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A sad end to an amazing creature!!
Shame it didnt bloody drag the captor under

I find it pretty sad that the guy didn't take the steps necessary to properly record his catch. He spent at least 45 minutes trying to bring the hooked fish in. Could have been a state record, but now we'll never know. He should have called someone from the TX department of parks & wildlife to record his catch.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fi ... shrecords/

Awesome catch. I wonder if he ate it because the article says he fileted it. Alligator Gar is tasty.

I've heard differently. Perhaps, paraphrasing, the taste is in the mouth of an eater I've never eaten a gator gar but the articles I read said gator gar was never prized for its flesh, which can be cooked tasty but it is not simple.

On a different note, I don't understand how this killing could have happened - I was told that people for many decades tossed the caught gator gars on the river banks to die because they have been thought of as garbage fish. Nowadays, people realized the gator gars have become rare enough that they warrant protection and special regulations. One guy in FL has flown in several hundred thousand of gator gar fry (from Texas) thinking his seller's license covers it and not having a license. He got busted big time and is facing a 1/4 million fine.

I agree it is a shame to kill such a beauty.
Just for a point of information I learned to cook gar from the Seminole buddies I grew up with .
Split the fish down the back and remove the back strap slice into medallions and lightly fry .It taste like Fla. lobster .Also you and remove the internals [use care the roe is good bait but toxic to people ] and roast in the shell on an open fire.The meat can also be ground and mixed into some of the best fish cakes ever to jump [like crab cakes] in your mouth
mule

Now where did I put the butter, garlic, and lemons?

Damn what a fish!!!

Very sad

crkinney, you're makin' my mouth water. You nailed it to a "T" on how to cook em. I live within 30 minutes of several tributaries of the Red River (the one that separates Texas from Oklahoma, not that crazy one up north) and in some places these guys are piled on top of one another. Granted you have to go looking for the big ones, but there are places they can be found. The little 3 footers I can catch all day at a river not 10 minutes from my house.

Yep they are good eats ,better than any crab cake I ever tasted and fun to catch .I use a fly rod with a 4in peice of nylon rope unraveled ,It hangs up in their teeth and they can be relised unharmed I always cut females loose.

CRK, can you post a pic of your gar rig? I struggle to imagine what you use. I've been starting to catch some local fish here and I lose 9 gars out of 10 (FL gars) with just a simple hook - it does not go in into their bony mouths.

Unblinded, good to hear they are still plentiful. Thanks.

If my Public Aquarium ever opens, maybe one of you lads, or your fellow fishermen, will catch a few big-uns for one of my exhibits...

I don't use a hook .I use a 4to6 in length of white nylon line unravualed .I fix it to my fly tippit buy melting the end and to make it hard and then I wipp on a mono loop.most of the time I use an eight rod with a weight foward bass bug line
mule

I use a 4to6 in length of white nylon line unravualed .I fix it to my fly tippit buy melting the end and to make it hard and then I wipp on a mono loop.

Ditto. They can't resist biting the rope and it gets all tangled in their teeth. Cheapest bait ever.

Yep the hard part is reclaiming your fly,they bite!

crkinney wrote:I use a 4to6 in length of white nylon line unravualed .I fix it to my fly tippit buy melting the end and to make it hard and then I wipp on a mono loop.most of the time I use an eight rod with a weight foward bass bug line

Sorry guys, I don't understand much of this. I don't know what these things are: a fly tippit, a mono loop or how one wipps (?) it on and what it is whipped (?) on, an eight rod, and a weight forward bass bug line...

A photo would be most helpful, as I am sure I know what these things are and just don't know your language.

crkinney wrote:Yep the hard part is reclaiming your fly,they bite!

Can't use tweezers/tongs or long-nose pliers?

Viktor Jarikov wrote:tongs

I would think something like this would be perfect:

My camera shot so I will try to make my self clear. To wipp is to rap tightly with cording like serving a line to keep the end from fraying ,a mono loop is a short length of monofiliment fishing line that is tied to the end of a lure. Fly line is a length of different kinds of line generally 90ft long ,they each serve different needs ,weight forward floating line has about 10 to 15 feet of line on the forward end that is heaver than the rest of the line .The reason for that is to help cast your line ,in fly fishing you cast the line and not a weighted lure. A bass bug taper is extra heavy up front to allow you to cast a heaver or a wind resistant fly .This line floats .There are sinking tips and level lines and many more .and they ain't cheep .The tippit is a length of lite line that ties to your leader and it is what you tie your fly to .Leaders are tapered to help your cast and the tippit is a replaceable piece that ties to it.
Now that I have confused my self I hope this helps to confuse you too .
mule

Here is a good sized gator! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mil1pe_c ... re=related

As a person that fly fishes, I have never heard of "wippit" but do understand "whip it". On a fly reel from the reel out, you have "backing", "flyline", "leader", and then the "tippet". Flyline is weighted by whole number such as 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Rods are matched number-wise to the size line you are using (i.e. #6 rod would use a #6 line), however you can sometimes use a heavier rod than line weight for special waters or fishing conditions. Tippet size is determined by the size of the lure you will be using. It is real exciting to catch a 8lb fish on a 2lb test tippet material!

Unlike conventional fishing where the weight/lure carries out the line, in fly fishing the line carries the lure.

The op is accurate is what he is saying, he just didn't spell correctly. Fly fishing is actually quite graceful and a fun challenge.

Yep that too .Itis easer to get a new cammera
mule

Pics of my little guys: http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... 40#p249440