Posted on 02/18/2011 10:41:10 AM PST by JoeProBono
VICKSBURG, Miss. -- A Vicksburg man pulled a 327-pound alligator gar from Chotard Lake in Issaquena County, Mississippi wildlife officials said.
Kenny Williams caught the fish on Valentine's Day. Biologists with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks weighed the fish at 327 pounds. It was 8 feet 5 ¼ inches long and 47.95 inches around the body.
Williams said he used nets to catch the fish and then grabbed it by the gills and pulled it into the boat.
"At first I didn't think he was that big. But as I was getting him into the boat, it was like, 'How big is this thing?' It was a lot of effort just to get him into the boat," Williams said. "I don't even know how to describe it. It was just huge and hard to get into the boat."
MDWFP officials said it could be the largest alligator gar caught. In scientific literature, there was a report from 1963 of a 302-pound alligator gar, Dennis Riecke, of MDWFP said. Williams' fish is definitely the largest since that time, and is certainly the largest recorded in Mississippi, Riecke said.
The fish is believed to have been between 50 and 70 years old, wildlife officials said.
Williams donated the huge fish to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, where it will be prepared for permanent display in the future, wildlife officials said.
Let’s start with the Wisconsin state senators then the czars.
About 40 years ago I was down in the Everglades outside of Homestead. I pulled over at a road side stop for a break. There was a family there at a picnic table next to a canal. They had a kid, I'd guess around 10 years old who was fishing in the canal and pulling Gar out one after the other.
With each one, his Mother would say "Give him a headache Johnny" and the kid would whack the fish in the head with a ball bean hammer, throw it back into the weeds and go back to catch another. It was kind of funny to watch, and yes, they did consider the Gar to be varmints.
That’s why you need steel leaders.
>>>They were considered trash fish where we use to fish in Kansas.>>>
Considered a trash fish in Louisiana too. I’m not aware of anyone I know having eaten it, and I know I’ve never seen it on a menu.
Wanted for Treason! $50,000 Dead or Alive.
Isn´t that what you all where talking about?
I mean a fat Wisconsin Democrat Senator on the loose?
Gar Fish Steaks
"The bottom line is, the myth of gar being inedible doesn't have a logical leg to stand on."
Gar Stew
1 1/2 pounds gar fillets
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 skillet 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, or 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-degree oven for 45 minutes. Serve piping hot from casserole.
“Wow what a monster!! One of the ways they catch them is shallow water is using a bow & arrow.”
I was bowfishing for Carp on the Tennessee River one fine spring morning when I shot what I thought was a nice Carp. I waded over and grabbed the arrow and suddenly realized my mistake. It was a three foot Garfish and man was he pissed! He came after me and I started walking on the water trying to get away. I finally brought him in and gave him to the folks on the bank I had been giving the Carp to. Scared me half to death.
You haven’t tried my mom’s fried garfish balls. You have to flake the flesh with a fork, and mix it up meatball style and fry the balls. Nobody cooks better than mom.
Good leaves more for ME ,,Gar worth over $4.00 a Lb.
It was gar balls that I tried and didn’t like, but I’ll bet that your mom’s are better.
Gar balls or fried like either way,,, only thing about have the balls is catching enough male gar,,, ;-)
I have caught both sturgeon and gar (I ate the sturgeon). I’m a fisherman, I just hate to see this big ones go down as they’re the last of the old breed.
LOL.
sportutegrl ,,, just an old joke down this way
These so called fishermen I see here calling gar a trash fish
don’t know what their missing ,,,
Its all in who is doing the cooking
Me being a coona$$, we eat anything ;-)
That looks like an arapaima with the 2 gar. Where is the pic from?
Schlangenkopffische sind aber auch Harmlos wenn du böse fische haben willst musst du in denn Amazonas fahre und Arapaima trazen
Yep. A big un.
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