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Posted: 5/12/2024 6:23:48 AM EDT
[Last Edit: eracer]
[#1]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 1245xx: So, it’s like Cajun soul food? I was fishing off a small bridge for shellcrackers (a tasty panfish similar to bluegill) and caught a decent size bowfin. Tough fight on light tackle. I was about to cut the line and toss it back when an old black man who'd been fishing from the bank came running up. "You keepin' dat mudfish? Dey flesh is soooo soff!" Better you than me, pal. |
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Posted: 5/12/2024 6:24:45 AM EDT
[#2]
We catch and kill here in VA. Now if you get caught trying to catch Sturgeon here it’s a crime.
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Posted: 5/12/2024 6:35:25 AM EDT
[#3]
I was expecting pics of a coelacanth.
I've never caught a pre-historic fish. Neat pics of bowfin though, OP. 
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Posted: 5/12/2024 7:55:33 AM EDT
[#4]
Where I grew up, close to the Mississippi around the meeting of the IA/MN/WI state lines, they were called dogfish. Caused me a little bit of confusion when I first read about what was called a dogfish outside of that locality.
They fight kinda hard, but it's mostly just heavy resistance with some headwaving. Nothing showy; no tearing runs, flashy jumps or anything like that. It's almost like snagging a chunk of log where there's a strong current. Would much rather catch them than the eelpouts up here. I've heard of people cutting the line rather than handling the mess. |
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Posted: 5/12/2024 8:02:37 AM EDT
[#5]
Yep. A few times.
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AR, USA
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Posted: 5/12/2024 8:12:47 AM EDT
[#6]
Yes. They’re also called Cypress Bass.
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Posted: 5/12/2024 8:19:50 AM EDT
[#7]
Mudfish.
Many times. |
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Posted: 5/12/2024 8:20:33 AM EDT
[#8]
Nope.
But mud puppies are grosser imo. 
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Posted: 5/12/2024 8:21:13 AM EDT
[#9]
Funny.
Before opening this thread, I was just researching where I can catch them in Wisconsin in my area. Never caught one, but really want to. |
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Posted: 5/12/2024 8:22:16 AM EDT
[#10]
yep, 60,000,000 years really doesn't mean shit to some
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Posted: 5/12/2024 8:24:38 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By eracer: I was fishing off a small bridge for shellcrackers (a tasty panfish similar to bluegill) and caught a decent size bowfin. Tough fight on light tackle. I was about to cut the line and toss it back when an old black man who'd been fishing from the bank came running up. "You keepin' dat mudfish? Dey flesh is soooo soff!" Better you than me, pal. Sounds like he’s had a lot of them in his lifetime! |
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Posted: 5/12/2024 8:29:07 AM EDT
[#12]
Originally Posted By doc540: "Amia Calva" or bowfin, grinnel, mudfish, swamp trout They have both gills and lungs and can come up to gulp air when the water has no oxygen. They can burrow into the mud during drought and go into a kind of suspended animation until it rains again. On spinning tackle they are a serious fighter, and will eat any other living bait. I think they're by far the hardest fighting freshwater fish. Some are colored a beautiful green. Considered by most sportsmen to be a "trash fish", the Cajuns will eat them like they eat everything that lives. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/183309/grinnell5-3212111.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/183309/grinnell3-3212112.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/183309/grinnell2-3212114.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/183309/grinnell4-3212116.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/183309/grinnell6-3212119.jpg  |
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USA
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Posted: 5/12/2024 8:29:58 AM EDT
[#13]
Too many times. They usually just snap the line unless I am running spiderwire.
Got a few bowfishing too. |
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Posted: 5/12/2024 8:30:16 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By bikedamon: Nope. But mud puppies are grosser imo. https://www.sciotopost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screenshot-2022-08-30-151608.jpg I’m not touching that. I’ll tell my wife to take the hook out, but I’m not touching it. |
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TX, USA
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Posted: 5/12/2024 8:30:33 AM EDT
[#15]
OP, they do not have lungs. They can take in atmospheric air into their swim bladder and absorb oxygen into their bloodstream to supplement when dissolved oxygen levels are low in the water. Same with gar
The inside of their entire mouth is full of teeth all the way down to their throat Fossils similar to the bowfin have been found that date back over 150 million years |
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AL, USA
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Posted: 5/12/2024 8:33:44 AM EDT
[#16]
We would go to the creek to get bream for cut bait the head to the slough for the grinnel. Family of 5 needed more than a few bream to eat. Later in life my wife would can fish to use for fish patties. We canned about 10 lb grinnel one time and the fish in the jar looked clear clean pink somewhat like salmon you see on tv or market, eat good too. Once I canned maybe 5 qts of crappie ribs cut from the filets. The bones dissolve under pressure and they made great patties. I thank GOD every day I grew up a country boy in Alabama.
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TX, USA
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Posted: 5/12/2024 10:38:03 AM EDT
[#17]
Yes, the old Cottonfish....they're all in the lakes up here in East Texas. Very colorful, iridescent blues and greens, and violent fighters on light tackle.
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Posted: 5/12/2024 10:52:11 AM EDT
[#18]
Maybe 30 years ago a buddy and I were fishing in a slough off Kentucky Lake and I hooked a big (5-7 lb?) bowfin. It fought like a monster. Luckily we had a net in the boat.
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TX, USA
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Posted: 5/12/2024 11:12:27 AM EDT
[#19]
Not bad tasting really for a freshwater fish. Most people cannot get past the way it looks. They will shred even a hard plastic lure with those teeth so don't throw anything expensive.
 I've found at least locally that the cleaner the water, the less chance of finding bowfin. Nasty, algae filled stock tank or stagnant creek? It'll be packed with them. |
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Posted: 5/12/2024 11:18:26 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By OKnativeson: whats a crick? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By OKnativeson: Originally Posted By GaryM: Caught one once in some mid size crick in central Missourah. Tossed it back. IIRC there were some gar in there with it. whats a crick? If it has one or more old tires in it, then it’s a crick. No tires, then it’s a creek. |
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Posted: 5/12/2024 11:23:08 AM EDT
[#21]
My grandma (RIP) used to pan fry Snakehead fillets - delicious!
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Posted: 5/12/2024 11:44:04 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By renegade509: If it has one or more old tires in it, then it’s a crick. No tires, then it’s a creek. A fellow Patrick McManus fan, I see.
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Posted: 5/12/2024 11:57:25 AM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By John-in-austin: Not bad tasting really for a freshwater fish. Most people cannot get past the way it looks. They will shred even a hard plastic lure with those teeth so don't throw anything expensive. I've found at least locally that the cleaner the water, the less chance of finding bowfin. Nasty, algae filled stock tank or stagnant creek? It'll be packed with them. There's so much dioxin in the Tex/La rivers all the choupique shine at night like glow sticks.
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Posted: 5/12/2024 12:05:21 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By bikedamon: Nope. But mud puppies are grosser imo. https://www.sciotopost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screenshot-2022-08-30-151608.jpg Holy damn. Never saw one that big. |
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Posted: 5/12/2024 12:13:10 PM EDT
[#25]
I’ve eaten lots of gar, choupique, drum, mullet, and other trash fish. I’d catch a ban for what my grandfather called them yet we ate them all the time.
He lived through the depression in south louisiana and didn’t gain any weight until he enlisted in the Navy to fight the japs. |
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OR, USA
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Posted: 5/12/2024 12:20:30 PM EDT
[#26]
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Posted: 5/12/2024 12:34:58 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By bikedamon: Nope. But mud puppies are grosser imo. https://www.sciotopost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screenshot-2022-08-30-151608.jpg Cool pic! I like the little fingers and toes. |
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Posted: 5/12/2024 12:37:51 PM EDT
[#28]
Had a friend in college had one mounted !
My brother caught one one time and left it on the bank for 45 min when we were leaving i kicked it in the pond and it swam away |
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GA, USA
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Posted: 5/12/2024 12:49:19 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By John-in-austin: Not bad tasting really for a freshwater fish. Most people cannot get past the way it looks. They will shred even a hard plastic lure with those teeth so don't throw anything expensive. I've found at least locally that the cleaner the water, the less chance of finding bowfin. Nasty, algae filled stock tank or stagnant creek? It'll be packed with them. I caught a pretty good size bowfin on a rattle trap one time, he still had it in his mouth when he swam away after I cut the line. I tried to shake it off but it looked more like it was a clamped down on it than it was hooked up. It did put up a hell of a fight, the water exploded when it hit the lure in fairly shallow water making me think I had hooked a monster bass for a minute. |
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TX, USA
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Posted: 5/12/2024 12:53:47 PM EDT
[#30]
Hell yeah! Very muscular and strong fighter.
Just gotta watch your wittle fingers when you try to get the hook out |
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Posted: 5/12/2024 12:54:04 PM EDT
[#31]
Used to catch them a lot when I still lived in Louisiana as a teenager. Lived near many bayous and small lakes. Used shrimp and crawfish for bait and caught some friggin' monsters.
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GA, USA
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Posted: 5/12/2024 12:58:10 PM EDT
[#32]
Call em blackfish here, and yeah. They're actually not bad eating if you know how to prepare them correctly. Fooled a bunch people one night by serving it before the "better" fish.
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Posted: 5/12/2024 12:58:17 PM EDT
[#33]
I grew up and lived near the Atchafalaya Basin. Caught more than a few. They would absolutely smash a chartreuse spinnerbait in the shallow backwater lakes out there. Seemed to be more of them than the bass I would be targeting. Yes, they DO put up a HELL of a fight. I would never keep or eat them but I understand properly made choupique balls are amazing.
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WI, USA
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Posted: 5/12/2024 12:59:06 PM EDT
[#34]
Sand Sturgeon
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Posted: 5/12/2024 1:04:49 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By OKnativeson: whats a crick? Non-Southeners would call it a creek. |
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Posted: 5/12/2024 1:05:23 PM EDT
[#36]
Yep, first one I caught was about 30 inches and it took the pliers off of me
They make allot of grunt noises and will surround a dead floating panfish and chew on it like alligators. Very different kind of fish. |
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