im not going to touch the overlying argument here with a 40 foot pole.
gars are small and extremely tasty and great fun to catch - especially for the newcomber / uninitiated to fishing in general. anyone that has the gumption to get off their arse and get out in or next to the water is doing society good.
now, here's the contention:
i was out fishing in westerport on friday and we had a bunch of garfish for bait, and the other boys in the boat were critical of my palate for garfish - owing mainly to the fact that the bones are almost inescapable. at that point i recalled a recipe that relied on 'back-butterflying' whiting, and said to the guys i reckon i could do that with a gar.
they didn't understand or beleive, but about half a minute later i was waving a bone free good sized gar fillet in their faces.
the secret is to knife the spine behind the head, and before the tail, then make an incision down one side of the spine (not going all the way through) separate it a bit with the fingers, and then do the same to the other side. the spine, complete with ribs and guts comes clean out, leaving a large juicy bone free fillet. you can also cut the head and tail off, but i like to put shit inside the carcass and cook it whole like those chefs off the tv.
here is one blokes' interpretation of it for reference - the key is to expeiment a bit and find a way that suits you
http://www.strikehook.com/forum/5-gener ... fillet-gar happy nom noms