I've got a private lake I fish quite often that was created by expanding a couple of old natural sloughs near a bayou.  Well, the rotenone treatment on the sloughs didn't kill all the grinnell, so this stocked bass lake has them still.  I scoured all the articles in the pond management section, but there's nothing that tells if these guys can really harm your bass population.  Does anyone have experience with grinnell in small fisheries or have you seen them cause major problems with your sportfish?

I believe bowfin were once maligned as a sort of introduced invasive species, and although they have indeed been deliberately introduced in areas, bowfin are North American natives and do little to harm our environment. Of course, as predators they will compete with bass just as bass compete with them, but it has been shown that they are unlikely in natural circumstances to deplete the bass. Choupique, as everyone called them back in my Louisiana days, can be eaten; usuallly, however, it's accepted just by poor folks. I think I once had it fried and it tasted fine. The roe is sold as "Cajun caviar" and sometimes called "Choupiquet Royale." I haven't tried that!  Anyway, at least bowfin are fun to catch -- except during a bass tournament!

As what hawgenvy said.

Guys in Virginia kill them and return them back into the water, dead as a door nail.

I don't because the only fish I will kill is a snakehead.

I do understand that they taste good.

Geaux Tigers!

i have caught bowfin and bass in the same stretch of lilly pads before.  I personally love catching them and i hate that people kill them for no reason around her win central VA.  

2 hours ago, flyfisher said:

i have caught bowfin and bass in the same stretch of lilly pads before.  I personally love catching them and i hate that people kill them for no reason around her win central VA.  

I also enjoy catching Bowfin and those who kill Bowfin for no good reason are fools. Bowfin fight much harder than a bass of equal size and are very fun to catch.

They are plentiful in the bayou just over the levy, catch em on my yo yos all the time when catfishing.  Plus we feed them fish guts under the dock when we clean some bass or crappie to fry up.  I've read some articles and watched some video on how to clean and eat them, but haven't tried yet.  Apparently you have to clean and eat them pretty fast or the meat turns to mush.

we don't like to waste anything we catch and must harvest out of the stocked lake to keep our bass population in check and grow those trophies.  I feel a little better now about them being in the stocked lake.  

I might just move them over to the bayou for now.

They've coexisted for a long time before we decided that bowfin were bad for the bass population. 

10 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

They've coexisted for a long time before we decided that bowfin were bad for the bass population. 

precisely .

Cajun Caviar?

Choupique Royale?

i'm 100% Cajun & I know no one who eats em!

 

Just don't try lippin them like a bass!