the filet super chewy. We catch and clean these suckers up in Eastern NC. Never thought they would be good, but the meat is incredible and stands up to grilling well.
We shoot the longnose gar in Oklahoma mostly and i believe the 2.5-3 foot size range to be better than the 3.5 and larger because of the finer flakes. I've had no experience with the alligator gar at this point.
I think I would use one or two woodworking clamps to hold the skin down, and I’d use a carpenter’s hatchet to lop off the tail. That way, you have two hands, one to roll the fish, and one to work the knife. And with the tail removed, the skin can held down out of the way on both ends so you don’t have to get both hands down inside the shell to release the fillet.
That’s why Florida gar isn’t consumed very much. People prefer the big alligator gars that are a lot easier to clean.
A lot of work for a little reward for sure!
The big ones are important to the ecosystem but there’s plenty of them that are 25-40 inches that taste great and can fit in an ice chest still.
Texas has the biggest and best tasting gar !
There are longnose in places that are really big! Just don't harvest a ton of them. I take some home from the St John's river sometimes. Pain to clean but a lot of meat and really tasty. Alligator gar I found way harder to clean, I had to use a sawsall to get through the ones I caught in new orleans!
Well done, sir. It’s good to see you working with some common freshwater fish. I hope one day you get a chance to work up a fairly decent sized catfish or two. I know how I’ve always done it, I’d love to see it done by a professional.
I appreciate that! Hopefully we’ll film a catfish episode soon for you!
We live on a freshwater oxbow in the MidSouth, & have plenty of gar (mostly the alligator variety). I’ve seen it sautéed with butter, onions, peppers & garlic, actually turns out pretty decent. Is that how you cook Florida gar, & if not, how do you do it? With the tough hide, could you cook it on the half shell?
Could be your first ever chain saw fish filet! 😂
😂😂😂
I have never eaten gar before but I know they’re hard to peel open, really like this method
Thank you for watching!
You can dress a gar fish with a pocket knife, if you know how.
I'll explain. Pick a row of scales where you want to part the fish. Insert the knife blade between the scales (it'll slide rite in). Follow the row to the back and belly, repeat on the opposite side where the line matches up. Then you can just snap the fish apart. Move back the length your blade will reach. Repeat the process because you separate the meat from the inside out. Free the flesh from skin, backbone, and ribs from the inside. Easy peasy!
when I was about 14 my friend and I caught a gar on a trot line. we wanted to use it for bait. I remember vividly trying to cut it into chunks with an axe. NO DICE
😂😅
I saw some of those last weekend scuba diving in Rainbow River.
Nice! Beautiful area
A gar's armor is NO JOKE. I couldn't believe how resistant it was to my pocket-knife. Alligator gar have been known to survive bites from big gators.
Fantastic video Reed!! Such a beautiful fish
I cleaned a long nose once. The meat was pretty good but I’ll just stick to crappie! Nice video, bro
Crappie are better anyway 😅
@ I was told that gar was firm and tasted a lot like gator. I was told wrong 😂
One time I was kayaking down the bayou by my house and there was a HUGE splash in the water next to me. I like to think it was a giant alligator gar instead of an actual gator lol
Can’t wait to catch one of those monsters!
awesome again Reed
Thank you! 🙏
You ought to try cajun gar balls, really tasty, couldn't believe it myself the 1st time I tryed it. Or otherwise known as freshwater poor mans lobster, a very rich fish to say the least.
Thanks for the tip!
Freaking insane knife skills Reed 😲. To get that flesh out without poisoning everyone is amazing!
I don't think we have a similar fish in Australia (anyone please correct me). Great video 🤩.
Thank you for watching brotha!
Time to use those gar skkns for boots !
You can run your snips down the belly and pull it off with catfish skinners
Bottom of the fish bucket list!!😂
I don’t blame you!
Gar in north Mississippi are over populated you catch them like 5 foot bream lol
Basically any faction/character in the WH40K setting could be used as a vehicle to explore the setting, similar to how Mad Max is barely a character in his own movie but we get to explore present day Australia through him.
Huh?
Gar are actually a pretty interesting fish. They were built to last, from 100 million years ago. They can breath water or air, which gives them a pretty good edge on survival. They don't get much respect from well...anyone, but they're native to our waters and are fun to catch on rod and reel if you know how. As a kid growing up in the 50's, I learned they were a "trash fish" to be thrown on the bank to die. Gar "recipes" were a joke that started out with nailing the fish to a board, then throwing away the fish and eating the board.
Then about 40 years ago I went to bowhunting tournament, many gar were harvested, and several guys were fileting them similar to what you did and frying them up like catfish, in corn meal. When they said it was gar I thought they were bullshitting me. It was that good. Just the backstrap meat. And keeping the fish really cold until fileting/cooking makes a big difference, the meat gets mushy if it's warm. That's when it's time to make the traditional "gar balls", basically a salmon croquet made with gar. As always thanks for the interesting video Reed, take care out there.
Longnose Gars are the the toughest Reed
Any chance of you filleting an Alligator Gar?
Gar Icthyotoxin. Who'd a-think it? Lots o' gar in Texas lakes, but I've never heard of anyone eating gar. Maybe I've lived a sheltered life!
During the settling of this country Gar was a common meal. They taste fine, just hard to clean
@@MTNmyMAGI live in bama and people eat them some here, there a lot of bow fishers that eat them
@michaelogden5958 in south Louisiana, alligator gar are eaten fairly regularly. They're pretty easy to catch on jug lines, and the big ones have a lot of meat on them. Taste delicious too, really firm, almost to the point of being tough, and not fishy at all. People either mash the meat up and make little meatballs and fry them, or cook it down in a gravy like a roast
Gar is absolutely eaten here, know a couple guys that go out to lake Corpus and catch some 5 footers for dinner lol, I’m lazy though, I just go to the back yard and catch them in the nueces river
We love alligator gar in Louisiana! Not so much the spotted gar.
It's been my experience that if your hungry enough to eat gar then eat it hot. The texture changes when it cools off😮
This might be a silly question, but if the guts are so toxic, isn't shooting it with an arrow kind of a risky way to hunt them? Like, wouldn't the arrow puncturing the abdomen likely contaminate the meat?
Absolutely. If the arrow goes straight through the belly it’s fine. If it goes through the belly and the fillet I’d stay away if you don’t know what you’re doing. 🤙
Die Indianer haben aus den Schuppen Pfeilspitzen gemacht . 😊
Now I know a better way to clean them for catfish bait 😂😂
…jaws of life 😂
Hey reed love the videos keep up the good content... i think ill pass on this one tho, all the slime and how they smell 🤢 we have too many other good fish here😆
I don't blame you. 😂
Seems like too much work for a fish that’s toxic if you make a mistake. Also doesn’t the arrow puncture the guts?
If the picture goes through the guts on both sides you’re good. If it travels through the party you’re eating and you don’t know what you’re doing I’d stay away.
so wait what if the arrow goes through the guts into your fillet? 🤔
Are all Gar guts toxic?
Gar produce toxins to protect their eggs. Not sure if it applies to all species but better safe than sorry.
Also. Gar. Yuck. Bleah. :)
And you cut it into cubes to fry.
No mention of getting all that delicious gar meat !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Welllllll 😅😂
I've seen gar fillets in person and will not eat it.Also it has a very distinct metallic,musty odor.
If you are that hungry I will give you some good food.
Go to the bar and have a cold beer and a fish sandwich. That Gar looks nasty.
😂😂😂
Hmm, I think I will take a cod filet lol
Wow..looks like the skin and scales are really hard
Like armor!
Hi Reed
Hi! 👋
Those things are everywhere and not worth the trouble. The only thing I’ve ever seen anyone do with gar is to mince up the meat, mix it with a bunch of breadcrumbs and seasoning, and fry it in balls like hushpuppies.
Fritters is a great way to do it 🤙
mudfish is what they do it with not Gar
You were close at skinning this garfish I’ll give you that but you don’t stab through the fish. You actually use a machete or hatchet to cut up the back straight up the back bone all the way up and then you just boat it out and that garfish All of them garfish are way too small , alligator gar is a much better fish and it is all white meat but after you clean it out, you need to cut it in the small cubes about an inch to an inch and a half by the same seasoning salt pepper, fish, fry, deep fry some of the best fish you can get
Spotted Gar-BAGE!
Tin snips all way. They cut through that skin like butter.
💯💯
scary looking fish w that 'gator mouth! scales look like metal "bolt cutters" woww
That meat looks like it's turning to mush as you clean it
I was thinking he was gonna need an angle grinder.
Would’ve been easier 😂
how about sukibiki scaling?
Not this guy
Remember to keep the skin to make body armor.
Juice isn't worth the squeeze unless you're in survival mode.
Honestly all of these filleting videos make me hungry. I may pass on this one.
The only good part of a Garr is the cheeks, everything else goes to the cat
That’s some tiny cheeks!
"... makes it nice and easy..."
does not look easy lol
If the eggs of the damn fish are toxic im out😂 go catch a crappie or blue gill, easier to catch, clean and cook
I don’t entirely disagree with you 😂
Pirarucu?
The meat looks dry to me and with all that hard work just to get that Dry meat. Big pass for me. Nonetheless, the cutting skills were great and thanks for sharing
I'll pass on that one
I think you should talk to some Hispanics in the 956, see how we do 6 foot short nose.
That would be interesting. How is it done?
This just makes me never want to catch a fish like this. More risk than reward. And it's toxic. Plenty of other BETTER, non-toxic fish out there.
I don’t blame you!
In my opinion, way too much work for that kind of meal. Nevertheless to each their Own
Um, Reed - it's an arrow hole in that fish, NOT a bow and arrow hole. Jeezus.
.
This fish is not for me. Folks bowfish for skates and gar up here on the east coast. meh, trash fish.
I don’t blame you, definitely better options out there!
Don’t eat the gar! They’re prehistoric and threatened!
Barely legal?
Ok guys anyone for steak?
🙋♂️🙋♂️🙋♂️
@reedthefishmonger I'll warn you though I like my steak that rare it's like unicorn meat! 🤤
Yeah….nah….pass. They look like way too much work and the meat looks crap. I’ll stick to the good stuff I catch in the sea!
I don’t blame you!
I am with you
I was thinking the same thing. That juice don't look worth the squeeze.
1000% agreed
You're missing out! The little guys are probably more trouble than it's worth, but if you can get a 3 or 4 ft gar, you can get a lot of meat off of them. The meat is delicious too, really firm white meat that's not fishy at all. They hold up so well you can cook the meat like a roast, or my personal favorite, grind it up, add the cajun trinity, roll it into balls and deep fry it
Not that hard to catch on rod and reel when it gets hot foot leader of spider wire #4 bait hook and dead minnow find a school on top of the water gulping air toss in front of the school when get a bite let it run and set the hook been time you could only fish one rod at a time
Pfff. Just use an axe, easy.
😂😂😂
First off, you need to learn how to clean a gar. 😂 I can clean one faster than almost any fish.
So you killed it do you want praise or a medal ? How much more people would think of you had you released it unharmed, I catch wild brown trout, grayling and sea trout and they all go back unharmed, it's called preserving stocks.
This fish is in abundance. Totally fine to take if you’re going to use it
Go hug a POLAR BEAR. 😏
It would cost $1000 per lb …. to get me to eat it.
I’ll save my money 😂😅
No thank you it looks too mushy.
Not mushy but I don’t blame you for passing on this one!