With Mike leaving this past Wednesday I lose a fishing buddy for a few years while he is away but I got to get out with another fishing buddy Doc.
Earlier this year he took me to the bullhead slick to get my lifelister Bowfin but with no cooperation from the fish. After putting in the time with no good hits for me I figured it was not my day. Then later in the summer I was at the roughfish get together targeting the bowfins with a few takes and broken lines along with a lump on my head and a broken ego. A week later I tried again to get the monkey off my back and went in prepared with heavy line and sharp hooks targeting the bowfin once again. Three takes with no hookups it just seems it is not my year to add the bowfin. This is the second year of trying to catch a bowfin and get my picture for the lifelist with fall upon us it is an unlikely time to catch them with them being more of a summer heat fish. 
Back to October 11th……Doc and I setup the day to hit the river and target another lifelist fish the Greater Redhorse the last of the major Midwest Redhorse species. With hearing a state record caught earlier in the week we decided to hit the bullhead slick with some suckers and get a bowfin and as usual the monkey is hanging on my back when it comes to the bowfin and Doc got a good rip and ends up with a nice fin so it should be my turn. One of the rods starts to take out line a couple minutes later so I grab the rod and well lets say there was a malfunction between the rod and me and I got a sore hand and no fish. I laugh it off and say the monkey is still there. Not more then 20 minutes later we are down to our last sucker and Doc decides to throw a jig and let me have the last sucker so I could get my lifelister. Sure enough my line starts out slow then screams out same as always give some line then stick it to em with their tough mouth…. FISH ON!!!!!!! Got it to the edge of the water then off it goes giving me a great battle then back to shore then another run and one last time into shore and back out and nothing the hook popped out. Well on the last sucker no hits so off to the Greater spot. Doc and I got on some nice Whites, Smallmouth Bass, Golden Redhorse, and one nice Walleye.
After a few hors and a couple spots we decided to go back for the Bowfins. We fished some time seeing lots of movement couple bites but no runs. Finally my clicker went a couple clicks and then screamed out without a doubt a Bowfin! I turned to Doc said how long……and set the hook CastAndBlast style……FISH ON!!!! It was obvious that this was not a large fin but it was a bowfin with a respectable fight. After many heartbreaks I got my fin and pic #42 in the liflist!
Here’s to good Friends and Good Fishing!
Aaron Bye