Bowfin (Dogfish) 2024
papajoe222 reply :
So I visit this small deep lake in Indiana to target these ugly things because of their fight/size. They remind me of smallmouth when it comes to the fight they give you compared to the size and the ones in this particular lake average 10lb. The general size of bass and crappie is on the generous side vs. their length. My largest bass there was only 19in., but weighed just under five pounds.
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else targets these prehistoric things or if anyone believes that they will cross stretches of land to reach habitable water?
Dwight Hottle reply :
Down south they are called mud fish. They fight great at the beginning making you think you have a quality largemouth until you see them boat side and then they start their death roll similar to a catfish. I personally hate all trash fish that imitate gamefish until you find otherwise.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Never caught one, mainly because they don't live anywhere in KS.
dave reply :
Bowfin, Mudfish, Grinnel...
We target them in the Dragon Run Swamp in southern VA. We and our customers are from Maryland and can catch bass anytime.
They want bowfin bad. I have never had many do the the death roll. Ours fight all the way then, flop (and bleed) around the boat while we try to get a hold of them.
I don't think there is anything not to like about a fish that is not afraid of you or your bait. We've had them follow to the boat and just sit at the boat. Dangle the spinnerbait in front and BAM!.
On a good day, we can catch them on spinnerbaits, jigs, flukes, poppers, just name it. All on the same stretch of cover/shore.
Again, what's not to like.
scaleface reply :
I dont target them but catch them occasionally . Jig and pig and plastic worms mainly , never have caught one on a top water .
Heres one I caught while smallmouth fishing.
Alonerankin2 reply :
When targeting LMB in Florida w/ golden shiners, the mud fish & Gator gars would make me wanna file for bankruptcy!, but hey, if you enjoy catching them, that's all that matters!
Catch and Grease reply :
I love targeting them! Never seen them sprout legs and walk but they will travel through VERY shallow water. Small ones get stuck in the dirt road ditches around here all the time when it gets a little flooded. Even big ones will sit in a foot of water.
Blaker87 reply :
Papajoe, what lake were you fishing in indiana? I'm from east central Indiana and have never come across these fish or heard of them being caught here. I'd like to check them out. Anything on the end of my line makes me happy.
ibobpeb reply :
They taste great too.
Alonerankin2 reply :
On 3/4/2015 at 1:23 AM, ibobpeb said:They taste great too.
Seriously?
Catch and Grease reply :
On 3/4/2015 at 1:28 AM, Alonerankin2 said:Seriously?
People eat them around here too, supposedly their eggs are good...
Thornback reply :
I sometimes catch a mudfish here in Florida. I get 'em up to the boat and kill 'em. Then I remove the hook and check my line for nicks. I understand they have sharp teeth and sometimes they cut my line. I hear they will eat small bass and bass eggs which is not allowed around here.
Catch and Grease reply :
On 3/4/2015 at 9:23 PM, Thornback said:I get 'em up to the boat and kill 'em.
That's a shame...
J Francho reply :
Big bass eat small bass - you kill those two?
0119 reply :
Killing mudfish and gar is very common in Fl. Sad really, I've always gotten a better fight from them than bass. I know a few cracker boys who shoot every cormorant they see as it's traditionally thought they along with gar kill bass fry and eggs.
I haven't come across it in awhile but there was a forum all about catching gar mudfish and buffalo. I think it was called the gar forum.
atcoha reply :
I catch them pretty often in Alabama, in the creeks/runoffs from the rivers. They are fun to catch, I throw them back...if they don't break me off first.
John G reply :
My first top water fish was a Mudfish. Heck, I haven't caught a Mudfish since I caught this one and that sucks because they are fun to catch AND release.
blackmax135 reply :
If anyone wants to catch some of these bad boys in huge numbers let me know. They have taken over just about every creek and lake around here. I don't eat them but I give them to neady family's I never throw them back.
When it gets to the point you go fishing in your local waters to catch some bream, catfish, and bass and all you can do is pull in mudfish something needs to change. If it's rare to catch one in your area then yea throw it back.
They are like wild hogs once they take over, everything else starts to just disappear it seams like.
John G reply :
Where are you located?On 3/8/2015 at 7:42 PM, blackmax135 said:If anyone wants to catch some of these bad boys in huge numbers let me know. They have taken over just about every creek and lake around here. I don't eat them but I give them to neady family's I never throw them back.
When it gets to the point you go fishing in your local waters to catch some bream, catfish, and bass and all you can do is pull in mudfish something needs to change. If it's rare to catch one in your area then yea throw it back.
They are like wild hogs once they take over, everything else starts to just disappear it seams like.
blackmax135 reply :
Lowcountry of south carolina
On 3/8/2015 at 7:57 PM, John G said:Where are you located?
John G reply :
On 3/8/2015 at 8:12 PM, blackmax135 said:Lowcountry of south carolina
A little bit too far for me to travel with my schedule. LOL
blackmax135 reply :
On 3/8/2015 at 9:26 PM, John G said:A little bit too far for me to travel with my schedule. LOL
Yea florida is a good driver.
BannedForSpamming-1234555 reply :
I have a hard time getting a good hookset on these guys because their skull is all bone.
flyfisher reply :
I love catching them and am itching to get one on a fly rod. Around here they are not prevalent so it isn't an everyday occurrence but i catch 3-5 a year when fishing for bass. My last one i caught completely destroyed a wake bait too. They are awesome fish and should be enjoyed for the prehistoric fish that they are and not destroyed.
murphy13 reply :
I never understood why people kill these fish thinking that they "take over" or "kill off bass fry and eggs." They have been part of the ecosystem way longer than bass have in most places(especially the swamps)!
J Francho reply :
Try targeting the live ones - there's a lot more to sink your hooks into than bones.On 3/9/2015 at 6:28 AM, PUMP KNOWS said:I have a hard time getting a good hookset on these guys because their skull is all bone.
J Francho reply :
On 3/8/2015 at 7:42 PM, blackmax135 said:If anyone wants to catch some of these bad boys in huge numbers let me know. They have taken over just about every creek and lake around here. I don't eat them but I give them to neady family's I never throw them back.
When it gets to the point you go fishing in your local waters to catch some bream, catfish, and bass and all you can do is pull in mudfish something needs to change. If it's rare to catch one in your area then yea throw it back.
They are like wild hogs once they take over, everything else starts to just disappear it seams like.
Since they thrive in water with low oxygen, my bet is your creeks are just providing what they can. Sounds like either your creek is the problem or the solution, depending on hoe you look at it.
scaleface reply :
On 3/9/2015 at 6:28 AM, PUMP KNOWS said:I have a hard time getting a good hookset on these guys because their skull is all bone.
Xenomorph canicula .
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
On 3/9/2015 at 7:31 PM, J Francho said:Since they thrive in water with low oxygen, my bet is your creeks are just providing what they can. Sounds like either your creek is the problem or the solution, depending on hoe you look at it.
x2 One of the best things about these fish is they'll live where others won't and are willing to bite when others won't like the dog days of August.
Catch and Grease reply :
They breath air too! These fish are built for the long run... Lol
blackmax135 reply :
it's the water. You can't go to Many boat ramps around here without seeing a warning about mercury and not to eat the bowfin. We have a bomb plant called the Savannah river sight upstream and most people believe it's the cause. The Savannah river is ranked third most polluted in the United states. Been eating fish out of there my whole life. Come to think of it maybe that's what's wro g.On 3/9/2015 at 7:31 PM, J Francho said:Since they thrive in water with low oxygen, my bet is your creeks are just providing what they can. Sounds like either your creek is the problem or the solution, depending on hoe you look at it.
papajoe222 reply :
They also can be found in good numbers in a healthy lake as the one I refer to is. Good populations of bluegill, crappie, bass and minnows are proof to me that they are not a threat to other species. The only fish lacking in this lake are catfish
LunkerFisher reply :
We would shoot these all the time in western Michigan while bowfishing for carp. They sure do wiggle a lot when you hit them in the side. We would either leave the carcasses in the lake (completely legal) or take them with us and throw them in the woods to feed the deer.
scaleface reply :
On 3/10/2015 at 7:42 PM, LunkerFisher said:We would shoot these all the time in western Michigan while bowfishing for carp. They sure do wiggle a lot when you hit them in the side. We would either leave the carcasses in the lake (completely legal) or take them with us and throw them in the woods to feed the deer.
Really ? You feed dead dogfish to deer ? How do they like it ?
Catch and Grease reply :
On 3/10/2015 at 7:42 PM, LunkerFisher said:We would shoot these all the time in western Michigan while bowfishing for carp. They sure do wiggle a lot when you hit them in the side. We would either leave the carcasses in the lake (completely legal) or take them with us and throw them in the woods to feed the deer.
Why?
scaleface reply :
Well I'll be .
LunkerFisher reply :
On 3/10/2015 at 8:01 PM, scaleface said:Really ? You feed dead dogfish to deer ? How do they like it ?
They'd eat it up!
LunkerFisher reply :
On 3/10/2015 at 8:02 PM, Catch and Grease said:Why?
The short answer is: It's a lot of fun to shoot fish with a bow and arrow at night.
Catch and Grease reply :
On 3/10/2015 at 8:43 PM, LunkerFisher said:The short answer is: It's a lot of fun to shoot fish with a bow and arrow at night.
Did you waste the carp too?
murphy13 reply :
On 3/10/2015 at 8:41 PM, scaleface said:Well I'll be .
Deer in nature are omnivores... when you see them in nature they are eating insects aswell as snails and other small Nitrogen providing sources when available to them.
LunkerFisher reply :
On 3/10/2015 at 8:49 PM, Catch and Grease said:Did you waste the carp too?
Well, they're overpopulated so in MI it's open season. I don't question DNR.
Catch and Grease reply :
On 3/10/2015 at 9:21 PM, LunkerFisher said:Well, they're overpopulated so in MI it's open season. I don't question DNR.
Are the bowfin considered over-populated there too? If not, what's the point in killing them if the targeted species is carp? If carp there are so abundant then shouldn't you just leave the bowfin alone and continue killing the carp?
J Francho reply :
Wait, deer eat fish?
LunkerFisher reply :
On 3/10/2015 at 9:23 PM, Catch and Grease said:Are the bowfin considered over-populated there too? If not, what's the point in killing them if the targeted species is carp? If carp there are so abundant then shouldn't you just leave the bowfin alone and continue killing the carp?
There's actually a lot other species we can legally target. Bowfin and carp are jut the most abundant.
http://www.eregulations.com/michigan/fishing/bow-spear-fishing-regulations/
BassinLou reply :
Mudfish and the Everglades are synonymous. I have caught my fair share of big mudfish. They have fooled me more than once in thinking I have caught my personal best bass until I feel the death roll. As far killing them. I am really against that. Don't worry our precious bass are doing just fine living amongst all the mudfish and gar. My son loves catching mudfish. They put up one heck of a fight and they can be pretty big. To a 7-8 yr old kid mudfish are awesome!!
MassBass reply :
No bowfin where I fish, but from what I gather they seem like fair game. Any special tactic that targets them?
BassinLou reply :
On 3/13/2015 at 4:28 AM, MassBass said:No bowfin where I fish, but from what I gather they seem like fair game. Any special tactic that targets them?
Every time I have caught one I was fishing different bass fishing techniques. I have caught them on soft plastics, frogs, jigs, jerkbaits and spinnerbaits. If a big one gets a hold of your favorite lure there is a strong possibility that it will be destroyed. I have found however, that if you use the fishgrip on them, it will neutralize them from thrashing and spinning. Making lure retrieval a little easier and safer.
Catch and Grease reply :
On 3/13/2015 at 4:28 AM, MassBass said:No bowfin where I fish, but from what I gather they seem like fair game. Any special tactic that targets them?
It's more about finding them then what lure your using, they will bite most bass lures but some days they can be pretty finicky too.... One of my favorite things to catch them on is a Marabou jig!
boydn1 reply :
I learned to bass fish on the Waccamaw River. Seemed that all the bass would bite is a grape worm. Problem was the mudfish LOVE purple worms...
RoLo reply :
Bowfin 8-4
They're more powerful than bass.
I cringe when they're called 'mudfish'
Roger
Catch and Grease reply :
On 3/19/2015 at 10:22 AM, RoLo said:
Bowfin 8-4
They're more powerful than bass.
I cringe when they're called 'mudfish'
Roger
Great catch, Great picture!
desmobob reply :
There are some nice ones in Lake Champlain.
I got this one a wacky-rigged Senko!
Tight lines,
Bob
justhere reply :
Never caught one, but I remember a few years ago here someone caught one and thought it was a snakehead. The PFBC came in and everything, now they have a picture of one in the rulebook you get with your liscense explaining the difference between these and snakehead.
SoFlaBassAddict reply :
On 3/2/2015 at 11:22 AM, Dwight Hottle said:Down south they are called mud fish. They fight great at the beginning making you think you have a quality largemouth until you see them boat side and then they start their death roll similar to a catfish. I personally hate all trash fish that imitate gamefish until you find otherwise.
Frustrating as hell. Drop a bait and and get thumped. Rear back and jack em. Think you have a monster on, then you realize it's a mudfish.
I think I caught more of them on Saturday than I had on any other single trip. Darn things destroy plastics too.
John G reply :
Great looking Mudfish!On 3/19/2015 at 10:22 AM, RoLo said:
Bowfin 8-4
They're more powerful than bass.
I cringe when they're called 'mudfish'
Roger
OntarioFishingGuy reply :
On 3/10/2015 at 7:42 PM, LunkerFisher said:We would shoot these all the time in western Michigan while bowfishing for carp. They sure do wiggle a lot when you hit them in the side. We would either leave the carcasses in the lake (completely legal) or take them with us and throw them in the woods to feed the deer.
If they are overpopulating the lake, find something else to do with them other than wasting them. Just because its legal, doesn't make it right. Bowfin are actually very similar to bass, and I can't understand why they are considered 'trash fish'. If your lake were overpopulated with sturgeon, would you kill and waste them too?
LunkerFisher reply :
On 3/27/2015 at 12:18 AM, OntarioFishingGuy said:If they are overpopulating the lake, find something else to do with them other than wasting them. Just because its legal, doesn't make it right. Bowfin are actually very similar to bass, and I can't understand why they are considered 'trash fish'. If your lake were overpopulated with sturgeon, would you kill and waste them too?
What would you suggest? I guess I don't see how feeding deer and whatever aquatic animals find a free feast as "wasting". I'm sure not going to eat a dogfish.
Catch and Grease reply :
Are they really overpopulated and hurting the other species of fish though? Not calling you a lier but it seems hard to believe, is there any study's you can put a link up for?
J Francho reply :
If they are overpopulating the lake, there's a bigger issue than the dogfish…
Alonerankin2 reply :
I just wonder if the mudfish ( Bowfin ) is protected under law? These are a prehistoric fish, no?
Catch and Grease reply :
On 3/27/2015 at 12:56 AM, Alonerankin2 said:I just wonder if the mudfish ( Bowfin ) is protected under law? These are a prehistoric fish, no?
He posted a link and apparently it is legal there.
LunkerFisher reply :
On 3/27/2015 at 12:56 AM, Alonerankin2 said:I just wonder if the mudfish ( Bowfin ) is protected under law? These are a prehistoric fish, no?
No restrictions in Michigan.
Mike2841 reply :
Never caught one, they're not that common here.
I've never understood why some people don't like catching "trash" fish when most of the time they are bigger and fight harder than bass.
ibobpeb reply :
On 3/4/2015 at 1:28 AM, Alonerankin2 said:Seriously?
I am serious.
gulfcaptain reply :
I'd fish for them if we had them in CA, but we don't. Think they look very cool and just because some don't believe they are a game fish sounds like they pull and fight harder then the bass we pursue. Not a fan of killing anything just because I think it shouldn't be there either. No point in taking an animals life just for the pure pleasure of it, then leaving it in the lake or tossing it in the woods. Caught many carp that would pull our dearly loved bass backwards. I give them a thank you for the great fight and then a gentle release. May have a few 4 letter words when I first find out what it is though.
grizzly1654 reply :
The only thing i have against them is that they destroy my brand new spinner baits lol. But man are they fun to catch!
scaleface reply :
I was wading a small inlet to a river. Reeling in a Rattle Trap and I saw a big fish miss it but it was still in hot pursuit. When I finished the retrieve in calf deep water I let the lure dangle in the water and the bowfin smashed it just a couple of feet away . Took me by surprise. I thought it was a lunker smallmouth.
new2BC4bass reply :
On 3/9/2015 at 1:20 PM, murphy13 said:I never understood why people kill these fish thinking that they "take over" or "kill off bass fry and eggs." They have been part of the ecosystem way longer than bass have in most places(especially the swamps)!
I have no idea if this is true or not. My brother-in-law and I tried a lake in a state park. He lives in Florida. Beautiful looking lake surrounded by trees. Lots of grass along the shoreline. Hard to get a boat into. No ramp. We fish from a 14' canoe. Probably a pit dug out to provide dirt and gravel for the Interstate running nearby. Several feet deep at the shoreline. Looked like the perfect bass lake. A beautiful looking day, a beautiful looking lake with some very nice scenery (for Florida 
). Only fish we caught all day were bowfins. A new spinnerbait was destroyed with the first fish I caught. Although I had hits several times on plastics (and thought I had them on the way in), I never landed a one. It was like they grabbed it short and held on for a bit before deciding it was more trouble than it was worth. I don't have a monster hook set, but I was using 40# braid.
They were fun to catch even if ugly enough to scare spots off a leopard. We kept one to to see if they were good eating. Didn't find out until later that you should never rinse these fish off with water after filleting. From what I gather if done right they are a good eating fish.
blackmax135 reply :
On 4/4/2015 at 10:26 PM, new2BC4bass said:I have no idea if this is true or not. My brother-in-law and I tried a lake in a state park. He lives in Florida. Beautiful looking lake surrounded by trees. Lots of grass along the shoreline. Hard to get a boat into. No ramp. We fish from a 14' canoe. Probably a pit dug out to provide dirt and gravel for the Interstate running nearby. Several feet deep at the shoreline. Looked like the perfect bass lake. A beautiful looking day, a beautiful looking lake with some very nice scenery (for Florida
They were fun to catch even if ugly enough to scare spots off a leopard. We kept one to to see if they were good eating. Didn't find out until later that you should never rinse these fish off with water after filleting. From what I gather if done right they are a g ood eating fish.
Make sure to always clean them right away. If you can't soak in buttermilk. That's just what I've found to be the best way so they eat good. That's what all the old folks taught me.
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