Pictures Showing How To Clean A Gar

01
of 09

Get A Gar

Wm. Hovie Smith shot this gar at Lake Eufaula
Wm. Hovie Smith shot this gar at Lake Eufaula. 2008 Ronnie Garrison licensed to About.com

You can catch ​gar with a rod and reel, using a spoon with some frayed nylon cord on it to tangle in their teeth or shoot one with a bow and arrow. Gar are often caught on trotlines and by accident while fishing for other species. Most are thrown away but you can clean them and they are good to eat. Just avoid the eggs, they are poisonous.

02
of 09

Tools Needed To Clean A Gar

First step in cleaning a gar.
First step in cleaning a gar, get the right tools and a flat surface, clip off the dorsal fin and stick a hole just behind it. 2008 Ronnie Garrison licensed to About.com

You will need a sharp knife, tin snips, and a flat surface to clean your gar. It helps if you have a table or other solid surface at waist height but a cooler top will work.

03
of 09

Cut Off The Dorsal Fin

Get someone to help you hold the gar
Get someone to help you hold the gar. 2008 Ronnie Garrison licensed to About.com

Cut off the dorsal fin of the gar. This is the small fin on the gar's back, near the tail. Use your tin snips to clip it off even with the body. It helps to have someone help you hold the fish while you work on it. You can nail the gar to a tree, putting a 16 penny nail through its head to hold it in place as you clean it.

04
of 09

Cut A Slot In The Back Of The Gar

Hold the gar firmly and cut a big enough hole behind the dorsal fin to insert tin snips.
Hold the gar firmly and cut a big enough hole behind the dorsal fin to insert tin snips. 2008 Ronnie Garrison licensed to About.com

Holding the gar firmly, cut a slot in the back of the gar with a sharp knife. The slot should be big enough to get one side of your tin snips inside the skin. Cut the slot near the tail, behind the dorsal fin you cut off. You need to go deep enough to get your tin snips under the skin.

05
of 09

Cut Across The Back From Side To Side

How To Clean A Gar
How To Clean A Gar. 2008 Ronnie Garrison licensed to About.com

Use the tin snips to cut across the body from side to side at the head and tail. You can do this before or after making the long cut up the back. When finished you will have an "H" ​shaped cut.

06
of 09

Cut The Meat Away From The Skin

Split the gar from head to tail with tin snips then cut the meat out
Split the gar from head to tail with tin snips then cut the meat out. 2008 Ronnie Garrison licensed to About.com

After cutting from head to tail along the top of the backbone and across from side to side at head and tail, start cutting the meat away from the skin. The skin will peel back as you cut it away.

07
of 09

Pull Open The Skin To Expose The Meat

Step Six How To Clean A Gar
Peel the skin away from the meat. 2008 Ronnie Garrison licensed to About.com

After cutting the skin free, pull open the skin exposing the meat.

08
of 09

Cut Along The Backbone To Free The Meat

You will get two stips of meat from the back of the gar
You will get two stips of meat from the back of the gar. 2008 Ronnie Garrison licensed to About.com

Cut between the backbone and meat, working your knife along the bone. Work from end to end and go deeper until you cut the fillet loose from the meat from end to end.

09
of 09

Gar Carcass And Two Gar Filets

Carcass and two stips of meat ready to cook
Carcass and two stips of meat ready to cook. 2008 Ronnie Garrison licensed to About.com

You end up with a carcass and two nice filets. I cut the filets into 2-inch chunks, sauteed them in butter and lemon juice until just done. They turned white. The meat was a little chewy but good. It had a slightly musky flavor and texture that reminded me of Florida lobster. There was no fishy taste at all.