Bow Fishermen, Beware of Gar Eggs

[killinstuff]

Yep gar eggs are not for eating. Dogfish eggs on the other hand, yum. Soak in a salt brine for a bit and there you go.

[poison arrow]

There are a few different species of gar and some hybrids. I have always been taught to never eat any gar. I see some fishermen keeping them now and then. Now days alligator gar are off limits or at least I understood that. Indians use to use the scales of the alligator gar for armor as well as arrowheads. Get this up until about a hundred years ago American settlers used wooden plows that were cover with gar scales. It was believed for hundreds upon hundreds of years that metal plows would poison the field so wood was employed and coverd in gar scales here in the States for durability. I have an advertisement with Fred Bear bowfishing a giant alligator gar. Roe is a bonus to catching an edible fish, it's good stuff.

[John3]

We used the metal eyelets on the boat to break the jaws of every Gar we ever caught on our trot lines..  I would have to be pretty hungry to eat a gar...

Glad everyone is alright...!

[Ssamac]

Thanks for the info.

[Johnny Reb]

WOW, who'd  a thunk it ?  never had a clue they  were poisonous, good stuff here.

I gotta be in the mood for fish anyway, fish eggs dont sound like anything I'd take a hankerin for, I'd have to be sure nuff hungry before I'd go for it.

[LA Trapper]

Lot's of people in Louisiana eat gar.  We make gar balls.  Good stuff.  Gar pick up toxins on their own from the water in which they live.  Any type PCB's etc in a reservoir seem to collect in the gar first and with a higher level than other fish. We have a local lake, get this, it is the city water supply, that has a warning, do not eat the gar due to the high levels of PCB's.  But we drink the water with no effect?  It seems gar then catfish pick the toxins first, then sport fish, bass and bream.

If you have never tried it, Google gar ball recipes and try them.

Good stuff;

Billy

[OkKeith]

I second Billy's advocation for Gar Balls. The ones I had were a lot like a hushpuppy with finely ground fish in it. REALLY TASTY!

As a kid, we used to always hit the Sand Bass run. Most folks probably know them as White Bass, it's the State Fish of Oklahoma.

Wasn't unheard of to catch 100 or 150 fish between Dad, little brother and me. The big females had about a handful of eggs in each. We always ended up with a whole mess of them. Mom would take a spoonfull and batter them for deep frying. Dab a little yellow mustard on them, FANTASTIC.

OkKeith

[Robertfishes]

gar roe is sold as fish bait here in Florida. I have eaten gar a few times, we got them in a crystal clear spring fed run, not in the back waters or edge of lake ..it was good every time. I used to shoot Tilapia, you can eat them too.

[Arrowhead80]

Ewww i don't want to eat gar meat,their eggs or their balls. lol.I will just have to go hungry but i appreciate the heads up in case times get tough.I never knew it.

[b.glass]

Arrowhead80, you made me laugh!

In one of his videos Fred Eichler shows how to fillet a gar that was bowfished in Florida. Ever since seeing that I've wanted to try it. I've never thought about eating any fish eggs though. Just think where they have been. Chicken eggs are ok        .

Thanks for the info., some of us didn't know that!

[allanburden]

Originally posted by The Vanilla Gorilla:
 

Originally posted by Biggie Hoffman:
I thought everyone knew that!      

Same here!  Ironically, the guys name was Darwin... [/b]

Same here as well! Most folks around here, I live 1/2 a mile from Lake Richard B. Russell on the SC/GA border which is eat up with gar, won't touch 'em.  A lot of folks jug fish and that's probably how a majority of the gar are taken out of Russell and they will just kill the fish and throw it back, which just kills me.  They are a very fine eating fish with a little knowledge in the form of a suitable recipe like the gar balls.  I have quit bowfishing Russell due to the Mercury level warnings but still enjoy taking gar for the frying pan out of the Saluda River!

[Scooter Trash]

I'm not a big fish eating fan but I will not pass up gar!

    Eggs from Dogfish are poison also.

    I gotta believe the only thing carp eggs are good for is a natural type of epoxy.   Ever try to scrape them off the side of your boat or wash them out of the carpet.