Carp = Bad Fishy?...

[HideHunter]

I've only eaten smaller gar - up to 5# or so - but I've never run into what you describe. Don't know.

[Clay]

I've only eaten smaller gar - up to 5# or so - but I've never run into what you describe. Don't know.

Maybe it was the type of gar that I ate, I know that there are different species or maybe it was the way that I cooked it. But I have never seen any other fish flesh like that and I am in no big rush to try gar again after that experience.

I do find it sad that we have some many people hungry in this country and so many carp available. I would donate some of those fish to a shelter since their population levels could use some thinning in my area, BUT I would think that either they couldn't accept fish that isn't USDA inspected or that someone would think that I am trying to do something negative to the homelsss in my area. Why didn't you bring us walleye, but no, we are homeless and you bring us carp????

I know that many hunter donate venison to homeless shelters, it's too bad we can't use this resource better to feed people that are hungry. Carp were brought to this country as a food source.

[Gigmaster]

It is not cartillage in the meat that is the problem. Gar have some pretty tough connective tissue that gets even tougher when exposed to excessive heat. In other words, gar meat gets tough and chewy when over-cooked. Your meat was most likely over-cooked.

Next time, cook it until it just starts to flake, and it will be perfect, with the aproximate texture of fried chicken.

I forgot to mention that. Sorry. All fish (and frog legs) will get tough and rubbery when over-cooked (gar is just a little moreso), and it has been my experience that most fish, especially in restaurants, is over-cooked most of the time. Fish is best when cooked just slightly beyond the sushi-stage, where the meat barely flakes (it will continue to cook for a few minutes after being removed from the heat source). If I have to go one way or the other, I prefer my fish (and steaks) under-cooked, rather than over. You can always throw it back on the grill for a few seconds, but once it is over-cooked, it is dead, with no hope of resurrection.

Bon apetit.

I have no problem cleaning he fish, I have an issue with the meat itself. Between each flake of meat there is a cartilage in gar meat. It's been years since I tried to eat the stuff but it was like crewing a rubber ball. While there armour plating does take some special technique to clean, the butchering isn't the problem.

Maybe I'm not describing it very well. But go out to your next Friday night fish fry and order baked cod. Now we are looking at a single piece of fish on your plate. Pick it up and break it in half. Where it breaks in half on gar flesh is where the cartilage is and inbetween each and every spot where it would break in half. I'm referring to these as flakes of flesh. Where the meat is segmented when cooked.

Now carp I have eaten and it isn't bad. I think that it is more between our ears than the taste on our tongue when eating it. I personally don't care for salmon, but that is another story.

Brook trout, bluegills and walleyes = something wonderful to eat in moderation.

Rick

[Gigmaster]

The tuatara, Sphendon punctatus, is not now, nor has it ever been a dinosuar. It is considered a 'living fossil' because it is the only surviving member of a distinct reptilian order Sphehodontia that lived alongside early dinosaurs, and separated from other reptiles 200 million years ago in the Upper Triassic period. Like the coelecanth, it has evolved somewhat, but still remains true to the original order.

Kirk,
There are some people feverishly trying to save the last dinosaur, the Tuatara of new Zealand. I don't know about now, but back in the 70's is was officially considered the last dinosaur.

Ed

[Gigmaster]

I have a great plan to help the homeless, and people living on assistance, but no one in governement seems to be interested in it. My plan would be simple. In leiu of issuing expensive Food Stamps to welfare recipients, instead, issue them a cane-pole for every member of the family, and bait-vouchers, which would also entitle them to special creel-limits, based on family size. They would be exempt from any permit or fee requirements. In the winter (although I fish all-year), they could be issued traditional bows and arrows (I make these, as well), and allowed special harvest limits. Of course, as long as they were on assistance, and in thier home county, or a contiguous one, licensing requirements would be waived. Classes on subsistance hunting and fishing could be given, free of charge. I would be most happy to be a Volunteer Instructor, as I have decades of experience at this.

When you HAVE to catch fish and game to eat, it's a whole different ball-game. You HAVE to go out in heat, cold, rain, snow, ice...whatever, and you HAVE to bring SOMETHING edible home, or you and your family go hungry. It's not nearly as fun as you might think. I'd be willing to bet that most people in this program would find a source of income in a very short time.

But the knowledge they would gain would serve them for a lifetime......Not only do you learn self-reliance, but you learn a lot about yourself, as well....

Semper Fi!

Maybe it was the type of gar that I ate, I know that there are different species or maybe it was the way that I cooked it. But I have never seen any other fish flesh like that and I am in no big rush to try gar again after that experience.

I do find it sad that we have some many people hungry in this country and so many carp available. I would donate some of those fish to a shelter since their population levels could use some thinning in my area, BUT I would think that either they couldn't accept fish that isn't USDA inspected or that someone would think that I am trying to do something negative to the homelsss in my area. Why didn't you bring us walleye, but no, we are homeless and you bring us carp????

I know that many hunter donate venison to homeless shelters, it's too bad we can't use this resource better to feed people that are hungry. Carp were brought to this country as a food source.

[EdD]

The tuatara, Sphendon punctatus, is not now, nor has it ever been a dinosuar. It is considered a 'living fossil' because it is the only surviving member of a distinct reptilian order Sphehodontia that lived alongside early dinosaurs, and separated from other reptiles 200 million years ago in the Upper Triassic period. Like the coelecanth, it has evolved somewhat, but still remains true to the original order.

It might not be considered a dinosaur now, but there are any number of books in which it was listed as the last surviving dinosaur species. It used to be a fairly common trivia question in herpetology classes. I don't know its current status. Heck, I don't know the current status of a lot of scientific ("Latin") names that I used to teach in tax and morph classes. Many, many things have changed in the intervening quarter-century. I find it odd that the scientific names actually seem to change faster than the common names for many plants. I was taught that we had scientific names to prevent that sort of confusion.

Regards,
Ed

[Chuck S]

First of all we are a part of "nature." Nature with or without us has a sense of humor that's especially wicked when it comes to what species are where and the attempts of mankind to move or remove species. From huge snails to rabbit and on to various fish we've moved and then tried to remove critters and in most cases wasted huge amount of resources and time. In many cases we've done good: For instance take the entire North Platte drainage from around Casper, Wyoming to it's headwaters in Colorado. Nature made it beautiful trout water but gave it no trout so along came the white man who introduced trout and they are doing fine to this day in large part. As for me I consider introducing German Carp to the US a great one also. Superb fly fishing quarry, good eating, for sure, and big ones are plentiful enough so that most everyone has them close by. Here in Wyoming, all too often, we have some great fishing waters but unfortunately our F&G are just noit with it as far as keeping us warm and cool waters species anglers happy. He** they even stock city ponds with trout instead of the much more fun and kid friendly and catchable bluegills, perch and crappie!