I went to skin a gar one time. Eventually ended up with a hatchet. I tried just chopping him in half and all it did was make a big dent in him and didnt break the hide. I just pushed him off the pier. Those are more stupid to skin than a dang turtle. Anything you need a hatchet, hammer, and screwdriver to skin is too much. So much easier stuff to eat in the water.

I read the link on Texas regs looks to me the Trinity River between I-10 and I-30 is subject to temporary closure during the peak breeding season. Be sure and check the regs don’t want to see ya on an episode of.
Lone Star Law!! LoL. The Trinity has had some issues since bowfishing became as popular as it has with the metropolitan areas it flows through. The Sabine is much less densely populated with people. My nephew hooked one in Trinity Bay near the Houston Light and Power outflow, said it was about 7-8 ft and about a foot thick.
He was useing a 7’ popping rod. He never even fazed it. Said it just swam off not even in a hurry.

I read Indians used a single scale from an alligator gar as an arrowhead.

If one ever found a way to make a pair of boots from those they should last a lifetime.

Don't overlook the Neches River. It's between the Sabine and Trinity Rivers. Largest taken from there has been 204 lbs.

They used to put gar skins on wood plows to make them last longer.

Keith

They’re a dang nuisance around here when cat fishing ... tear up gear and bite up your fish

Lol... that hand came down here and fished a couple miles from my house... think he had to bum a little gar off of a couple hands running a trot line to show the viewers what one looked like ... then ended up going north of the lake and hiring a guide to get on one if I remember correctly lol

I guess they don't travel that far north in the Arkansas River. Our state record came from the Arkansas at 215 pounds. Will hear of a 100 plus pounder caught gar every couple years around these parts.. Not common but they are there.
I figure the White River as it flows through east Arkansas would hold some big ones.

... get to that red circle and you’ll be in more gator gar than you can handle JMorse ...

Are you legal to fish from a boat or do you need permission first from landowners?

... even got a launch and marina ... y’all kill all those sob’s before they can get down here to me and chew up my catfish .. I deal with too many of them already lol

Nocona and Tony Lama made some back in the 70's but they were too expensive for an out of the box boot. It just took too much to make them.

Look what they used to pull this 240 pounder in the boat.

My Lord, what a fish! Thanks for all the info people.

Nah, that thing swallowed the beaver whole.

That gets down graded for the snare marks.

We have lots of shortnose gar in the Platte river and salt creek, and probably the Missouri too. I used to catch lots of shortnose.in the salt near where it meets the Platte. They have super hard jaws and it's hard to set a hook. I used to just pull a nightcrawler under a bobber on a treble hook. Didn't even bother setting the hook, just reeled fast when one bit and hoped it didn't let go. Some guys used a frayed rope that would get tangled in their teeth. They're not too hard to clean.....run snips down the back, cut out the backstraps.