I just saw 'Gar Cleaning' and Tin Snips mentioned together again in a current post. There is another way; it is up to you if it is better. I've cleaned gar like this a couple times and it works fairly well.
If you have a chopping block or good size piece of firewood, take a good sharp ax and cut the gar into about 4-5" lengths. Next, run a fillet knife around the inside of the armor. You can then push the inside out of the armor tube. Use the fillet knife to bone the meat off of the skeleton. The meat will be ready to soak and prepare. It eats just fine but I don't mess with them often.
