I wasnt going to tell this story, (fear of being laughed off the site) but I will. The other day at the towers we got right next to another boat. I was giving them the rest of our live herrin, when the guy says, Hey there’s a gar with three crank baits in his mouth. I look over the side (polarized shades on)and see the gar. Well, I then said, he’s got a bream in his mouth and I see your hook in the bream, your rod’s fixin to go down. The guy was using bream for bait. Sure nough his rod goes down and he plays and lands the 3’ gar. Here’s the wierd part. Being from La., I’ve ate gar and know how to make it taste good, OK OK, I hear yall laughing. Anyway, we put the gar in the boat and head for the landing. On the way I noticed an awefull smell. It cant be the fish, it smells like sewer. Upon closer inspection, it was the Gar. It almost gagged me. I couldnt take the smell and threw the gar back in the water. I’ve just been racking my brain as to why this fish smelled so bad. I’ve ate plenty of gar and never seen this. I know lake murray is a clean lake, so whats up. Has he been eating a diet of turds ? I know that people say gar are scavengers but this one was different from all the rest. Any ideas ?
I’ll ask my buddy about it. His boy shoots them with a bow all the time.
kloudking1
I walked up on a pretty big Gar the other day in the Saluda. the weird thing was , he was almost black. I’ve seen a lot of Gar and I have never seen one that dark colored.
Are they common and I just haven’t seen them by chance or is this weird to you as well?
The darker colored ones have been in the cold water (example, the saluda) for a longer period of time. Never come across a stinky gar, and actually have had gar that a cajun friend made once. Tasted just like chicken, and was stringy just like chicken. Had to cut the head off with an ax, and use tinsnips to get through the skin. I think I’ll just eat chicken.
Fillet and Release
Thanks Nauti. You know come to think of it, even though I spend a lot of time on the Saluda I haven’t seen many gar there. I guess that explains why I’ve never seen one that dark colored. Most of the ones I see are farther down where the Broad has already warmed the water a little.
Yep, I grew up on that river and have only seen a handful above the zoo, and usually below the Bush River Rd. access, although there have been 2 or so exceptions. Every once in a while one will make it through the intake towers from the lake and survive
Fillet and Release