"thunder" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:55:29 -0600, SteveB wrote:


Some pretty big damn
awesome powerful fish that look like they came from the age of the
dinosaurs.

Are they powerful? The few I've seen seemed rather sluggish and slow.


To the contrary, they are capable of being very fast and efficient hunters.
Here's a pic I found of one a guy caught in 1991.

http://www.texasfishingguides.org/ki...atula_42_x.jpg

Eisboch

On Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:44 -0400, Eisboch wrote:



http://www.texasfishingguides.org/kirkland/images/
atractosteus_spatula_42_x.jpg


They sure do have some size to them. That's a nice fish. I was reading
somewhere that their eggs are toxic.

On Apr 24, 7:53*am, thunder wrote:
On Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:44 -0400, Eisboch wrote:
http://www.texasfishingguides.org/kirkland/images/

atractosteus_spatula_42_x.jpg

They sure do have some size to them. *That's a nice fish. *I was reading
somewhere that their eggs are toxic. *

The whole blasted thing looks toxic to me...

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

"thunder" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:55:29 -0600, SteveB wrote:


Some pretty big damn
awesome powerful fish that look like they came from the age of the
dinosaurs.

Are they powerful? The few I've seen seemed rather sluggish and slow.


To the contrary, they are capable of being very fast and efficient
hunters.
Here's a pic I found of one a guy caught in 1991.

http://www.texasfishingguides.org/ki...atula_42_x.jpg

Eisboch

Was over at the San Francisco Academy of Science. Used to be the Steinhart
Aquarium. Lots of gars in the tank, and they looked like they could swim
very fast from just watching them glide along nomally.

On Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:44 -0400, "Eisboch"
wrote:

To the contrary, they are capable of being very fast and efficient hunters.

That is a real no brainer. What else would a zillion needle sharp
teeth be for? Eating weeds? And any fish shaped like that is built for
speed. Barracuda for example.

Casady

On Apr 24, 7:47*am, thunder wrote:
On Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:55:29 -0600, SteveB wrote:
*Some pretty big damn
awesome powerful fish that look like they came from the age of the
dinosaurs.

Are they powerful? *The few I've seen seemed rather sluggish and slow.

Oh, no. They kind of act like 'gators, they can be fast and powerful
as all hell! Just hook one sometime!

"thunder" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:55:29 -0600, SteveB wrote:


Some pretty big damn
awesome powerful fish that look like they came from the age of the
dinosaurs.

Are they powerful? The few I've seen seemed rather sluggish and slow.

As with an alligator, they clamp and roll. YES, YES, they are powerful.
They hunt by stealth, slowly.

On Apr 23, 10:55*pm, "SteveB" wrote:
"Eisboch" wrote in message

...



Did anyone else see the History Channel spot on these fish?
I had never heard of them before. * Creepy looking and big.
Although not normally aggressive against humans, apparently there have
been some documented cases of attacks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alligator_gar

Eisboch

These fish were familiar to me when I lived in Texas and Louisiana. *Bigger
around than a bowling ball, and six feet long. *The biggest ones I saw were
in Galveston bay around Seabrook, in brackish water. *They did get big in
the Louisiana marshes, too. *Fishing for them was with snares, or frayed
nylon lines that got tangled in their teeth. *Bowfishing was fun, too. *Very
good to eat as a roast, or scraping the meat and making a local delicacy
called "gar fish balls" meaning balls made of shredded meat, and not the
testicles. *Some pretty big damn awesome powerful fish that look like they
came from the age of the dinosaurs.

Steve

Interesting, I never knew (or thought about it) that they would live
in brackish water.

Eisboch wrote:

Did anyone else see the History Channel spot on these
fish?

We used to catch them on our YoYos on Caddo Lake.
Blechy, mean fish that got to be thrown back as there
isn't a thing edible on em.


sam

On May 28, 3:22*pm, wrote:
Eisboch wrote:
Did anyone else see the History Channel spot on these
fish?

We used to catch them on our YoYos on Caddo Lake.
Blechy, mean fish that got to be thrown back as there
isn't a thing edible on em.

sam

Actually they are edible. But look at this recipe:

http://www.greatcajuncooking.com/recipes/recipe.php?65

5 pounds deboned Garfish
2 medium onions
2 cloves garlic
I rib celery
5 sprigs parsley
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup fine bread crumbs
Sauce:
2 cups flour
1¼ cups vegetable oil
I large bell pepper
1 can tomato sauce
1 large onion, chopped
8 to 10 cups boiling water
¼ teaspoon red pepper
1 cup chopped green onion tops
1 cup chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedu Grind together the fish, onions, bell pepper, garlic,
celery, and parsley. Add red pepper, black pepper, salt and bread
crumbs. Shape into balls the size desired. Fry in deep hot vegetable
oil until brown.


Here's another:

http://www.realcajunrecipes.com/reci...eaning/705.rcr