Record Dogfish?

[Muddog]

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unless of course it starts with a "sal" and ends with a "mon" Seriously though, I can see why some guys like fishing hard fighting rough (or nearly) rough fish like cats, bowfin, carp and sturgeon; I like a spring trip to the Rainy myself to see if I can better my biggest sturge. But when push comes to shove, no way do they compete in my mind with top predator species like salmon, muskie, or even walleye. I'd sooner troll or cast for hard charging predators than soak bait for the most part. Yeah, of course once in a while some will hook one of the rough species on a lure, but by and large they're caught soaking bait and sucking thier existence off the bottom.

If you want a hard charging fish that will crush a lure. Make a hard charge. Make a run on your line that will end with it comming to the surface and doing a tail walk then turn and make a dive into the shaddow of your boat then make another run? Then you want to fish for Bowfin!

I catch most of my Bowfin on crankbaits and spoons. Bowfin are by all means a top predator species. The only place they are not a top predator species is in you mind.

[traveler]

We're fishing different waters my friend. I've been tossing spoons, cranks, and pretty much everything under the sun in MN for 40 years and have caught not 1, zip, nadda dogfish on the aforementioned baits. picked up a few over the years ice fishing for eyes, a few hit on jigs below dams, and sure they put up a fight. But a top notch predator?? Please.

[riverrat56]

If you've seen how a bowfin attacks a spoon or crank during the spawn you would change your opinion in a heart beat. They are angry eating machines at certine times of the year.

[Muddog]

We sure are fishing differant waters.

This one took a spoon.

This male in spawning colors took a crankbait.

This armored head is not the head of a bottom feeder. A jaw spreader will not keep a Bowfin from closing its mouth and with teeth like that. We are talking predator.

[Muddog]

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a few hit on jigs below dams,

I see you haven't watched a Bowfin go on the hunt below a dam. If you had you would have a strong feeling that the reason the other fish were there was because the Bowfin chased them there. There is a small dam on the Cannon River near where I live and every year I see small fish pushed up into the shallows traped by Bowfin which are swimming back and forth in the deeper water just waiting for one of the smaller fish to be foolish enough to make a break for it. A Bowfin can also gulp air from the surface to give it an advantage over other fish in warm low oxygen waters.

[metro fisherman]

The reason people dont like carp is because first of all its not a natural fish and 2nd they ruin more lakes than any other fish. Ive never heard of a lake choked off by Bowfins.

[JBMasterAngler]

A bowfin wouldn't be living for over 100 million years if it wasn't a top notch predator. Sure, I've caught bowfin while soaking a crawler on the bottom, but I've also caught my biggest walleye doing that! And lot's of bass, a pike, even a muskie! I've caught bowfin with a minnow and bobber and casting spinners...so to consider them a bottom feeder is probably not very accurate. I've also seen them chase and feed on schools of baitfish infront of the overflow dam on the vermillion river (aka bowfin capital of minnesota!). I think they play just as important of a role as a bass or pike in helping keep small panfish numbers in check. Would I ever eat one? Probably not.

[bronzeback]

I would never even consider eating a bowfin, that much I know. Saying that they're not a top of the line predator is a pretty ignorant thing to say-no offense. They're terribly ugly fish, and terribly aggressive. First bowfin I ever caught was on a berkley blade dancer( i dont even know if they still make those) the fish hit hard on a long cast, but missed, so i casted back and the fish smacked it hard again. They're definitely aggressive and fun fish to go after, I've never once caught one on live bait. Earlier this year my friend actually caught one on a figure-8 maneuver boatside, while we were muskie fishing-he ate it on the second turn and it was hilarious. IF that's not aggressive, I don't know what is.

It's a bit of a shame that they get such a bad rap because of how ugly they are.

[Mike89]

Don't say you would not eat one, or anything, until you try. They are awsome smoked. don't ask just try!!

[buddha]

I've caught over 12 bowfin this last year all but one on live bait fishing eyes. Love the fight, they are a good time.

[Muddog]

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The reason people dont like carp is because first of all its not a natural fish and 2nd they ruin more lakes than any other fish. Ive never heard of a lake choked off by Bowfins.

I know some people don't like hearing this but Carp are the #1 game fish in the world and Carp are most likely the smartest fish in the lakes you fish. Just because you don't get bombarded constantly with advertisements of how cool you would be if you use brand X to catch Carp. It doesn’t mean Carp are bad fish. There is a lake near where I live that is full of 12lb and bigger Carp. All I ever heard is people complain about all of these big fish in this lake. All I have to say to them is; when was the last time you caught a fish that weighted 18lb? For me it was today. It took me into the backing on my 8wt. Last week in one day I boated 10 fish for over 150lbs total. How has your fishing been?

I once heard someone say; It's the most fun you can have in fresh water. I concur.

[traveler]

good to see the ol' dogfish has so many supporters:) Enjoy them guys, I've got salmon (and steelhead, walleyes, muskies, etc... to catch:) Maybe I'm just lucky to be able to get to a lot of good water up north:)

[JBMasterAngler]

Ironically enough, last week's issue of outdoor news had an article about fish IQ. Carp finished 3rd behind striped bass and bigmouth buffalo...bowfin were 5th. So according to this test, bowfin are smarter than pike, smallmouth and largemouth bass, sunnies and perch.

[traveler]

I guess that doens't come as a surprise...and I'll take back the "not a top predator" line too. In thier enviroment I'm sure they do incite fear among the smaller species. After all, they're big, and do have a nice set of teeth. Maybe I should have said not a worthy target species. Yeah, I'm sure nobody will argue that one:) I'm still not gonna fish em...

[mrklean]

first and only dogfish i have ever caught were on spinnerbaits, just smacked them in about 4 feet of water.

[Biggerfish]

"The Dogfish"

The lake I fish often has many in there. Usually good for one each time I fish there. I have caught them on artificial and live baits. I too am guilty of belly aching them and releasing them. But I have found something amazing earlier this year in the stomach on one. This particular Dogfish was about 6-7 ponds and in his belly was a 2-3 pond northern pike. I was amazed how it could even fit in his mouth. Truly shows what millions of years of evolution can do. Clearly top of the food chain.

I too am going to have to start measuring them as I think that 35" state record may have been broken in my boat? We'll see????

[metro fisherman]

I know some people don't like hearing this but Carp are the #1 game fish in the world and Carp are most likely the smartest fish in the lakes you fish. Just because you don't get bombarded constantly with advertisements of how cool you would be if you use brand X to catch Carp. It doesn’t mean Carp are bad fish. There is a lake near where I live that is full of 12lb and bigger Carp. All I ever heard is people complain about all of these big fish in this lake. All I have to say to them is; when was the last time you caught a fish that weighted 18lb? For me it was today. It took me into the backing on my 8wt. Last week in one day I boated 10 fish for over 150lbs total. How has your fishing been?

I once heard someone say; It's the most fun you can have in fresh water. I concur.

Yeah carp are big in places like Europe and Asia where there native too. But this is the USA and there not native here nor do they help the lake in any way. I dont know about you but i could do without carp devouring Crappie beds in the spring.

You wanna know what else puts up a good fight? Snakeheads. So why dont you go out and put some in your favorite lake? Also my fishing has been great, tanks for asking.

[Muddog]

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Yeah carp are big in places like Europe and Asia where there native too. But this is the USA and there not native here nor do they help the lake in any way. I dont know about you but i could do without carp devouring Crappie beds in the spring.

Well, you and I are not native either. If the fish you catch are stocked. Guess what! I'm sorry (yes sorry) but they are here to stay and just because they are not native I'm not going to complain. I'm going to make lemmon aid.

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So why dont you go out and put some in your favorite lake?

Because it is against the Law!

[anordqu42]

No issues if people don't want to catch a bowfin. Leaves more for me! But if you do, respect them and just don't go kill and bury them. They are an amazing fish.

At my parent's lake my dad had to upgrade the fish box under the dock from a simple small mesh wire box (rabbit cage) to a heavy duty, custom made box because the bowfin would always tip it over and smash through the door. We'd sneak down to the dock and watch them do it. Even now they'll still hang below dock and ram the new box. Aggressive, top predator, and definitely smart. Then I just dangle a leech in front of them and hold on!!

Earlier this year I was keeping some dead sucker for cutbait for 'fins the next day, but that night I went down to the dock and watched a bowfin try to get into the bucket (yellow flow troll). I use to blame bait stealing on turtles, but not always anymore.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

Ive only caught one, sucker fishing when I was younger. I wouldnt mind catching a few more of them. Why is it that they dont have populations like other predators?

[caocao]

I remember catching a ton of them at Lost lake, using Sunfish. Not much of them around any more.

[Jim Uran]

You can't use sunfish for bait! What's up with that?

[fishuhalik]

Ive only caught one, sucker fishing when I was younger. I wouldnt mind catching a few more of them. Why is it that they dont have populations like other predators?

I've always wondered that too.

[AaronM]

Any update on the record story?

[mrklean]

ill bring this one back to the top havent heard the final story what happened?