bowfin or no bowfin?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
there pretty awsome the best way to catch them is a bottom fishing leader and cut up bluegill or shiners . my dads caught them bass fishing with artifical lizards and black and green spinner baits
 
I had a bowfin for a long time and he was awesome. Grew him out to about 10" in my 55 by himself and he was an awesome eating machine.... Way cool to watch hunt. Unfortunately he made the leap of faith one day :(

Chad
 
If you have a tank big enough to house one get one. they are really cool fish
 
what's their highest temp tolerance? Wonder if i can get my hands on some and house them in my main tropical tank. :screwy:
 
dude ive been thinking about this myself. Bowfins (or blackfish) as we call them in my area are said to eat pretty much everything, and ive heard they are quite vicious about it. behind my house we have about a 2 1/2 acre pond full of these guys and all the rivers and streams around here are wrapped up with them. i would put one in my 75g but, ive fished this area my whole life and i have yet to catch one that i think would be comfortable in a 75g. as far as the size thing goes... about 2 years ago me and my girlfriend, now wife, were playing around at a local river and i caught one that was easily the length of my leg, hip to toe.im 6'0" mind you. if you have a big ass aquarium i so go for it, just as soon as i can get a hold of one small enough i might do the same. good luck with whatever you decide!
 
Rukusbelow;3944309; said:
what's their highest temp tolerance? Wonder if i can get my hands on some and house them in my main tropical tank. :screwy:
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if i had to guess dude id say low to mid 80s. they cant be to touchy temp wise cause around here it can be like 30 degrees one week 80 the next.
 
BAYOU boy 437;3921648; said:
there pretty awsome the best way to catch them is a bottom fishing leader and cut up bluegill or shiners . my dads caught them bass fishing with artifical lizards and black and green spinner baits
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this has been how ive had the most results, with a bottom rig. but the way that seems to catch most is when im using small bluegill (live) with a hook through the base of their tail so they swim n attract attention. when i catch them its by accident when im fishing for flathead cats. but that big one i caught i was using a culprit artificial worm and 20lb test nad if he wouldnt have hit as close to shose as he did he would have popped the line.
 
Bowfin are very temp tolerant, I've seined them up in water that was almost blood temp, mid 90's, they get really big here, over a yard long, have huge teeth (nicknamed dog fish due to their teeth) and they use those teeth, I've had a big one chew through a hardware cloth dip net. They key to success would be to catch a a baby, the mom takes care of em, herds the little buggers around in a school often in very shallow water. She will defend them too! They are tough, they can breath air, and have been found buried in open fields after a flood by farmers plowing their feilds. They are very cool but very big too.
 
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