Did it look like this ?
Where Do They Live?
These secretive fish live in the central and southeastern portions of Minnesota. These areas include the Mississippi River and its tributaries as far north as Grand Rapids, the Otter Tail River of the Red River drainage, and some of the tributaries of the St. Croix River. Bowfins are commonly found in lakes and large, slow river, especially in the backwaters. They prefer clear water with little current and lots of vegetation.
“Cool Fact”: Bowfins come to the surface every few minutes to breathe air. They use their swim bladder as if it were a lung. They also use gills to breath in the water.
How Big Do They Get?
How Long Do They Live?
Bowfins are long, large fish. They commonly reach sizes of 600-700 mm (24 to 27.5 in), and occasionally reach 900-1000 mm (35 to 39 in). These giant bowfins can weigh 5 kg (11 lb) or more, but 2-4 kg (4-6 lbs) is more usual. The angling record for this fish in Minnesota is 4.6 kg (10 lbs 15 oz). Two fish of this size have been caught, one in Mary Lake of Douglas County and one in French Lake of Rice County.
It is hard to determine the age of bowfins. We are pretty sure that they live to at least 10 years, but they may live twice that long or more. They have been kept in captivity for 30 years, but captive animals of all kinds often live much longer in captivity, then they do in the wild.
What Do They Eat?
The ravenous (eats a lot) bowfin will eat just about anything that won’t eat it first. They eat fish of all kinds and often feed at night on frogs, snakes, turtles, and the occasional small mammal that travels on water lily pads. They also can fast (not eat) for very long periods of time. One bowfin kept in an aquarium did not eat for almost a whole year!Conservation and Management
Bowfins are not considered game fish but they are a very exciting fish to catch. Most often they are caught when people are fishing for other species, such as largemouth bass, pan fish, or northern pike. Most people who have eaten bowfin say it does not taste very good.
Some like it smoked, though. Some fish managers think bowfins are destructive because they eat other game fish. But other fish managers find that they help prevent stunting of sunfish. Bowfins have no special conservation status in Minnesota.
