i wanna catch a bowfin/dogfish

[blakeb]

Just as the title states, i would like to catch a bowfin, it is a species i have never caught wanna add a notch to the belt.

I typically fish pool 2 mississippi river 98 percent of the time, where would a guy look to target these fish. I have heard they fight like a mofo. What tactics work best, or does everyone catch them accidentally?

[reinhard1]

here is my take on them. first i have not cought that many of them. but the ones i have cought have been shallow. usualy fishing for bass. i have seen them hiding under lily pads. is that where they alway are, i have no clue. like i said the ones i have cought [and never cought one under the ice] have been shallow. this is in lakes only where i have cought these. i have cought them on spinner baits and plastics [worms,frogs]. good luck.

[Mike_Top]

I've also just caught or have seen them while bass fishing near the 'pads. They have a strange behavior of swimming at the surface with their nose above water, giving themselves away....at this point I start casting whatever I'm bass fishing with at the dogfish, and sometimes it works. We've caught them on anything from spinnerbaits to a dead minnow under a bobber, so I don't think they are picky, and they are definitely aggressive!

This might anger some of you, but I've always killed them after catching them. As a kid I heard they eat baby bass...well that did not fly with the 12 year old version of myself so for a few summers I made it my mission to rid the lakes of dogfish. Today, I'd probably go easy on the ugly basterds and let 'em go

[bobbymalone]

I have caught a handful of them in the spring and early summer around places where creeks dump in the river. Almost always in the slack or slow moving water away from the current.

[Getanet]

I've never targeted them, but have caught a few on the lake my family has a cabin on. Usually just slip bobber fishing with a big sucker hoping to catch a nice bass or northern.

[fishdale]

I have yet to catch or see one on Pool 2. Thought I would have caught one by now I have to wonder if there are that many in the river?

Have caught a lot of them on the lake were we have a cabin. Most on lures but have also caught a few on worms when fishing for sunnies. Had one grab a medium size sunny once. It did not let go until I had in 1/2 way out of the water.

Yes they fight really hard they can also ruin a lure faster then any other fish I have caught.

Good luck.

[bobbymalone]

The are neat to catch around their spawning time, as males (i think) will have blue mouths and fins. It's really strange looking.

[itchmesir]

Just like other roughies.. fish for something else and you're bound to catch one!

[Comit 2]

Bowfins have a lung and gulp air off the surface of the water this gives them a big advantage in warm low oxygen water. Look for them in weed patches at the end of May when they spawn. The males have the spot near the tail and take on a cool coloration at spawning time.

A good place to look for them is near small dams where they will push the baitfish into very shallow water and wait for them to make a break for open water. It is fun to watch.

[JBMasterAngler]

The vermillion river out of hastings has a large population of bowfin. And there is no particular method to catch them...they will attack anything! And they are definitely one of the funnest fish to catch. Pool 2 by the way was where I caught my 1st bowfin (2 out of the same spot).

[RiverFish]

Growing up I use to fish for them in Central MN. Check the DNR netting reports to find lakes that hold larger populations of them. Like stated above they are easy to catch in may through early June in Shallow water.

We would site fish for them. Using a push pole or trolling motor we would move through the shallows looking for the Bowfin. Typically they would be sitting, I think, on nests. A lively large leach on a large hook works perfect. Drop the leach right in front of the Bowfin and 95% of time you could see the Bowfin take in the leach. What a great sport fish.

We caught several bowfin over 10 pounds, using these tactics.

[blakeb]

JB wanna give up a p2 bowfin spot? [email protected]

if not i totally understand

[Big Tom]

Three years ago I was convinced I'd have a MN State Record Holder on my boat due to the 9lb+ Dog fish that called my 10X12 dock platform home. They disappeared a year later and never returned.

[bobbymalone]

here is a spawner from last year.

[pushbutton]

Just like other roughies.. fish for something else and you're bound to catch one!

Thats probably the best advice so far. Have most often come across them actively feeding while eye ball fishing shallow at dusk and nest guarding while gill/bass fishing shallow before it gets really warm out. Do not know pool 2 at all, but, as others have mentioned, would look to backwater areas with cover or warm shallow creek inlets in late may through june. They will hit almost anything. Actually, those ornery little buggers will slam a baitless jigs if you start messing with them.

[blakeb]

that is a fish i would mount right there, way cool, now i really wanna catch one

[skolvikesallday]

I fish pool 6 almost every day in the summer and I usually catch 2-3 bowfin a year on accident. Always when bass fishing. They like senkos, and I also caught one on a horny toad last year. Never caught a spawning male. (at least not one with cool colors)

First bowfin I caught was on a senko around some pads, I thought I had the state record bass on the line. Turned out to be a 3lb bowfin lol. Very fun fish to catch, I am never dissapointed to catch a bowfin.

[EBass]

I've never caught one on the river, but in lakes all around the metro I have in the shallow weeds. They are aggresive like everyone is saying. They do "bark" or grunt too. I remember fishing off a dock as a kid using a hunk of hotdog.

[Lowblazah]

Bobby...AWESOME PIC!

[Roman_K]

My first bowfin was also caught out of pool 2. I always catch a few targeting channel catfish.. Cut up sucker off the bottom. They are fun, but nasty little buggers.. One thing I noticed is that I have never caught them in current, its always been in slack water.

[carpmanjake]

find a shallow lake, or backwaters of a lake. walk/boat around. when you see one, pitch a jig and 3" in gulp minnow past it, and slowly drag/ jig it along the bottom past its face, and hang on! if they dont take it on the first pass, keep trying. they are opportunistic feeders and cant resist something drug right across its nose for long!

and since there was a pic of a nice spawning male already, i might as well say, that bowfin this time of year can have some pretty wicked colors!

ive caught em with orange bellies too

ive got some pretty cool videos of catching bowfin on youtube. called "fight of the fins"

oh, and cant forget the rare melanistic

[Comit 2]

Another spawning male.

Now that is a armored head. I have had them bite down and close jaw spreaders.

[JBMasterAngler]

Blake, I don't know the exact location, as it was many years ago. Just some tucked away backwater bay just downstream from hidden falls.

If your stuck shorefishing, I highly recommend the catfish slough access of the vermillion river. Me and my wife have caught some dandies there.

[carpmanjake]

oh! since its not too late, if you know where to find bedded bluegills, that bed close to, or in weeds, thats always a great place to find bowfin!

[carpmanjake]

Now that is a armored head. I have had them bite down and close jaw spreaders.

the skulls are quite cool arent they? ive got a skull from a bowfin that ended up dying on me after a long fight on 2lb line, i think it may have hit its head on the rocks, but i didnt find any fractures on the skull. cleaned it up,and rebuilt it. gets ALOT of questions from people who come over. lol