21,1/2"Bowfin/Dogfish

Comment

Comment by John Sheehan on February 27, 2021 at 6:27am

According to this chart a 21.5" Bowfin weighs close to 3.5 #   Chapter 17: Length-Weight Relationships (state.mi.us) 

Comment by John Sheehan on May 20, 2016 at 9:39am

This was one first time fish for me yesterday , the other 1st timer was a landlocked Atlantic Salmon .Very pleased

Comment by Slip Sinker on May 20, 2016 at 9:22am

…i havnt caught one of these since i was a kid!

yep always released them ... even 45 years ago!

Comment by John Sheehan on May 20, 2016 at 9:00am

Thanks Ben this was an exciting and surprising catch .I stayed away from the teeth .They didn't look sharp but I wasn't sure they looked like a Catfishes .I guess I'm fortunate he didn't break off my 4# test . Yes great fight!

Comment by Ben Seay on May 20, 2016 at 8:12am

Great catch John!

Yes! Releasing a Bowfin is almost always the right thing to do because:

1. They are a native fish to the United States

2. They keep things "in check and under control" in our waters

I love Bowfins! They put on one heck of a fight and just when you think you have them beat they all of a sudden come back to life! Look out for their teeth - they can cut through a fishing line like a razor!

Comment by John Sheehan on May 20, 2016 at 6:36am

Apparently releasing the Bowfin is the right thing to do here in New Jersey.

Here's what Fish and Game says in the 2016 Digest :
Invasive Fish

Fish identification can be easy for species caught frequently, but tricky for

species new to New Jersey waters. An untrained eye can mistake species

that look similar.

Bowfin

are native species, actually dating back 250 million years and should

be released unharmed. However,

snakeheads

are invasive and should be

destroyed and submitted to the Division of Fish and Wildlife for verifica-

tion. Snakeheads have recently been found in the lower Delaware River and some

of it's tributaries.