I had yet to land a Bowfin (“Dogfish”) from my kayak, I’ve hooked into a couple but they have always gotten off whether that be by snapping the line or breaking/popping the hook. They really tend to come out to feed and will chase just about anything around dusk on this lake, I was throwing a black buzzbait around some pads and watched a wake come out behind it. I slowed down my retrieve and then it didn’t take long for my rod to load up…game on!
They fight so good. If I could target them I would. I catch them incidentally about every other year.
I did have a huge one follow a spinner bait in a couple weeks ago and I slowed it down for him but got too close to the boat and he spooked.
we have tons of them in the backwater ponds and borrow pits of the mississippi down here. enough that you can target them. we use old spinnerbaits without the skirts and put big grug tails on.
when fishing from shore they usually bite right at your feed and scare the bejeezus out of you.
we’ve gotten a few 8-9lbers. no 10’s yet.
Cove bay on millelacs is loaded with them. We have had them chase and actually hit walleyes that we were reeling in off my dock. The walleyes were 20+ inchers so those dog fish are very aggressive fish. I have seen 100’s of them in 2 to 3 feet of water under 3 inches of ice also
Any in the 1/2 pound range??
was throwing a black buzzbait around some pads and watched a wake come out behind it. I slowed down my retrieve and then it didn’t take long for my rod to load up…game on!
This is exactly what happened to me about a month ago.
I was at a resort on mille lacs once spring and witnessed them getting ready to or actually spawning in the cattails. Pretty cool seeing them build a burrow in the roots.
when fishing from shore they usually bite right at your feed and scare the bejeezus out of you.
When I was a kid I was fishing from shore in about a foot of water when I felt something cruise over the tops of my feet. When I looked down it was a group of about 4-5 small sunfish swimming very frantically – a big ol Bowfin was chasing them and closing in on them.
That’s when I stepped out of the water and put my shoes on.
Last spring(2014) when the water was super high I was fishing a flooded parking lot in the mississippi backwaters in SE MN. It’s normally a boat launch and big gravel parking lot but it was completely under water, like 2-3 feet of water.
There was current moving through there and I was standing underneath a streetlight casting jigs, picking up walleye and sheephead. It was like 1 or 2 AM and it was a blast.
Then I looked behind me and there were like 4 dogfish sitting RIGHT behind my legs, using me as a current break. It was kind of spooky. I dropped my jig right on top of them and of course they would hit it.
I’ve had some big ones come up near the top of the water and just stare at me a few times off the dock…These fish are fearless
I’ve caught them with a bobber while panfishing on the Mississippi more than once. They would grab my cork and take off with it.
Caught this one last summer on the Mississipi. We usually catch several throughout the summer on buzzbaits, spinnerbaits and rubber worms. Ferocious fighters and will tear your stuff up! Had one smash into the boat chasing a spinnerbait.
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Had either a Catfish or a mudfish eat my frog in the pads tonight. I missed him.
I am guessing a Catfish because there are a lot, although now I am wondering if there are Dogfish in this pond. Lots of fish gulping air and I assumed they were all cats. I know some are because I see a forked tail after the gulp, but now I wonder.
I’ve caught them with a bobber while panfishing on the Mississippi more than once. They would grab my cork and take off with it.
Haha that’s pretty funny! I wouldn’t doubt that, when a Doggie commits to eating there’s not stopping em.
Any in the 1/2 pound range??
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a small Bowfin, they always seem to be bigger than 3lbs.
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