BeenThereDoneThat.
I'll try the fishing hole see if I can get a reply................
 
Looking for that picture and yes it was a wimpy one, on 4lb test using a 1/16 oz. jig and tube.  Fishing for crappy/gills. right at the campgrounds up from the Jamestown Marina.  It's still in there somewhere.  I hear they're not bad eating?  Sure do got a mouth full of teeth.  Those pictures you posted above sure are disheartening; seeing people killing because of ignorance!  Surely the posters will save a bunch in the future. 

BTDT:    "I hear they're not bad eating?"
They are a candiate species and the PFBC strongly encourages their release. You should not eat one !
http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/058/chapter75/s75.3.html

paramedicjake
Here you go , good eats .

 Baked  Butter milk  Bow-fin

• Soak skinless bowfin fillets in buttermilk for 4 hours in the fridge.
• Pre-heat oven to 350F.
• Butter a large glass casserole dish.
• Place a layer of sliced onions on bottom of the dish, then layer the fillets on top.
• Pour Italian salad dressing over fin fillets.
• Place another layer of sliced onion on top.
• Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes or until flaky.
• Remove from heat, uncover, and sprinkle chedder cheese on top and recover till melted.
• Salt and pepper to taste or spritz with hot sauce.

 

They are a candiate species and the PFBC strongly encourages their release. You should not eat one !
http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/058/chapter75/s75.3.html

BeenThereDoneThat.
http://www.bowfinanglers.com/recipes.html

You be the judge.

They are a candiate species and the PFBC strongly encourages their release. You should not eat one !
http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/058/chapter75/s75.3.html

Yeah Jeb we're aware that the Bowfin is being introduced back to PA waters.   But, leave it to the 'P.S.U.  Fish and Boat Commission' to restart a fish and only "encourage its release"; why not make it unlawful to harvest? (AKA: harm/kill/keep)
 
Paint me "old school" buddy, but saying they "recommend" a fish (they are introducing) be returned to the water is a oxymoron.  Either it's "put and take" or "catch and release" plain and simple.
 
The mission of The P.S.U.  Fish and Boat Commission is to protect, conserve, and enhance.  Unfortunately, the protect and conserve part has gone by the wayside with most of the effort now focused on "enhancement".  When biology becomes more important than protecting, and it has, then stupid laws and oxymorons (least not forget gouging anglers for stupid stamps) become the norm.
 
The P.S.U. Fish and Boat Commission has gotten overloaded with biologist engrossed with changing (not enhancing) PA's fisheries.
 
Less biologist, more waterways patrolman and, getting back to the basics is my recommendation!   
 
Have a good day and thanks for your devotion to the PA. Wilds.
 
 
 
 

FYI, they are not "being introduced back to PA waters." I've heard a couple people say that the PFBC is responsible for the increasing numbers of bowfin at some places because they are stocking them. That is 100% false. The PFBC does not stock bowfin, and they are NOT reintroducing them.
 
All the bowfin are wild, and naturally reproducing. They have been here all along, and the populations have fluctuated on their own. The PFBC has done nothing to affect their populations, except for the fact that they're doing very little to educate the idiots that are killing them.
 
As we're aware, yeah, they're a candidate species and are "encouraged" to be released.
 
Why are they a candidate species? Well, when looking at the state as a whole.......their populations are extremely low. But fortunately there's a handful of places in NW PA that have good, fishable numbers. Elsewhere, they're very rare.
 
Even though the idiots that are killing the bowfin may not make a huge dent in the populations in NW PA(though still a slight dent), that mentality can spread to other locations where bowfin aren't common. Regardless of how common they are, sportfish shouldn't be killed ANYWHERE (unless you're going to eat them).
 
In my opinion, since bowfin aren't a popular fish to eat, the PFBC should make it required to release them. It's obviously illegal to toss the fish on the bank or in the woods to die, but unfortunately it is legal to take the fish home and put them in your garden. A WCO even told me that. They're a candidate species, yet it's still legal to take them home and the PFBC doesn't give a crap about people tossing them in their garden?? What's the point of them being listed as a candidate species then.
 
As for the PFBC's mission, yeah, it's very ironic. Here's the mission statement word for word. "The mission of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is to protect, conserve, and enhance the Commonwealth’s aquatic resources and provide fishing and boating opportunities."  I LOL every time I read it. I can go on and on.....

Sorry.........

I stand corrected.

Misuse of words.... my bad.



Sooooo Troutguy, tell us, how doooo you feel about the PFBC?

I agree, it is stupid that a "canidate" species is still allowed to be harvested for whatever reason. The bowfin is a great sportfish and I do target them once in a while. I practice strictly catch and release and started using circle hooks recently. I have only ever had one swallow the hook, but thought circles were a better option. The PFBC does many things right and many are questionable in my mind. However, they are one of the best in the country as to numbers of fish stocked (mostly pellet heads). They are also one of the few states that still have seperate fish & game agencies. This allows them not to have to share monies. Things are not perfect but they could be worse as well.
Just my $.02 on the matter...
Tight Lines.....
JEB 

BeenThereDoneThat.
Sooooo Troutguy, tell us, how doooo you feel about the PFBC?

 

JEB
The PFBC does many things right and many are questionable in my mind. However, they are one of the best in the country as to numbers of fish stocked (mostly pellet heads). They are also one of the few states that still have seperate fish & game agencies. This allows them not to have to share monies. Things are not perfect but they could be worse as well.

I agree with JEB. Compared to some other states' fish & game agencies(whether separate or together), the PFBC does do a very good job.
 
BUT, there is definitely a lot of room for improvement. They have had some pretty wacko ideas lately, and also the "lack of ideas/action" is an issue too. One example being bowfin. They have to be PROACTIVE. Put in the effort to educate people. They can do more, they just don't have the motivation or simply don't care.
 
I expressed some of my thoughts on the first page of the Shenango Outflow thread. Don't feel like doing a ton of typing again lol. But to some it up, they can do a better(and smarter, more efficient) job at managing our fisheries. The first step is better managing the stocked trout program, and that will also give them some extra cash to improve the fishing for other species, as well as habitat, access, etc.
 
Remember, this is the same agency that thought center pinning is fly fishing..... (there was a proposal to allow center pinning in Fly Fishing Only areas)
 
Did any of yinz see the new "Big Trout Program" the PFBC is going to do?? Now THAT is a step in the right direction!! Just further proves my point. The PFBC's effort should be focused on other things....