Carp and gar provide excellent eats from the outdoors.

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   Although not discussed in my book Backyard Deer Hunting, but completely covered in Practical Bowfishing; carp have almost started to come into spawning mode where I live in Central Georgia . As temperatures warm in regional lakes, they will start to spawn there too. This is the time to bowfish carp and either put them in the freezer, canning (making salmon in common speak) or smoking them. It does not take elaborate equipment to bowfish carp. An old recurve bow, boat and trailer such as I use can do the job very well. They may be also be shot by wading in the shallows. May is a prime month for taking carp in most of the country.

These six carp and two gar were bowfished one day, and one of them became my dinner the next day. The others are now in my freezer. I like to use carp for baked fish and then  make a fish salad with diced pickles and mayonnaise of the remainder.

Gar are dressed by cutting off the tail and cutting straight up the back with a pair of tin snips. Then use the snips to cut down both sides and remove two “ropes” of boneless meat, like removing the backstraps of a deer. This may be cut into 1/2-inch sections and fried with Chinese vegetables like scollops. The meat has a very mild taste and is good fried, baked or even grilled. One precaution is that the roe of gar is toxic. It will kill you. Any meat that is contaminated with roe products must be cut away and discarted. On huge gar I grind the meat, (make a paddy by mixing in salt, pepper, an egg, and dill weed) flour the paddies, coat with a flour-egg batter and deep fry it in canola oil. This will make the best fish sandwich that you ever had.

Practical Bowfishing  may be ordered from me by sending a check for $17.95 to Wm. Hovey Smith, 1325 Jordan Mill Pond Rd., Sandersville, GA 31082. This book not only contains information on gear, fish that may be bowfished but also has recipes for cooking carp, gar and other fresh and salt-water fish.

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