# Bowfin?



## Red The Fisherman

Can anyone help w/ some info on where I can go to catch one of these dinosaurs?


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## Offshore Limits

tHE LAST ONE i CAUGHT WAS IN A LITTLE MARINA OFF OF THE VERMILION RIVER


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## Salmonid

Closest area is in NE Ohio, try the Tuscawarus river / Killbuck Creek region

I am also wanting to get one of these toothy critters on the fly rod. 

Salmonid


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## wave warrior

tusc. river is full of them!!!:B


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## kennedy327

wave warrior said:


> tusc. river is full of them!!!:B


anymore its just as easy to catch a bowfin from the tusc as it is to catch a carp.


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## Carpn

I don't know of any areas in SW ohio with them. Everyone here offered good dvice on Ohio waters to catch them.


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## fish4life

We used to get our Bass baits hammered by them in Louisiana. THey absolutely destroyed some of my spinnerbaits. Just about any presentation used for LM bass works to catch them. Hope this helps and good luck. DOn't lip them though!!!


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## fish4life

We used to get our Bass baits hammered by them in Louisiana. THey absolutely destroyed some of my spinnerbaits. Just about any presentation used for LM bass works to catch them. Hope this helps and good luck. DOn't lip them though!!!


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## bumblebee

We call them grinnal in southern MO. I actually have about 30 pounds of fillets in my freezer right now. Very few people eat them but they are really good eating. I don't know anywhere you can catch them in Ohio but Mingo in southeast MO is just full of them. They have a really soft meat, the trick is to fillet them ASAP then role them in corn meal then freeze the fillets until you are ready to cook. These are southern fish and the further south you go the better the bowfin fishing should be. Good luck Kevin


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## tobakabus

Jackson Lake and the creeks around it have a ton of them...


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## Fishman

Heard the same thing here too.


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## Bluebuster6912

Jackson Lake is the place to catch them My Grandparents live right on the lake we catch alot of them my biggest is around 4 lbs. But I have talked to several people who claim they have caught several 15 to 20 pounders down by the dam. They are probably one of the meanest and slimyest fresh water fish their is. but they fight like a champion


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## Red The Fisherman

Thanks everyone. I caught my first Musky this year, and now the mighty bowfin is next on my list!


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## yakfish

where is jackson lake?


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## Bluebuster6912

In Oak Hill, Southeast Ohio


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## JTRESS

I agree the Tuscarawas river is the place to get them. Try below the lowhead dam at the water treatment plant in Dover. Or the SugarCreek over at Beach City Dam has some big ones also, just watch out for the funny activites over there


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## Basskisser1

I caught mine @ Killbuck.


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## autogyroenthusiast

This thread brings up some great memories for me. When I was a young pup, Dogfish (Bowfin) were my "Moby Dick". My grandpa had a cottage on Coldwater Lake in Michigan and I would target these fish religiously. Catch a small bluegill, drop the boat anchor on him, hook that mess through the dorsal fin, throw it out about 7 foot from shore and wait patiently for the line to start runnin'. For a 10 year old, they were the fight of a lifetime. You never had to guess when one was biting. Here's me and a childhood friend with our prize catch of the day.


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## Fishman

Man this thread really has me thinkin about trying to fish for'em


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## fishslime

Fishman said:


> Man this thread really has me thinkin about trying to fish for'em


We'll hook up sometime soon to fish for them. I'll try to find a rocky cliff at jackson to fish below 

:B I bet they eat hotdogs


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## bkr43050

We run in to some real brutes in the lake we go to in Canada every year. This one was 26.5" and right at about 8#. They can put up a great fight at that size.










They loved my Zara Spook by the way.


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## jimofcfd

Dogfish are aggressive fish that are similar to pike in their nature. They like weedy areas and will crush bass lures. Here is one my wife caught at Houghton Lake in Michigan.


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## Fishman

fishslime said:


> We'll hook up sometime soon to fish for them. I'll try to find a rocky cliff at jackson to fish below
> 
> :B I bet they eat hotdogs


So fishslime came down last week to fish with me. My spot wasn't the greatest and nor was the 60 foot 89 degree angel we had to climb down to get to it.

Hope to have a picture of myself with a bowfin soon


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## Fishman

Hit Jackson Lake today with Salmonid. I brought lots of stank bait he brought the red wigglers. Caught a few crappie and some small largemouth bass on the red wigglers. What gives?? Thought the lake had bowfins???


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## the weav

Caught one about 10 years ago from a dock on erie in east harbor 28" really good fight thought it was a pike.


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## bassmaniac

I caught one one in East Harbor quite a few years ago fishing for white bass in the state park. What got me was how fast they are.


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## Salmonid

Yeah as far as Jackson goes, the lake looks good for them but most of the regulars we spoke too had said very few taken there, and no one had seen any caught this year yet, these were folks who lived on the lake. I might mention all the weed spraying there might be affecting them.
Nice place though and a neat place for a canoe float, just got a little windy today....

Salmonid


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## Tom Patrick

Back in the mid 90's, my buddies and I were fishing Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee. We were all casting spinnerbaits. We got into a school of bowfins that literally tore up our spinnerbaits. We caught at least 20 of them, up to 10 lbs. They are strong, mean, hard to hold (slippery), eating machines. 

After having several of our high-dollar spinnerbaits destroyed, we decided to leave the school of bowfins for the next victims, and find some bass.


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## Fishman

Salmonid said:


> Nice place though and a neat place for a canoe float, just got a little windy today....
> 
> Salmonid


Sure did, Salmonind doesn't exactly know how windy it was as he wasn't the one paddeling against it... damn near the entire length of the lake too!!


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## Kaiser878

If anyone is familiar with the millersburg/wooster area, along 83 up on prarie lane before wooster the channel that runs along the road is full of them! Saw guys pull tons of em out on spinner baits!


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## Fallcreek

I have never caught one in the north but they are quite common in the south. One of my fishing friends would always swear when one would grab his bait rather than a bass. On the other hand, I would rather catch bowfin than bass since I think they put up a tougher battle. Don't know about eating them, I always assumed they would have too many bones.


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## tobakabus

Salmonid said:


> Yeah as far as Jackson goes, the lake looks good for them but most of the regulars we spoke too had said very few taken there, and no one had seen any caught this year yet, these were folks who lived on the lake. I might mention all the weed spraying there might be affecting them.
> Nice place though and a neat place for a canoe float, just got a little windy today....
> 
> Salmonid


Hey all. My nephew caught a few at Jackson... just a few weeks ago!


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## Juan More Fish

Im from galloway,ohio. I m ready to go to wooster. How do i get to this channel?


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## Red The Fisherman

Hey guys, thanks for the info, I hope to get out and catch one of these soon. I think it's funny that people say they are a southern fish, but you have to go to northern ohio to find any.


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## bkr43050

Red The Fisherman said:


> Hey guys, thanks for the info, I hope to get out and catch one of these soon. I think it's funny that people say they are a southern fish, but you have to go to northern ohio to find any.


Yeah and the only place I have caught any is 11 hours north in Canada.


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## fishman14

lock 4 park stark county east of canal fulton is loaded with bowfin put a bluegill out and sit back wont take long caught a 34 incher yesterday


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## bowhunter9017

what r they ????????????


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## Fishman

Prehistoric fish and hard to come by in the state of Ohio.

Oh yeah, put me on the score board to fellas. Finally got one!


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## KATKING

Beach City Dam is loaded with them, i do suggest bringing someone else with you while fishing there espically at night, but dover area, and really any where in the tusc, including the boliver dam...i have caught many of them over the years fishing with live or cut bait while fishing for cats,


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## Salmonid

Way to go Fishman!! I knew you were trying to get one!!

Salmonid


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## RipSomeLips

i caught one that was close to ten pounds at the beach city dam, there very vicious fish he took a whole live bluegill that was about 7-8 inches that i was using for cats..lol


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## RipSomeLips

also they can be a realy annoying fish sometimes, like a year or two ago went fishing for cats on the tusc, with about 2 dozen chubs and they took all our bait in like a half hour left nothin but the heads.


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## Fishman

Salmonid said:


> Way to go Fishman!! I knew you were trying to get one!!
> 
> Salmonid



Thanks Mark! I'll probably got out for them again in the next few weeks if you're interested.


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## bowhunter9017

is there any at kiser lake or cj brown or around that area


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## BobbyLee

24 1/2 inch Bowfin 8-19-08 Muskingum River Zanesville, Ohio. Caught on my ultra-light 6lb test. My biggest one to date. We catch em' every summer here. Fun fish to fight on light gear. This one ran all over the place. Hit me up, I'll tell you where they're at. Hope you guys get your's. Well back to the flatheads tomorrow. Looking for that one I can ski behind. lol...


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## Lewzer

> Beach City Dam is loaded with them, i do suggest bringing someone else with you while fishing there espically at night,


 
Why is that KATKING? Fruit Loops? I carp fish there a lot.


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## fatkid71

Hey all i just found this thread. I am from michigan and love catching these fish. In fact tonite i went out and hooked up with 7 of them but only brought in 3. 1 was about 21" long and roughly 6-7lbs. All i use is a small bluegill on a hook with a bobber. The first one i hooked into was a real brute. I use 20lb power pro line and he broke it. Needless to say i have a date with a bruiser.


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