# Qld: somerset gar fish



## bassmaster30 (Dec 12, 2010)

now those who have been to lake somerset would know that a the banks its sworming with gar and i tell you there r one of the best tasting fish in somerset dam 

how to catch:
burly the water with bread
use an un baited treble 
have 5 foot of line out and dont think about winding keep that 5 foot at bay tape it down if you have too
let the fish come to cheek out the hook
and jig

on a good day you can bag up to 40 in thirty minutes and up to 300 in one day

how to cook

gut
scale
dont fillet
clean out
put some garlic in the gut 
put on the grill
turn every 2 mins
ENJOY


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## kiwipea (Jun 17, 2008)

bassmaster30 said:


> now those who have been to lake somerset would know that a the banks its sworming with gar and i tell you there r one of the best tasting fish in somerset dam


Take it you are talking about Somerset dam in Qld, not far from Wivenhoe dam. And that is a freshwater dam ??
Always thought garfish were a saltwater fish and a search on Google sort of says the same
So am I missing something

kp


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## bassmaster30 (Dec 12, 2010)

no gar fish just really a name for becked bait fish


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## YakCult (Nov 4, 2008)

Thanks for the info!!
Was observing a heap of them around the banks in Somerset a week ago, while chasing red claw.
Now I know what to do!
The garlic method of cooking sounds great too..... 
(BTW - some garlic goes pretty well with red claw too!!!!) ;-)


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## eagle4031 (Jan 29, 2010)

bassmaster30 said:


> how to catch:
> burly the water with bread
> use an un baited treble
> have 5 foot of line out and dont think about winding keep that 5 foot at bay tape it down if you have too
> ...


i cannot believe you have an unbaited hook - they actually check this out ????????


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## yaker (Aug 29, 2005)

.


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## WayneD (Jul 11, 2006)

Yep you can't do that sorry. Totally illegal.


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## maddog (Jan 14, 2008)

swap the jag for an unweighted #7 with a ball of bread on it and you will probably still get a heap of them. I have caught plenty of them in saltwater this way.


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

Sweeten the tips of the treble with a small bit of shrimp or prawn, increases the catch, (and makes you legal) I have special size 12 trebles I get from the states that have a little spool of wire in the centre that you can also press a small amount of bread in to. Holds it very well. For myself I prefer a size 12 long shank hook, easier to remove, but trickier to hook.

Another trick is to put out a small berley pot or bit of fish frame on a float, this will keep the gar in one area without the berley floating away and makes it easy to get your baited hook where the fish are congregating.

I usually target them when waiting for the red claw to do their thing in the pots when I have the kids out with me. Keeps them very amused, and stocks my freezer with bait for the next salt water trip. (Yes they are good eating, but like winter whiting, you need a million fillets for a feed and I cant be bothered)


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## GT79 (Mar 4, 2011)

Seem to recall watching a show many moons ago whereby they were introduced by slowly acclimatising them to the fresh by very slowly adding fresh water to the tank of salt they were in. I believe it was as an added food source for the stocked fish. Don't quote me on that though.

GT79


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## kiwipea (Jun 17, 2008)

Thanks BigGee for your interesting report on how the Gars happened in the Somerset dam. An in depth google search seems to say there are several freshwater dams in Qld where snub nosed gar's have taken up residence.

mmmmmm! got me thinking, now maybe if i released some saltwater gars in my local dam just up the road, then in a year or three i could have a supply of fresh baitfish so close to home :roll: :wink:

No not really as I think the local waterboard peoples may not be too impressed, and besides thinks it may get too cold in winter months down here in NSW for the fish to survive. All food for thought tho.

kp


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## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

There are plenty of gar up in the freshwater rivers of the tropics. Not sure if they are the same species as the saltwater ones, but they are plenty common. There are also lots of longtom in the fresh up there.


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