Big Okie Gar | SouthernPaddler.com

Big Okie Gar

catfish

Well-Known Member
Feb 7, 2007
996
3
jesup, ga.
GAR

DON,T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU GUYS HAVE SHAD FISHED . YOU CATCH ALOT OF GARS IN YOUR NET SHEW WOULDN,T WANT TO CATCH THIS ONE .
 

bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
Friend catfish,

Me'n Lance used ta put out hoop nets in the Mississippi, but it haz been a year 'er two since I went out ta run any. I set 10-12 back in the springtime.

When the water warmed up (July/August), we would always find more gar in the nets; drowned 'n stinkin' ta high heaven. Havin' ta work yer way up inside a net ta drag out a gar that iz fallin' apart iz one of them "dirty jobs" like that fella does on tv.

A gar big az that Okie gar would have tore up a net, even tho we had over 300 pounds of yellow catfish in one net a few years back. The news boys got word 'n took our pichurs when we got back ta town. That day we had three young, strappin' boys along.....it took all three of 'em ta pull that net in the boat. My job that day wuz ta dole out the cold beer.

regards
bearridge

English Bob: Well, actually, what I heard was that you fell off your horse, drunk of course, and that you broke your bloody neck.
Little Bill Daggett: I heard that one myself, Bob. Hell, I even thought I was dead 'til I found out it was just that I was in Nebraska.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Gar

If ya don't know how ta cook it, here ya go:



3 pounds gar meat
2 large onions, chopped fine
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup mixed parsley and green onions, chopped fine
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Black pepper and salt to taste
2 eggs, beaten
Flour
1/2 cup cooking oil

Grind the meat in a meat grinder or food processor. Add one large chopped onion, the bread crumbs, parsley/green onion mixture, cayenne, black pepper, salt and eggs. Mix well and shape into balls (boulettes). Roll in flour. Heat the cooking oil in a large cast iron pan and brown the balls, stirring lightly. Add the other chopped onion to the pan, add 3 cups water and stir. Cook slowly for about 30 to 45 minutes
Serve over rice.
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Stir-Fried Gar

6 pounds gar meat, cut in 3-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon catsup
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 cup cooking oil
Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large cast iron pan and add fish pieces. Stir lightly until brown. Add onion, and stir until light brown. Add the other ingredients and stir lightly, then mix in 3 cups water. Cover and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
Serve over rice.
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Gar Cakes

4 pounds chopped gar meat
5 potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
6 green onions, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cooking oil

Mix ingredients well and pat into cakes. Dip the cakes into flour, and fry in hot oil until brown. Serves 8 to 12.
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Gar Stew

1 1/2 pounds gar filleted
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups hot water
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
6 small potatoes, diced
6 small onions, diced
6 small carrots, sliced

Dredge fillets in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, and heat. Add gar fillets and brown quickly, about 1 minute on each side. Pour hot water into a soup pot. Add cayenne, black pepper, salt and thyme. Add potatoes and onions and cook five minutes. Add carrots and cook 10 minutes more until vegetables are tender but not overcooked. Drain; save water in which vegetables were cooked. Place browned gar fillets in a large casserole. Add vegetables, and pour vegetable water over all. Cover and bake in a 350° oven for 45 minutes.
Serve hot from casserole.
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Mississippi Gar

1 slab of gar meat 6" wide, 8-10" long, 3/4" thick
1 15oz. bottle ketchup
1/4 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 onion, chopped
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon salt
2 Teaspoons black pepper
2 Cups water
1 Lemon

Mix all ingredients except the meat and lemon in a large, shallow glass baking dish. Add the meat, cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, stir it up and place in a 400° oven for about 1 hour. Check twice during cooking and rake the juice over the meat. Squeeze lemon juice on the fish before serving.
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
Yep... Those krazy Cajuns will eat anything that does not eat them 1st. :lol:

We would go out with a bow and shoot the larger gar for sport and to get them out of the river. Using a fish arrow attached to a heavy duty spinning rod you would have a good fight on your hands , most of them were in the 5 to 6 foot range. (sometimes we would miss and just accidentally hit a catfish swimming upstream , you know how accidents will happen when you are out in the wilds. OK , a few catfish , OK , a lot of catfish.)

We would always let a friend of mine who was a Game Warden know where we would be. He loved the back strap off a gar. He would open that sucker up and pull out those two strips of the back strap. Then he cut them into nugget sizes and later at home fried them.

I have not tried it but he swore up and down they tasted just like lobster.

Chuck.
 

islandpiper

Well-Known Member
Couple of years ago I was honored to perform for some brave men and women on Camp LeJuene and afterwards we stood out on the patio of the OC and had bourbon and Sea-Gars .........damned fine evening with a damned fine bunch of Marines........but none of the Sea-Gars could match that one from Ok.

And, yes.........as a KYankee turned Loosianian.......CAJUNS WILL EAT ANYTHING......and most everything is good.

Cheers, Piper
 

catfish

Well-Known Member
Feb 7, 2007
996
3
jesup, ga.
OKIE GAR

THANKS FOR INFO ON THE GAR RECIPEES. CANT SAY IVE BEEN THAT HONGRY YET. DIDN,T REALLY KNOW YOU COULD EAT THEM. ALL I KNEW WAS GUYS LIKE SPARKY USED THE EGGS OUT OF THEM FOR CHUM FOR FISHING. WILL HAVE TO TRY THEM ONE DAY. RECIPEES LOOK REAL GOOD.

SPARKY YOU GUYS DIDN,T GIVE THE DNR A HARD TIME DID YOU. ( CATFISH)
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
Re: OKIE GAR

catfish said:
SPARKY YOU GUYS DIDN,T GIVE THE DNR A HARD TIME DID YOU. ( CATFISH)

In my younger days , I guess we better not go there , not sure about the statute of limitations.
Lets just say it was good training for when I went with the Sheriffs Office and they put me on the Range & Water Patrol.

I was darn good at catching those guy's , might of been because I had been with them on outings and hunted with most of them . :lol:
Never did any cattle rustling but I have caught quite a few doing it , my guess is that it is not that much different then someone hunting deer when they are not suppose to. The easiest one I nailed were the three fools that shot a cow right behind my house ( not a 100 yards away) and proceeded to cut it up with a chain saw in the middle of the night. All I had to do was to get out of bed and walk over to where they were .:roll:

Tell you one thing .. it is a lot more fun hunting the hunter then what ever they are after , a little more dangerous but a whole lot more fun. Especially when you nail them dead to rights and they had no idea you were there , might say that is when the hunter gets that deer in the headlights look on his face. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Chuck.
 

catfish

Well-Known Member
Feb 7, 2007
996
3
jesup, ga.
okie gar

Bear were you comercially catfishing on the misipp . If not you guys had alot of catfish nuggets & flalays to eat. Have you ever been noodling you wouldn,t have to worry bout them gars then.I aint that brave running my hand down where I cant see. my pull a big old gator or snap turtle out.

(CATFISH)
 

catfish

Well-Known Member
Feb 7, 2007
996
3
jesup, ga.
CHAINSAW

SPARKY YOU SHOULD HAVE LET THE CATTLE THIEVES GO. THEY MUST HAVE BEEN MIGHTY HONGRYOR MIGHTY STUPIP A. ( CATFISH)
 

bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
Friend catfish,

Lance jest likes ta fish with hoop nets....almost az much az crappie fishin'. He gives away near bout all the fish....cept the crappie. That 300 pounds of yellow cat wuz special in ever way. Lance's son Jeff tole everbody at the nail makin' plant how hiz Daddy kin catch enuff yellow cat ta feed everbody at the company picnic. We had been doin' purty good that year.

The week before the picnic we musta put out 12 nets. We run 'em, but come up empty. Finally we took all of 'em up but one....two of us thru the drag til our arms near bout fell off lookin' fer the last one. Lance sez I likely didnt tie the net off rite.

Two days before the company picnic we took the young fellas out....jest fer fun. We figgered they were gwine ta have ta buy catfish. Lance pulled in where we had thrown the drag before. First throw caught the net. The water wuz movin' real fast there 'n it wuz purty deep. They begun ta yell when they had the "feel" of a heap a fish. Az it come ta the surface, the water wuz sprayin' like crazy.

We never had anuther net like that.




regards
bearridge

ps Hand grabbin' aint fer me. :wink:

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