New Regulations on Alligator Gar Fishing in Texas

https://www.athensreview.com/sports/tpwd...b8c651336d.html

Below is a picture of me back in 1986 with an Alligator Gar I caught out of the Trinity River just below Palestine, Texas.

I weighed about 250 in those days so we figured this 'un was "close" to 100.

They used to be quite common and there were some monsters that we never turned, but I hear that they are getting scarce, thus the new regulations.

I caught this 'un on an Ambassadeur 10,000 C with 40lb Stren line with a 3 ft. wire leader using perch for bait.

They go after 'em now with bow & arrow.

Toothy creature hense the wire leader I think. Aggressive?

Yep. Wire leader is essential. It took about an hour to land this one. We shoot them in the head with a .22 lr before we drag them out on the bank.

A 3 footer can jump up head high and the teeth are dangerous when they are jumping around.

The meat from the “backstrap” ground up with onions, bell peppers, garlic, and spices, then deep fried, makes for some good eatin’ in the form of “Gar Balls”.

The way I always heard it. You filet the back straps, nail it on a cedar board, rub with olive oil, spices, and cook on the grill. Remove the nails, throw away the gar, and eat the board. Lol.

Pao

Pap,

I had heard that my whole life too but I had a roommate in college from Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.

I went home with him one weekend and his Mama changed my mind about that!

Coach

Hey Coach, if you grind up almost anything and add onions, celery and bell peppers, with garlic, it will taste good when rolled in corn meal and deep fried. Even hair balls, lol. I just haven't been that hungry.

Pap

Pap,
That is true. But gar is NOT like carp or grinnel. It is a lot more firm.

Now I’m not sayin’ that it’s as good as crappie, bream, or catfish, but done right, it’s not bad.
Coach

In the early 70's, after I got out of the service, I was working for NOAA chasing hail storms in NE Colorado.
We would take breaks at North Sterling Reservoir, rent a boat, and catch occasional Walleye and lot of carp.
The lady who ran the Marina told us to bring her the carp and she would show us how to cook them.
She would fillet the carp, run the fillet's through a coarse grinder and all the bones would pop up. We would pull them off and toss them.
She then made patties, like the codfish cakes I ate as a kid, and fried them with spice and oil.
They tasted great.
I never pursued the catching and cooking of carp, since trout and kokanee salmon were more my taste, but the carp could be prepared well.

Nice fish Coach!

In the Mississippi River system, there is the Buffalo drum, which is very similar to the carp. They catch them and cut the ribs off, skin , marinade in a hot sauce, cornmeal and deep fried. Pretty darn good.

Pap,
We got ‘em here too and I have ate ‘em before.

Some folks call ‘em “GASPERGOU”.

They make a grunting sound at night that you can hear from the bottom of the river.

I’ve been told that they make that noise by rubbing 2 rock-like thangs in their heads. I don’t know if that’s it or not but they do have 2 rocks in their heads.

Coach

I always wondered where the phrase "rock head" came from

They all say the same about choupique,
Gar balls are great all in knowing how to cook'em, add a good sauce piquant over them.

Chief,

We got ‘em here too. We call ‘em “GRINNEL”.

I have filleted ‘em and fried ‘em up just like catfish. They are not bad if you fry them fresh and eat ‘em while they are still hot.

Definitely not my favorite, but when I was growing up, sometimes they had to do.

Coach

PS. One time when he was cleaning a big grinnel, my uncle remarked that he would eat anything that came out of the river except a moccasin or a water dog.

Coach,

I think the new rules are for the upper Trinity River. Come on over to the Sabine and do it again.

There ARE some good ‘uns in the Sabine!

And the Angelina & Neches too!

Lake Fork has ‘em too!