Bowfin-Mysterious Menace
by Tony Liddle...aka TL
Until recently I never really put much thought into all of the dogfish that I have
caught over the years of hunting bass & panfish. While fishing with the great Eric Allee recently, I asked him, “Eric, what were
you referring to when you used the word "bowfin"?” We agreed that he was talking about what I call Dogfish. People may call this
interesting breed other names, such as grinnel, blackfish, brindle, mud fish, shoe pike, cypress bass, cypress trout, choupique, scaly
cat, bugle mouth bass, German bass, brindle fish, and many more.
The Bowfin(Amia Calva) can be found throughout a good portion
of the US east of the Mississippi. They run the entire Mississippi River to Canada, east to Florida, and up as far along
the coast as New York, but are found primarily in sloughs & ponds on the Mississippi River, her tributaries, and backwaters.
Bowfin is a prehistoric fish that dates back 180 million years.
Dogfish have many unique characteristics that intrigue people today.
One of the most amazing qualities they possess is their ability to breathe air. Yes, I said breathe air. Unlike most fish, bowfin
use their swim bladder like a lung to grab oxygen from the air, when oxygen levels become low in the stagnant, muddy, and vegetation
rich nonmoving backwaters. Another unique aspect of these fish is that when they first strike your bait it is a subtle bite, followed
by a normal fight. Half way into the battle they turn aggressive & unforgiving. At this point you are fooled into believing you
have the biggest Bass of your life, especially after landing a few largemouth prior to this encounter. Once the Bowfin breaks the
surface, excitement turns into disappointment in a matter of seconds.
Males make the nest, watch over the eggs and infant
fish until they reach 4-8 inches. The small fish school up, and the male Dogfish protects them the whole time. Their powerful
jaws hammer anything getting in the way of their youngsters...even humans at times. Males also have a shorter life span, and
are smaller than the females.
Bowfin, have large dorsal fins which extend a good portion of their back all the way to their tail. Their tail is paddle shaped, and
allows for great swimming, maneuvering, and rolling, as well as fighting when they're on the end of your line. There is a dark
circle at the top of the tail that resembles an eye. Coloration varies between normal times to spawning periods. When not in
spawn, they are darker & olive color. Their belly is usually an off-white shade, while their fins are bright green. When they
spawn, they get an almost fluorescent glow to them, which is pretty beautiful.
Don’t let the description of exotic coloration fool
you. These fish are still around today for a reason. Dogfish are tough and like to lie in most panfish and baitfish laden waters,
which are prime honey holes for bass and panfish anglers. These fishermen are often fooled by the Bowfin's tremendous fight.
Bowfin remind me of a cross between a beaver, snake, muskie, & catfish. They will eat almost any aquatic creature & strike
at will when their nest or young are jeopardized. There’s a good chance that after landing a nice sized Bowfin your spinnerbait, or
weapon of choice, has seen it’s last day in the water. Dogfish destroy anything that comes into contact with their mouths, fight
harder than anything you’ve ever caught, and will tear some meat loose from your body if you’re not careful. Their head
is large and flat at the top, consisting of a double skull of bone and cartilage. Their teeth are sharp & strong...handling
these guys isn't an art...it takes brute force. As you're trying to retrieve your brand new spinnerbait, you realize that this
is an extremely difficult challenge, if not an almost impossible task. Because of their bony, strong mouth the spinnerbait, head to
hook is virtually destroyed. Dogfish are slimy and really strong...never hesitating to try to bite you at times. Placing
the middle of your shoe behind their gills allows proper bait removal...without finger removal.
The ongoing argument has always been, release or kill them. My Grandfather used to say, “you gotta slit their throats“. In my
neck of the woods, common practice was crushing & throwing them onto the banks. Some anglers see dogfish as a threat to their
gamefish ecosystem. I have not caught one in over 6 years, and now realize that they may actually be good for certain fisheries to
thrive to their fullest, and avoid population stunting. After thinking about what I was taught, the manner in which I treated
this creature of the mud, and reading some forums on bowfin, I realized this fish is famous and also unknown. Fishermen
catch them all the time, never seeing or hearing of one before. Some enjoy the great battle they provide. To others they are
delicacies, comparing the bowfin to crawfish, and snapping turtle. "Joy of Cooking" has recipes and diagrams on how to clean and
fillet bowfin. The bowfin truly is an amazing fish once you sit back and look at it from both sides of the coin.
