2008 July | Fishgator - Kayak Fishing Blog

Fishgator Video on Youtube

July 31st, 2008 | 1 Comment | Posted in Videos

Again, since it’s in the news these days, imagine seeing this monster while you’re swimming. And it’s possible you might, if you live in the fishgator/alligator gar’s natural range. Video below.

Tags: fishgator

What is a Fishgator?

July 31st, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in Fishing Stories

Been noticing a lot of traffic of late looking for “fishgator” in the search engines. In part, it’s due to an alligator gar caught in Tempe, Arizona recently:

Alligator Gar Caught in Kiwanis Lake
Looking alarmingly like a cross between an alligator and a fish, the aggressive garfish has a long snout and several sharp teeth that are rather visible. It is also not native to Arizona, causing authorities some alarm.
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So those of you that want to know what one is, here’s the wikipedia information:

Alligator gar are found in the southeastern United States: Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Florida, Maryland, and in Paris, Illinois in the Twin Lakes area. They have also been known occasionally to come as far north as central Kansas, off the Republican River and up into Clarks Creek. They inhabit sluggish pools and backwaters or large rivers, bayous, and lakes. They are rarely found in brackish or saltwater, but are more adaptable to the latter than are other gars. In February 2007, a 1.5-foot alligator gar was found roaming far in the city of Jakarta, Indonesia, when the city was hit by a major flood (see External Links below). In January 2008, a 3-kg gator gar was found by fishermen in Bera, Pahang (East Coast State of Malaysia), when it was caught entangled in a fishing net. July 28th, 2008 an Alligator Gar was caught at Kiwanis Lake in Tempe, AZ by father and son Joe Chavez Sr. and Jr. of South Phoenix.

Feeding

The alligator gar is an aggressive, solitary fish that lives in fresh water bodies in the southeastern U.S. It is carnivorous. However, it is not ordinarily aggressive towards humans. Alligator Gar feeds by lurking amongst reeds and other underwater plant life, waiting for food to pass by. Though subsisting mostly on fish, the alligator gar will also eat waterfowl.

Alligator gar have also been known to attack humans in some very rare cases

Breeding

Though the alligator gar prefers slow-moving waters, it appears to need running water in order to spawn.

That from Wikipedia.

It would be a heck of a battle in a kayak, let me tell you. In Western New York, I certainly don’t have the wherewithal to fish for them. Going to ask my buddy from Big Bass Country if he’s ever bumped into one.

Tags: alligator gar, fishgator

Bake Fish in a Whole New Way

July 23rd, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in Bass Recipes, Fly Fishing for Bass

Looking for a new way to bake fish? What about a healthy way? Baking fish in a clay pot

This is my latest discovery for baking fish. It’s called a Romertopf Clay Fish Baker, and per the Eclectic Grocer, it’s a healthy way to bake fish without adding any additional fatty cooking liquids.

Just soak the clay baker for 10 minutes, put in your fish and other ingredients, and bake away.

Here’s a couple of recipes.

In the meantime, I would suspect bass would be a great species to make this way, with thyme, chives, onions and tomatoes. Guess I better go catch a few to find out.

Tags: cooking fish