Best of 2012.......Big and Ugly hit the pink jig.....

Comment

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on January 8, 2013 at 9:46am

I don't see Bowfin as a food source although many people consider them a delicacy....Looks can be deceiving. I don't ever target Bowfin but end up catching nearly a 100 annually as they are a native species in the Dismal Swamp and Albemarle/Pamlico estuary....They provide excitement and account for the most violent strike/battle that a light tackle/telescopic/flyfishing angler will encounter in these brackish waters....My personal best is just over 15 pounds and what a battle. The bottom line for me when it comes to Bowfin and their relationship to Bluegill in this region....if you're catching Bowfin, you are also or will soon catch big bluegill too. What is good for the predator in this case is good for the prey. Often times they are uneccessarily killed thinking they are invasive or endanger the prized species but that's simply not the case....Their has to be balance in any ecosystem and the complexity of an estuary is better when these apex predators are present......

Comment by Daniel George on January 8, 2013 at 9:35am

i can catch as many of those as i want on top water lures in the river.  some say they are good to eat but your not getting me to eat one!

Comment by Don Campbell on January 8, 2013 at 8:52am

We have lots of Bowfin / Dogfish here in Michigan. Great fighters and they will ruin a stickbait

when they hit it.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on January 8, 2013 at 8:28am

Now worries, John. Here you go: http://www.bowfinanglers.com/

Comment by John Sheehan on January 8, 2013 at 7:51am

I realize now I was  thinking of Snakeheads which are invasive to New Jersey.Thanks David  and Jim

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on January 8, 2013 at 7:25am

Bowfin are not invasive, John; as Jim suggests they are indigenous along the Mid-Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and all the way up into the Mississippi/Ohio RIver Drainage Systems. They are not seen above the Mason-Dixon line in the east, to my knowledge, nor above the Eastern Piedmont line.

They are not transplanted, either, because few consider them anything but a nuisance. They are a lot of fun to catch and quite territorial; strikes are savage and the fight brisk. They are edible, if not great eating, and there IS a cottage industry in Louisiana for their roe. But that is probably their only economic contribution..

They are often confused with the Asian snakehead, or vice-versa. The snakehead is considered invasive.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on January 8, 2013 at 7:21am

Bowfin are not invasive, John; as Jim suggests they are indigenous along the Mid-Atlantic and Gulf coasts. They are not seen above the Mason-DIxon line, to my knowledge, nor above the Eastern Piedmont line.

They are not transplanted, either, because few consider them anything but a nuisance. They are a lot of fun to catch and quite territorial; strikes are savage and the fight brisk. They are edible, if not great eating, and there IS a cottage industry in Louisiana for their roe. But that is probably their only economic contribution..

They are often confused with the Asian snakehead, or vice-versa. The snakehead is considered invasive.

Comment by Jim Gronaw on January 8, 2013 at 7:06am

I think bowfin are native to the area, but we'll let Jeffrey confirm on this one.

I have taken them in central Virginia and the James River, where they are considered a native, but not a sought-after, species.

Comment by John Sheehan on January 8, 2013 at 7:03am

Are Bowfins considered an invasive species Jeffrey .If so how/why 'd they get there?

Comment by chris kowaleski on January 7, 2013 at 11:07pm

I'd love to get into a mess of these