To clean larger gars drive a spike angled down into a post and cut the head of the spike off. The spike should be high enough to keep the gar off the ground. Hang the gar head down impaled on the spike. Remember Vlad the Impaler? Then use a hatchet to cut the back fin off starting at the tail end and going down towards the head. This should leave a strip about 3/4"-1" wide without scales. Starting in this skinned strip use a skinning knife and begin skinning going around the sides and down towards the head. When the skin is pulled back you can cut out the fillets like a deer backstrap and never dull your knife trying to cut through the scales.
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