Bowfin (Dogfish)

[arthurspooner13]

How many of you guys have caught one of these?

Are they found in southern waters?

Here in Michigan, if you've fished for bass(particular largemouth in shallow, weedy waters), the chances are that you've hooked one of these before.

I know that they're considered "garbage/predatory fish" since they will eat anything that swims and are considered bad for gamefish, but man are these things ever strong as an ox. Pound-for-pound, i would put them up against any other freshwater fish - including bluegil and smallies. And the fact that pike and muskie were also once considered garbage/predatory fish makes me question the killing of these fish by many anglers - but that's not the purpose of this topic.

I'm simply here to bring up how hard these fish fight. One of my favorite bodies of water here is loaded with bass, pike, and bowfin. And every time that i hook one, i always say, "well, i've either got a 20lb pike, the state record bass, or a dogfish."

I've caught a ton of these things while bass fishing, the biggest one being 29 inches and pushing 9lbs.

Just interested in if many of you guys have experience with these fish or are they completely foreign to a lot of you?

[Matt Jungblut]

i have a spot not to far from home that has them by the 100s

and  i can say i go there just to catch them

talk about a fun fish to catch they just about yack the pole out of ur hands when they hit and they fight like mike tyson

id watch there mouth that have some nasty teeth and wont think twice about taking a chunk out of ya

this 1 went a tad shy of 7 pounds

[skillet]

 The only time I've caught any was back when I was really young fishing with my Father for Bream. We would be pulled way up in the willows on the shallow end of an old river run. Useing cane poles and you reach as far as you can to get on the other side of a log or something and one would grab your bait and head for the wild blue yonder. There wasn't much you could do to stop one either ;D! There are sites on the internet aimed at nothing but grinnel (what they call them around here). I don't know how you would target them, I've only caught them by accident...

                                      As Ever,

                                       skillet

[arthurspooner13]

id watch there mouth that have some nasty teeth and wont think twice about taking a chunk out of ya

Yeah, i found out the hard way. While unhooking one of them my finger accidently came in contact with their teeth and it gave me nice little cut.

I don't know how you would target them, I've only caught them by accident.

I've never actually targeted them, and as long as there's bass in the same water i probably never will, but you can basically catch them on any lure that you would for bass or pike - but they do seem to particularly like horizontal presentations. Whenever i'm throwing a vertical presentation for bass like a texas-rig, i rarely catch dogfish. But as soon as i pull out the spinnerbait it's a different story. From my experiences they also seem to love the real heavy cover. I've caught a lot of them while throwing a spinnerbait over the top of very heavy milfoil.

Bass is my real passison, and probably always will be, but hooking one of these guys occasionally can be a thrill - until you're actually attempting to get them in the boat and/or unhooked. They simply never stop fighting. Lately i've been trying to just unhook them at the side of the boat because they are a riot once they get in the boat, but it's difficult because you can't grab them by the mouth like a bass because of their teeth, and you can't really grab them like most smaller pike because they are much wider. So getting them unhooked can be a bit of a hassel, along with them tearing up your lure... If you don't use a Terminator spinnerbait, there's a very good chance that your spinnerbait is going to get reshaped.

[Josey Wales]

I catch these things all the time.  And while they are widely considered a "garbage" fish, they are still fun to catch.  Unhooking them can be tricky but then again so can Pike.  I plan on bowfishing for some this year as I am going to give that a try.

Ive had them hit everything from Spinnerbaits to Tubes.  Its all in your point of view I guess... There was an article in IN FISHERMAN about 2-3 years ago about some musky fisherman who were getting nice smallmouths to hit their Giant musky baits.  When they would get a smallie, they would call it a "garbage fish" and toss it back.

All in your point of view I guess.

[Gatorbassman]

We catch them on a few lakes here in Georgia but they aren't very wide spread.

[LrgMouthCatcha]

Catch'em all the time.  Fun to catch, except when they hit one of my lucky crafts and tear them up with those teeth.

[alger319]

they're ugly, i hate em' all, they sink! >  way too many down here in florida, and they love my white spinnerbait, but i hate em.

[Catt]

Bowfin, dogfish, mudfish, grindle (or grinnel) and in South Louisiana they are called Chou piqu é; they are very numerous & quite large ranging in the 12-15# class. In some South Louisiana marshes they are so over populated that when caught the angle slit their throat before returning them into the water as gator bait.

Bowfins live in lakes and large slow-moving rivers with muddy bottoms and dense vegetation. They tolerate silt and mud and can survive in warm, stagnant water by breathing air. This ability to breathe air allows bowfins to burrow in mud to survive drought. Young bowfins eat phytoplankton, zooplankton and insects. The adults eat fish, crayfish, small rodents, snakes, turtles and leeches.

You can catch bowfin using almost any standard bass bait from shiners to top water plugs to plastic worms.

[ba7ss3in]

The rivers here are full of them. I want even throw a white spinnerbait on the river here. I've noticed that they love to be around laydowns too.  

[CFFF 1.5]

I don't know about the bowfin up north but the ones down here in the St. Johns River have absotuletly no fight to them. They may fight for a couple of seconds and then they just kind of lay there and you reel em in hold them against the side of the boat and cut em up, get the hook or cut the line and watch them sink to the bottom bleeding waiting for the gator to eat em. I have caught 8 - 10lb bowfin on 4lb line fishing for bream with crickets and they still put up no fight.

FLORIDA FISHERMEN AGAINST BOWFIN! LETS START A REVOLUTION.

[alger319]

FLORIDA FISHERMEN AGAINST BOWFIN! LETS START A REVOLUTION.

Oh i'm here buddy!

[XcoM274]

Sage Lake up in Ogemaw County has em by the hundreds. Don't know why you'd want to catch them though, nasty sob's. One took a crap all over my boat.

[Micro]

My favorite lake is considered the best lake in Virginia for bowfin.  It's also one of the best in Virginia for bass.  Bowfin aren't "bad" for gamefish.   You can have a large population of bowfin, and still have a trophy bass lake.  

[arthurspooner13]

I don't know about the bowfin up north but the ones down here in the St. Johns River have absotuletly no fight to them.

Oh, it's night and day then compared to here (Michigan - at least where i catch them at).

Like i said in my previous post, i'd put the bowfin(here in Michigan) up against any other species as far as their fighting ability goes. Once they are hooked, they pull extremely hard and are relentless. They literally do not stop moving, to the point where unhooking them becomes a hassel. The main area i fish is also loaded with pike and bass, and as soon as a bowfin hits i immediatlely know that it's a bowfin.

Bowfin and "no fight" simply don't go together here.

[BASS fisherman]

I have only caught one bowfin.....during a tournament.....and on a tube.  

That fish I caught did not fight hard.  It flailed it's tail around, and felt like I was pulling in a lop-sided stick.  When I got it to the boat I was dumbfounded at this prehistoric looking fish, not knowing at the time what it was.  The boat owner told me I could lip it but I ain't that stupid.  I pulled out the pliers and slid the fish off the hook without even touching it.  

[low_pro]

they're ugly, i hate em' all, they sink!   way too many down here in florida, and they love my white spinnerbait, but i hate em.

x2!!!! hate em hate em hate em hate em (con't.)........... >

They will hit anything I throw near them and it always seems to be that brand new lure that's still nice and shiny! I don't mind catching them on plastics but get really annoyed when a new $8 spinnerbait gets mangled

They really seem to like this bait.... (and NO, I am not trying some new technique that involves clipping one of the hooks off of a treble!!!!!)

OK, I'm done venting.... thank you for the opportunity! and Yes, they put up one hellacious fight...

[Ky_Lake_Dude]

Alot of people don't like bowfin but I love catching them. They put up an awesome fight and will bite just about anything.

[JayW]

Most people call them "Mudfish" here in Central Florida. I don't care too much for them. They are hard on lures, slimey and just down right mean!

[Pegleg]

The lakes and rivers are full of em here in north central Fla. I don't mind catchin them they fight like a bulldog. The small ones up to 5lbs are good eatin. The big ones are old and full of mercury. Just fillet em and fry em like any other fish. Eat em fresh, they turn mushy if you freeze them.

                                                                             Pegleg

[polingpower]

fight like a demon on the end of the hook here in s.w.florida  ;D

[RoLo]

Oh yeah Florida waters are filthy with bowfin, derisively called "mudfish".

In all honesty though, bowfin hit the same lures as bass, strike like bass and their fighting ability is roughly on par with smallmouth bass!

Nevertheless, bowfin are very muscular fish and a real nuisance to unhook, so I'd just as soon pass.

Roger

[maxke01]

grew up right outside of Detroit, MI ...caught a 9 lber when i was 8 years old ( had help) man was that fun..probably one of the only reasons i still fish today

[georgiabassfisherman]

We call them mudfish down here in south georgia and they inhabit our satilla and altamaha rivers and its lakes greatly.  I dont like catching them when im bass fishing but if I am bored and have nothing to do i will go catch some little bream and but them on a big reel and throw them out in the middle of the river and let them swim for their lives.  The biggest ive ever caught was a tad over 15lbs and fought like a mack truck and plus u can catch gar over 3 feet long down here and they fight harder than a mudfish to me.

[Fish Chris]

I caught a bunch of them when I lived in Louisiana. Their mean, and tough ! Great sportfish :-) I caught some good ones too.... like 32". Wish I had taken some good photos.

Gar are a blast too ! And Carp.... never did get to catch an Asian Grass Carp.... but always wanted to.

Personally speaking, if it will bite my hook, and rip drag, I'm down with it !

Fear no fish !  :-)

Peace,

Fish