The recent heavy rains have over filled almost every lake, stock pond and river in north Texas, the Trinity River included. One of my friends has a place about a mile from the current course of the Trinity, his place at one time was the course but the river changed during a flood in the early 1900's. His place is now riverbottom cattle pasture and is prone to flood during wet years, This year was no exception and with the flood waters came the fish, carp, bass, catfish and gar. Alligator Gar...huge Alligator Gar. When we were much younger, he and I would float around the flooded pasture shooting the gar with 00 buck but these idiots got these monsters wading around with bows...never mind the snakes.
The bigger of these bad boys was 7'8" long and weighed 198 lbs and had a 4 lb carp in it's belly. The next biggest one weighed 140 lb and the "babies" weighed between 75 and 100 lbs. They also shot dozens that were between 3 and 5 feet long.
I hope the pictures are viewable...



http://i1259.photobucket.com/a...0041_zpsll5bnoks.jpg

http://i1259.photobucket.com/a...0039_zpsseewuclz.jpg

Looks like a lot of fun..thanks for sharing

Karl, I'd rather face a charging Cape Buff than wade around in those waters!!! :-)

Mummm mummmm... Gator gar fish sticks! They are surprisingly tasty... as well as big and scary.

I guess the admission of eating Gator Gar (and enjoying it) puts me well into the redneck camp....

quote:

They also shot dozens that were between 3 and 5 feet long.

If this is true, they are lawbreakers. The current daily bag limit for alligator gar is one per day.

While I am not in total agreement that this segment of the fishery is in danger, a law is a law, and should be followed. I have no use for those that go intentionally above the law, whether or not said law is right or wrong.

Just my honest $.02...

quote:

Originally posted by Doubless:

quote:

They also shot dozens that were between 3 and 5 feet long.

If this is true, they are lawbreakers. The current daily bag limit for alligator gar is one per day.

While I am not in total agreement that this segment of the fishery is in danger, a law is a law, and should be followed. I have no use for those that go intentionally above the law, whether or not said law is right or wrong.

Just my honest $.02...

Yep, it's true. But no one said all of them were taken in one day, or were taken by the three guys involved in the photos (two in the pix and one taking the pix), the "dozens" were taken from the time the place flooded in early May and are still being hunted as parts of the pasture remain flooded. This activity is a "group" affair, no telling how many guys show up to hunt, drink beer, cook BBQ, drink beer, cook fish, drink beer, usually 10 or 20 (but some just come to eat and drink beer). Not saying no laws were broken, but surely won't jump to the conclusion these fine gentlemen are scofflaws, either.

Biebs: I ain't wading in there either.
AB: I tried the fried gar and I didn't care for it, but the preparation might have been less than perfect.

And that is just my $.02

nothing like an uninformed rush to judgement...