Bowfin

[cedarjunki]

Re: Bowfin

one from yesterday trolling for pike.....

 

[Bass2Reds]

Re: Bowfin

I've caught several Bowfin...great fighters

Best to release them back into the water rather than let them flop around the rig. They will snap their teeth and make audible sounds(hence the Michigan name, we call them Dogfish).

Keep some steel leaders tied on because they have some sharp teeth and will take your lures easily with monofilament only.

I have some photos I can post if you are interested.

We caught them on cut Bluegill bait and worms on jigheads played off the bottom.

This site is a good source for more info on these fish. They are 300 million years old and are considered living fossils. Pretty neat species.

http://www.bowfinanglers.com/

Down here in Florida they are like thugs, everyone wishes they'd just die. (Especially Bass Anglers) I can't tell you the amount of times I've been fishing a bass tournament and I'll get a crazy hit from a bowfin and think its a bass only to be disappointed. In fact what most people do, including me, when you catch them, slit their bellys and throw them back. That's honestly how badly they are hated here, but hey they're good for nothing, they eat live bait, wreck rapalas, can't eat them, and they destroy sport fish. So next time you're in florida don't bring one back to the ramp to show it off, the anglers will laugh at you.

 

[Bass2Reds]

Re: Bowfin

We refer to them as Cypress Trout.

Floridians know them as Mudfish FYI.

 

[RicMic]

Re: Bowfin

"they destroy sport fish", bowfin are native here and have coexsisted with "sport" fish for hundreds of thousands of years, so they aren't doing a very good job of destroying. Funny, people spend MILLIONS to catch bass, only to throw them back in the water, catch a bowfin, that fights just as hard on the same lure and its a "trash fish". I might just start up a line of Bowfin Pro Shops and some tournaments!

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Bowfin

Down here in Florida they are like thugs, everyone wishes they'd just die. (Especially Bass Anglers) I can't tell you the amount of times I've been fishing a bass tournament and I'll get a crazy hit from a bowfin and think its a bass only to be disappointed. In fact what most people do, including me, when you catch them, slit their bellys and throw them back. That's honestly how badly they are hated here, but hey they're good for nothing, they eat live bait, wreck rapalas, can't eat them, and they destroy sport fish. So next time you're in florida don't bring one back to the ramp to show it off, the anglers will laugh at you.

I toss 'em back also(after enjoying the fight) but I'm not deluded enough to think that I could eradicate an entire 300 million-year-old species by "slitting their bellies" when I happen to catch one.

Not too concerned about being laughed at by some amateur bass anglers BTW.

"they destroy sport fish", bowfin are native here and have coexsisted with "sport" fish for hundreds of thousands of years, so they aren't doing a very good job of destroying. Funny, people spend MILLIONS to catch bass, only to throw them back in the water, catch a bowfin, that fights just as hard on the same lure and its a "trash fish". I might just start up a line of Bowfin Pro Shops and some tournaments!

LOL...I don't think he's a marine biologist.

 

[RicMic]

Re: Bowfin

I am sure that bass fisherman laugh at me, I know I laugh at them. Whenever they ask me what I am fishing for, I say "fish" and they get a real confused expression on their face. I go fishing to have fun and catch some good eating fish, I could have the same amount of fun catching a bowfin or a largemouth and I am not going to eat either one. If I had a chance to bet, I'll bet a lot of money that largemouth bass eat far more sport fish than a bowfin ever thought about.

 

[scipper77]

Re: Bowfin

. If I had a chance to bet, I'll bet a lot of money that largemouth bass eat far more sport fish than a bowfin ever thought about.

Bowfin eat largemouth bass which are the sportfish in this case. That is the issue.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Bowfin

Slitting the belly of any living creature and letting them go... Hey, I'm not a squeemish guy, I hunt and fish, but the slitting thing seems pretty cruel to me.

Out here the bass tournament guys hate stripers, stripped bass, and (some) will toss them up on the shore if they catch them. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but it seems pretty kookey to kill everything that you don't want catch, just because it's competing what you want to catch.

 

[scipper77]

Re: Bowfin

Gobies. There are "MILLIONS" of them in lake Ontario and they are decimating the small mouth population. They eat the small mouth's when they are minnows and ironically enough when the smallies mature they eat the gobies. There are far less smallies than there used to be but the ones that make it to adulthood are bigger than ever because the plentiful supply of gobies to eat.

I've seen on multiple occasions people kill 25-100 of them in an outing.

 

[LongLine]

Re: Bowfin

NYS recomends fishermen not return gobies to the water alive.

Other fish I don't release are lampreys. Well, I do release them, but in three pieces (minimum)

Tom B.
(LongLine)

 

[RicMic]

Re: Bowfin

Bowfin eat largemouth bass which are the sportfish in this case. That is the issue.

Why are largemouth bass "sportfish" and bowfin aren't? Bowfin are mostly scavengers, absolutely they will take a baby largemouth if it swims in front of them, but they are much more likely to take a weak or sickly or especially a dead one, which are all probably to the largemouths benefit. You want to find out how many bowfin you really have? Use a piece of cut bait the size of your thumb. I've caught dozens of them fishing for catfish and NEVER caught one in the same area on live bait or various kinds of lures. You know what really eats a lot of bass? Bigger bass!
The big difference between, gobies, lampreys, carp and bowfin, is bowfin are native, they've been here forever and evolved along with bass, bream, perch etc., the others are introduced pests and have been here a very short time.

 

[cedarjunki]

Re: Bowfin

Bowfin eat largemouth bass which are the sportfish in this case. That is the issue.

largemouth eat largemouth, smallmouth, walleye, and any other sportfish small enough. no difference! im betting your against northern pike also, a very well known sport fish, but they will eat "anything" that gets close enough! bowfin arent much different than say sturgeon, prehistoric! just not endangered, much more adaptable. been around swimming in these waters, right along with all of our sought after sport fish for longer than fishing was ever a sport!

myself, i love the fight of the bowfin, and they are even included in one of our major tournaments here.

 

[jdsgrog]

Re: Bowfin

Bowfin are mostly scavengers

Aren't all fish scavengers to some degree?

BTW, I agree with RicMic. I'd say to leave the bowfin alone. People consider them pests because I believe there's a lot of misinformation about them. They are freshwater fish which like all fish are "survivors." Bass eat their own kind...male crappie guard their own nests so they could feed on their young...pike eat pretty much anything near them...muskie do as well.

Also, please do not mistake them for snakeheads. Bowfin do not have lungs to help them breathe air. That's the Chinese snakeheads, an invasive species.

Bowfins probably adapt to some waters better than others, which may make them "pests." But I also know of a private lake where is there is an overpopulation of bass...so much so all of the bass are generally very small. The owner of the lake lets people fish there, as long as they keep all their bass and don't throw them back. I would say in his opinion, the small bass are generally "pests."

All I know is that bowfin are ugly and tough. But I'll say, a six pound bowfin fights just as hard if not more than any other "gamefish" the same size and even considerably larger, and now that I do know what they are, I'd be proud to land one. Never tasted one, so maybe not worth keeping. But everyone has their own opinion on what fish they like to eat. Afterall, the number one fish eaten in the world is carp.

 

[scipper77]

Re: Bowfin

well I guess I struck a nerve as far as bowfin eating sportfish being any different from any other fish eating sportfish. I was just responding to the point made about large mouth bass eating more sportfish than bowfin. I'm sure they do, I was just saying that the bowfin are big and aggressive enough to eat the large largemouth bass. you know the ones the fisherman want to catch.

 

[jdsgrog]

Re: Bowfin

well I guess I struck a nerve as far as bowfin eating sportfish being any different from any other fish eating sportfish. I was just responding to the point made about large mouth bass eating more sportfish than bowfin. I'm sure they do, I was just saying that the bowfin are big and aggressive enough to eat the large largemouth bass. you know the ones the fisherman want to catch.

yeah it may have struck the nerve of some. however, i just think the bowfin is misunderstood. unless you know that it attacks the big bass for a fact, from studies, it seems to be like most other fish, eating mainly baitfish and crustaceans. Below is an analysis of what the bowfin diet is in a NC river. I'm sure in other places, it is different.

"Bowfin Stomach Contents Survey -- What do bowfin eat?

From Fisheries Grad Student Andrew P:
TITLE (ENGLISH): Food Habits of Bowfin in the Black and Lumber Rivers, North Carolina
AUTHOR(S): Ashley,-K.W.; Rachels,-R.T.

ABSTRACT: We examined food habits of bowfin (Amia calva), in the Black and Lumber rivers, North Carolina. Stomachs from 192 Black River bowfin and 175 Lumber River bowfin were analyzed to determine frequency of occurrence and percent by number and weight of individual food items consumed from 1994 to 1997. Crustaceans [primarily crayfish (Astacidae) and grass shrimp (Palaemonidae)] were the dominant food item consumed by bowfin in both rivers. They occurred, on average, in 79% of Black River bowfin stomachs containing food and accounted for 65% by number and 53% by weight of all food items consumed. In the Lumber River crayfish occurred, on average, in 71% of bowfin stomachs containing food and accounted for 63% by number and 27% by weight of all food items consumed. Fishes, primarily centrarchids and ictalurids, were of secondary importance in the diet of bowfin. Other fish of minor importance included American eel (Anguilla rostrata), bowfin, creek chubsucker (Erimyzon oblongus), and pirate perch (Aphredoderus sayanus)."

 

[Tig]

Re: Bowfin

The place I saw the bowfin is full of spawning bass and sunfish every spring. Since the fin has been around for 150 million years or so I figure he's found his place in the food chain and balance of nature.
FWIW I did feel that there were fewer sunfish nests this year. Some even seemed to be unguarded prematurely.
Less sunfish would mean less predators to eat bass fry, or more importantly pickerel fry. It's all a balance. I take what I need and leave the rest alone.

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Bowfin

'purt near everything you ever needed to know about bowfin...

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/Bowfin/Bowfin.html

I leave it to the game and fish's surveys to tell me whether a fishery is out of balance or not. In most MS impoundments and oxbows we're "advised" not to release bowfin, longnose and spotted gar after being caught. If they find that those species are becoming scarce, they WILL impose restrictions/fines on harming them. So far, that's not the case.

My guess on "destructive species" is that since sport fish tend to make their way back to the dinner table instead of the lake, the larger non-sport fish are given a leg up on the competition. For example, once a bowfin reaches a foot in length it's list of predators gets really short especially since it's not specifically targeted by man. Black bass aren't so lucky. Combine that with the bowfin's tolerance for impossible conditions and you see why a fish that used to nibble on t-rex toes is still swimming around today.

That being said, I have seen a small pond that had an established bass and bream population decimated by an unwanted bowfin introduction in just a few years and it saw very little fishing pressure. They are very effective predators.

Why are they not sport fish and bass are? Dunno. Marketing? Bass taste better? Bass don't gnaw you arm off when you try to remove the hook? All the above probably. The way I see it, Bass are like that hot chick that you chase around all day and spend all your money on just for a peck on the cheek. Bowfin are like her "not quite as good looking" friend that'll tackle you when you walk in the door, wrestle you all over the house and leave teeth marks all over your tackle. The choice is yours.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Bowfin

. The way I see it, Bass are like that hot chick that you chase around all day and spend all your money on just for a peck on the cheek. Bowfin are like her "not quite as good looking" friend that'll tackle you when you walk in the door, wrestle you all over the house and leave teeth marks all over your tackle. The choice is yours.

I like the way you see things. Like moped and fat chick, fun but you don't wanna brag about it.

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Bowfin

Choupique Royale. Caviar made from Bowfin roe. About $50 an ounce. If you go bass fishing around here probably 50% of the fish you catch will be bowfin or blackfish or grennel as we call them.

 

[tjl76evinrude]

Re: Bowfin

they are a nuisance in FL. they normally go into a bucket and tossed on shore for the raccoons to eat.

the flesh is described as "jelly-like" and turns quick. if you are going to eat on of these nasty things its suggested to keep them alive until your ready to cook them.