papajoe222 Posted June 3, 2015 Posted June 3, 2015 Heading out to a small lake that has some big bowfin tomorrow. We use big shiners, but if they're notmoving, the bite is slow I was thinking of doing some casting while bobber watching. What lures would you use for this? Quote
Super User flyfisher Posted June 3, 2015 Super User Posted June 3, 2015 I haven't found a particular bait to be more effective than another for targeting bowfin. The baits i have caught them on range from Spinner baits, cranks, wake baits and even stick worms. My thought is if you get it in the right spot they get mad and hit it. I have had them follow a biat all the way to my boat and just sit there and watch me and any bait i drop in the water for a long time. 1 Quote
BannedForSpamming-1234555 Posted June 3, 2015 Posted June 3, 2015 I haven't found a particular bait to be more effective than another for targeting bowfin. The baits i have caught them on range from Spinner baits, cranks, wake baits and even stick worms. My thought is if you get it in the right spot they get mad and hit it. I have had them follow a biat all the way to my boat and just sit there and watch me and any bait i drop in the water for a long time. I agree with this Quote
BassMaster17 Posted June 3, 2015 Posted June 3, 2015 the only lure i have caught bowfin on besides dead/live bait would be A crankbait, caught 2 on cranks, and a big version of a rooster tail (forgot the name). Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted June 3, 2015 Global Moderator Posted June 3, 2015 I caught both my big ones in Florida on a T rigged Pit Boss. Had several follows on a Xrap too. Quote
John G Posted June 3, 2015 Posted June 3, 2015 The same lures that you would use for bass and also cutbait. The last Mudfish that I caught was on a Bass colored Zara Spook. Quote
Super User Catch and Grease Posted June 4, 2015 Super User Posted June 4, 2015 My best bowfin lures are beetle spins, marabou jigs, and roadrunners with a trailer like a Mr. Crappie grub but you can catch them on almost anything. They eat cut bait well too. Don't let the size of those lures fool you, I've caught huge bowfin on all of them. Quote
Super User scaleface Posted June 4, 2015 Super User Posted June 4, 2015 I have caught them accidentally on a Rattle Trap , spinnerbait , Jig n pig , and Tex rigs Quote
Super User Catt Posted June 4, 2015 Super User Posted June 4, 2015 I haven't found a particular bait to be more effective than another for targeting bowfin. The baits i have caught them on range from Spinner baits, cranks, wake baits and even stick worms. My thought is if you get it in the right spot they get mad and hit it. I have had them follow a biat all the way to my boat and just sit there and watch me and any bait i drop in the water for a long time. While I absolutely hate em I agree they will hit anything! Quote
Quebecbassangler Posted June 5, 2015 Posted June 5, 2015 I have caught them on live worms,crankbaits,plastic rigs,just about anything but they are very picky and slow moving and will more often than not follow the lure a number of times before hitting it,from my experience with them they seem to eventually get ticked off at the same thing and after following it so many times it seems to provoke them into a strike I remember the first one I caught in about 2 feet of stagnant water in a back channel off lake champlain I kept dangling a worm in front of it,alonside it actually bumping it till after what seemed like a good 20 minutes it finally took it Whatever your choice good luck Quote
papajoe222 Posted June 6, 2015 Author Posted June 6, 2015 Thanks for the replies. I did get out there and the 'dawgs' didn't disappoint, Neither did the bass. I ended up with seven bass between two and four pounds, but the best part of the outing was landing two monster bowfin five minutes apart. The first was 26in. long and weighed just over eight pounds and the second was 28in. and just shy of ten pounds. They both put my tackle and myself to the test as I was using 10lb. braid on a M/H spinning rod. I did quite a bit of back reeling to say the least. The runs weren't very long (10-15yrds.), but if you compare them to a pike, but stronger, you'll know why I love to occasionally target them. 2 Quote
FloridaBasser1 Posted June 6, 2015 Posted June 6, 2015 If you go back out to fish for them, I have a particular lure that I consistantly catch Bowfin on regardless of conditions. It is the Rebel Jupin Minnow in Bone White. Of course some days will be better than others, but every time I go to the spot where i know thier is Bowfin(for me its the St. Marys River In Florida) I have used this lure and at least had a few bites, and usually hook up. I have also caught Bass, and Longnose Gar on it, but mainly use it to target the Bowfin. They run about $4-$5 online, and they are very consistant for catching Bowfin. 1 Quote
TheGreatSpike Posted March 1, 2017 Posted March 1, 2017 Spinners, spinners consistanly produce for me but you need a double hook with a worm/body bait/paddle tail on it for more life like appearance. I even inserted glass rattles in mine. All just gos the extra bit to make them believe it's a real baitfish. A great casting method is to use your dead minnows as casting. Inset a jig in the head or a long shank hook with a line needle to feed the line through the bait for drop shorting. I have come close to my state record a few times with those methods. But hands down live bait in the spring as the water approaches 55-60 degrees is magic. They come together(here in Michigan anyway) to do a bizarre mating dance where males will breach the surface(for what reason I do not know). It makes them easy targets and with polarized glasses you can sight fish the monsters. While spending energy they need to eat regularly(you will catch a lot of medium size males, but the males are competing for a mate that's close by). Big live suckers or bluegill are what get it done here in Michigan. Use as small of a bobber as you can for the bait, if they don't grab it on the run they easily feel the tension. Step up bait size(I use 7 inch baitfish) to help get bigger fish. Beware of pike/pickerel lol 1 Quote
Super User RoLo Posted March 1, 2017 Super User Posted March 1, 2017 If I had to pick 2 lures that bowfin attack I'd go with a T-rigged plastic worm and a soft swimbait. One day sticks in my mind when bowfin destroyed '2' Keitech swimbaits back-to-back. Roger Quote
TheGreatSpike Posted March 1, 2017 Posted March 1, 2017 3 minutes ago, RoLo said: If I had to pick 2 lures that bowfin attack I'd go with a T-rigged plastic worm and a soft swimbait. One day sticks in my mind when bowfin destroyed '2' Keitech swimbaits back-to-back. Roger Good point man. I forgot about swimbaits, if the spinner isn't work and you need to slow down the speed and suspend the bait they are the choice. I add scents and rattles 1 Quote
grizzly1654 Posted March 1, 2017 Posted March 1, 2017 The best lure i have found that attracts bowfin is a brand spanking new pretty one. The are like candy. Once you've caught a couple and worn the pretty off your new bait its time to tie on another new one. They will do a number on your lures but they sure are fun to catch. Quote
Hez Posted March 1, 2017 Posted March 1, 2017 51 minutes ago, grizzly1654 said: The best lure i have found that attracts bowfin is a brand spanking new pretty one. The are like candy. Once you've caught a couple and worn the pretty off your new bait its time to tie on another new one. They will do a number on your lures but they sure are fun to catch. HAHAHA!!! This is spot on!! This weekend, I unpackaged a brand new Hildebrandt spinnerbait and tied it on. 4th cast....BOOOM! 10 pound bowfin hammered it.... Needless to say it bent the spinnerbait to where it was completely straight. IT WAS FUN THOUGH!!!! Quote
A5BLASTER Posted March 1, 2017 Posted March 1, 2017 A dead shinner hooked through the back with just a hook no weight or cork throw it where you think they are at and let it flutter down repeat till it takes it, that's the very best way. Anouther way I have caught a lot of them, (bye the way I love to eat them made into patties it's a Cajun thing) is to throw a 12 inch ribbon tail worm tequllia sunrise color around thick grass and shallow water tress with mud bottoms. That's why we call them cypress bass lol. Quote
3dees Posted March 1, 2017 Posted March 1, 2017 I have had more than a few spinnerbaits completely destroyed by bowfins. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted March 1, 2017 Super User Posted March 1, 2017 On 6/3/2015 at 9:35 AM, papajoe222 said: What lures would you use for this? When they want to bite, they bite anything. Problem is, they don't always want to bite. Unless you're in a tournament, then they, drum, and pike are on the feed. 3 Quote
Super User gim Posted March 2, 2017 Super User Posted March 2, 2017 I didn't realize people actually targeted bowfin while fishing. Quote
Super User soflabasser Posted March 3, 2017 Super User Posted March 3, 2017 22 hours ago, gimruis said: I didn't realize people actually targeted bowfin while fishing. Many people target bowfin since they are a fun fish to catch and they can present a challenge, especially bowfins over 10 pounds. I target bowfin every once in a while and have caught several over 10 pounds each. Some of the most productive bowfin lures for me have been spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jerkbaits, and jigs. 1 Quote
Super User Catt Posted March 7, 2017 Super User Posted March 7, 2017 On 3/1/2017 at 8:12 AM, A5BLASTER said: (bye the way I love to eat them made into patties it's a Cajun thing) That's why we call them cypress bass lol. Don't know a single Cajun that eats em! Choupique (pronounced shoe-pick) i Quote
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted March 7, 2017 Global Moderator Posted March 7, 2017 They will annihilate a frog also Quote
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