I wish this picture would go away! It is clearly two fish on a stringer, but the head of the smaller one is inside the gill plate of the larger one. The photo has not been altered at all, it’s just the way the fish are lying there that makes it look the way it does. Can we please move on?
Carp will start to spawn as the water continues to warm. They are vegitation spawners so look in flooded backwaters this time of year. Have fun!
Big E-
I have a ~1000 lb starcraft (Li’l Bobber) with a 12 volt 55lb thrust motorguide. In any wind or current I’m forced to use the highest setting on the bowmount, which drains the battery in a hurry. I’m currently looking into adding a second battery since the motor is capable of 12 or 24 V. I’d recommend a 24 V system so you have power to spare. If you’re ever in central Iowa let me know. Good fishin’!
There is a great gar fishing website- Gar Anglers Sporting Society- that’s right “GASS.” You can pass GASS along to others if you are so inclined… 
Anyway, lots of cool stuff including techniques and the hookless lures like Hawger was talking about. Check it out!
Congrats James! Great fish- really glad to hear it was released too!
It disappoints me that many people don’t appreciate certain fish for what they are. It’s one thing to destroy a carp or other non-native species, but a bowfin? Come on- these fish are a natural part of the river, and a blast to catch besides. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder- and talk about voracious! I wish people would understand that ecosystems don’t flourish (or even exist) with only “game” fish. If you don’t like ’em just unhook ’em, but don’t kill them just because they are considered by some as “garbage” fish!
Hey guys, first time post at FTR. Great website. Anyway, I work with larval fish and it’s not uncommon to see fish (as RiverEyes said) that are born with spinal deformities. This is generally due to nutritional deficiency, disease, or restricted bloodflow from an injury of some type. Hope this helps.
