I thought I had a huge bass but it was a big bowfin...haha

 

I wish the bowfin I caught were that calm while I was unhooking/releasing them... Nice one hah

a lot of the time people get these confused with snakehead, which are an invasive species, leading them to kill them. ive never caught one but I would love to

a lot of the time people get these confused with snakehead, which are an invasive species, leading them to kill them. ive never caught one but I would love to

Caught my first one earlier this year on vacation in Florida,they're a hoot! I'm an avid multispecies angler though so I tend to appreciate anything that's willing to bite and pull hard. 

Nice catch! 

Here's dad holding (what I think) is the first Bowfin I've ever caught.  I was beyond excited lol.  I'm not sure why people call them trashfish, I'd love to reel in 100 of these things as hard as they fight.  

 

They attacked lures much more tentatively then bass, and had a much longer pause before striking, or they'd swim right by the lure and pause.  I saw a larger one almost coil up before it struck at my popper but I didn't give it long enough so I missed it >_<  I think I'll be more prepared next time.  

 

Apparently they are all over one corner of this lake and just stay there.  Is there a reason for that?

I guess I'm the only one. I hate catching them stupid things but they do strike hard . Not only do they destroy spinnerbaits, lures etc., their ugly and breath air! :dazed-7:  I consider them a by-catch more then a trash fish. Bowfin hunting is popular in central Fl. They are native species and have a place in the ecosystem. Weird how the do a "death" roll just like a alligator does as a defense mechanism.

Fishing in Indiana is so difficult I'm just happy to reel anything in larger than a bluegill.  If I could catch carp easily I'd forget about bass and be after them all day

 

I think wild caught fish taste better than any other meat, but we have so many problems here (too few places to fish, public waters overrun with carp, pollution, poor stocking programs, out dated laws, and more than likely people taking undersized fish) that when I catch large mouth I can't even justify keeping them b/c it will mean less fish to catch next summer =/   

One man's TRASH is another man's TREASURE.

From this weekend...why we love bowfin.

I love to fish for Bowfin and do not consider them ''trashfish''. The big ones fight harder pound for pound than big largemouth bass of equal size. Best thing  about Bowfin is that they usually are always biting regardless of the conditions.