Bowfin info anyone? (Full Version)

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Kokanee Killer -> Bowfin info anyone? (8/25/2008 8:02:34 PM)

Guys,i want to catch a bowfin really really bad,i hear they in somerset lake and glendale any tips on bait, lures, areas time of year etc.



MuskyMastr -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/25/2008 8:17:55 PM)

This time of year find the oxygen or bait and fish minnows.  I typically find them now at the base of old mill dams where there is good o2 levels and that draws in the bait.  If you want to try a NW spot, let me know.



penn_artist -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/25/2008 8:23:00 PM)

I understand where your coming from Killer. I had heard that up in Erie they catch a bunch in the colder months.  I have always wanted to catch one too but never tried or lucked into one. I hear they fight like hell.  How big do they get? They're supposed to be good eating too froim what I understand.



Stillhead -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/25/2008 8:33:39 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: penn_artist

I understand where your coming from Killer. I had heard that up in Erie they catch a bunch in the colder months.  I have always wanted to catch one too but never tried or lucked into one. I hear they fight like hell.  How big do they get? They're supposed to be good eating too froim what I understand.


I think you are confusing bowfin with burbot.  There are both in Erie, but from what I hear the Burbot are the better eating of the two and they are the fish targeted in winter. I've never heard of anyone eating bowfin,AKA mudfish.



PanfishSlayer -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/25/2008 9:09:59 PM)

Conneaut Swamp (spelling?)....Gotta get off at the Cochranton exit, head right, and make the left at the big red barn...a few miles down the road really.

After that, drive a few hundred feet, park next to the iron bridge and fish to your hearts content...you WILL catch them on ANYTHING you use.  As a joke after a trip to Erie a buddy of mine used some egg sacs there and it worked....the are evil bastards.



Cold -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/25/2008 10:46:21 PM)

A friend of mine actually caught one about 20" below Lock 8 just upstream of Kittaning on the Allegheny earlier this summer.  Hit on a nightcrawler at around 5pm and put up an impressive fight.  I was way downstream fishing when I heard, "Its a catfish."  then "No...its a pike...".  I figured anything that might be confused for both of those was a catch worth investigating.  Ended up saving the fish's life most likely too (when I correctly identified it), as a third opinion suggested that it was a snakehead.

On Burbot...I've heard alot of guys saying they're good eating...but arent they endangered?  I read on the PAFBC site that bowfins were candidate species and burbot were endangered, if I recall correctly.



Skip16503 -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/25/2008 10:48:10 PM)

Burbot are not protected   Just head to the south pier in the winter 



Kokanee Killer -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/26/2008 9:27:51 PM)

thanx for all the info fellers i see this is going to be a grind, but im up for a challenge[8D]



kyler16 -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/26/2008 9:31:06 PM)

Koke head to somerset, catch some alwies or blue gills and make cut bait. Thats how Trout wizard got his big one. 



penn_artist -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/26/2008 10:06:34 PM)

Might have to try that swamp. I always wanted to fish there. Only wish I had a wee canoe to piddle around in there. Might try French Creek while we're up there too.



beerman0303 -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/27/2008 8:10:29 AM)

French Creek has bowfin.  If you could catch some shiners out of the creek, I couldn't imagine you not hooking a bowfin.  Nightcrawlers could work too.  I have probably caught about 10 in the last two years in about 5 or 6 fishing trips.



bassin101 -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/27/2008 8:18:37 AM)

agree with panfishslayer, very easy to catch above and below the dam by the iron bridge. also heard many in conneaut lake!



dealinsteel -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/27/2008 12:56:07 PM)

they're in the french creek watershed, so find a lake or other body of water that touches it and you'll find them.  That's basically all of NW PA.  They're aggressive, they'll hit lures or livebait, and if you read the trap net surveys for conneaut it might convince you where to go.



cwcarper -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/27/2008 7:30:37 PM)

There's definitely a few in Somerset.  I caught one around 7 lbs from there this May on a spinner...my first one ever.



Kokanee Killer -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/27/2008 9:41:25 PM)

yeah slayer and all you guys from nw pa the conneaut swamp sounds like a sure thing,and somerset lake sounds like a decent possibility thanx again to everyone koke[;)]



Deadbolt401 -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/30/2008 2:50:37 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Kokanee Killer

yeah slayer and all you guys from nw pa the conneaut swamp sounds like a sure thing,and somerset lake sounds like a decent possibility thanx again to everyone koke[;)]


Just came back form conneaut, caught a 5 and 8 lbers in an hour, on a bluegill and perch tossed out.





Kokanee Killer -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/30/2008 11:16:22 AM)

cool 401 maybe you can ride up with me and show me how to do it[8D]



Deadbolt401 -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/30/2008 12:00:36 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Kokanee Killer

cool 401 maybe you can ride up with me and show me how to do it[8D]


Put bait on big hook. Cast bait out. Leave bail open, hold on.


I'd never EVER leave a bail closed on an unwatched rod in conneaut.

You may want to use some heavier line or a Steel Leader, Pike are all over in there as well.



indsguiz -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/30/2008 4:41:26 PM)

Killer,
   If you're in central PA try Black Moshannon lake.  Fish deep right at the bridge or up by the old Coast Guard experimentation building (if it's still there) they fight like mad and can/will break you off if you don't have heavy/steel leader.  They taste like mud.  Burbot good eating, bowfin bad.



Deadbolt401 -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/30/2008 4:58:24 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: indsguiz

Killer,
  If you're in central PA try Black Moshannon lake.  Fish deep right at the bridge or up by the old Coast Guard experimentation building (if it's still there) they fight like mad and can/will break you off if you don't have heavy/steel leader.  They taste like mud.  Burbot good eating, bowfin bad.


Like mud he said! that made me giggle. Maybe the coast guard experimented on them and tried to use them in the filming of striking distance. But they just kept killing people. And maybe, I should lay off corn dogs. I've eaten like 4 in 20 minutes and it's messing with my head.



bridgeman -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/30/2008 7:49:59 PM)

There was a pay lake called Mirror Lake up by Elliotsville that was full of them, remember catching them when I was a kid.  Don't even know if its still there, might have been filled in.



Kokanee Killer -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/30/2008 11:16:17 PM)

yeah with the area i live in,somerset lake is the closest so first i will try my efforts there,but thanx again to all who gave me suggestions,i really appreciate it.



penn_artist -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (8/31/2008 11:24:49 PM)

We'ew heading to Geneva Swamp in the morning to try our luck.  Maybe try the lake too if things don't work out up there. SO, God willing we'll have some pics to share. I have been researching them a lot and it seems that these things have one hell of a following.  Also seems like they are meaner than anything



penn_artist -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (9/1/2008 9:05:55 PM)

No Bowfin for us but a couple guys above the dam got into a couple of them. All was not lost however. We caught a total of 10 largemouth  (largest about 15") and a mess of big big Pumpkinseeds. We could see the Bowfin rising up to the surface but couldn't provoke a hit.  There were a handfull of hits and hard ones at that but nothing taking the hook



ducati -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (9/5/2008 10:13:06 AM)

Guys, i believe that bowfin are protected and are actually a "canadate" for a "threatened" species, so you may want to be careful about harvesting them.  Its kinda unfortunate that they are still a "canadate" b/c there are good numbers of them in the French Creek drainage.  They do compeat with other game fish for food.  Oh Yeah, they have teeth so dont stick your thumb in there!



Kokanee Killer -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (9/5/2008 10:06:14 PM)

i have been researching these too and thats why i want to catch one they are so pre historic like a living fossil[:D]



avidangler -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (9/5/2008 10:16:06 PM)

This was my first ever.  Wasn't targeting them.  Allegheny river tributary on the ever so successful nightcrawlers.

[image]http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc166/jlmo422/100_0304.jpg[/image]



Kokanee Killer -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (9/5/2008 10:24:54 PM)

nice fish wish it was me, glad to see you threw out those lucky fishing pants lmao[;)]



avidangler -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (9/5/2008 11:16:24 PM)

Yeah i didn't so much throw them out as much as i didn't wear them this particular evening.....  This pic is from before the 4th of july.



penn_artist -> RE: Bowfin info anyone? (9/5/2008 11:26:29 PM)

Killer,

Heres a site for you if you haven't seen it already. http://www.bowfinanglers.com/science.html It has a lot of good stuff on there.

Maybe it's other gamefish competing with them for food since they have been around for more than 150,000,000 years. I tyhink only the Gar have been around for that long or at least nearly that long. Now those are TRUE natives.

Is there any shore fishing spots up at Conneaut? Seems to me it's wall to wall houses, people, and pleasure boaters.



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