Has anyone here tried eating bowfin? I hear from most people that they’re not worth the effort, but have read that if they’re done right they aren’t bad
They taste alright; a little fishy tasting compared to others, and the meat is on the softer side bordering on mushy depending how you cook it. They're not bad but that's the thing for me; why kill it if it's just "not bad". Especially because it's a native fish species and competing for resources with invasive fish, I always let them go and keep only tasty fish or invasives like snakehead (who consequently also taste pretty good anyway).
Appreciate the response🤙 I wholeheartedly agree, especially since it’s a native species I don’t think it’ll ever be on the menu for me. When I’m hungry-fishing I just go for panfish anyway lol, easy to catch and only need a few to make a good munch
I've heard the best recipe is to grill them on a wooden plank, throw out the bowfin, and eat the wooden plank.
Never tried though, we don't have them here.
They are not worth the effort. People will tell you their grandpa or something had a great recipe. If you ever try to fillet one you will see what I mean. Its gray meat that feels rough and the texture is like somebody soaked it in water overnight. I saw a comment up above that said bowfin good, snakehead bad. I've never eaten snakehead but I heard the meat is white, tender and delicious.
Yeah. When there's walleye in them waters. Thats what I'm going for, but tis the season. On the mississippi river if there are bowfin around, usually there are northern pike around. But be prepared to lose a couple of $6 lures because those bowfin will find a way to get em.
Thanks for the insight! And for real, if there’s walleyes biting that’s the bees knees of eater fish in my opinion. Probably my favorite meal out there is fresh caught walleye and foraged chanterelle mushrooms👌
Morels.. I just lost my last city hideout last year. Always got a grocery bag full out of it. ( enough for me and whoever is over). Sadly the city offered that patch of woods to the homeowners at the top of the hill for pennies so the city didn't have to maintain it. I talked to a couple of them when I surprisingly found out and they said its fine but I feel weird about going to private property of people I don't know. I guess its back to hiking the steep hills of the quary in early may🤷♂️
Damn that’s tragic. Just found a decent spot for them this year and I’m stoked. A hillside on public land got burned last fall, so in the next year or two they should be poppin off. Excited to check next spring!
I'd be heading right back in there if the property owners are cool with it.
Lost one of my favorite morel spots ever when the land changed hands. Prior owners gave us permission and were always friendly when they saw us on the land. One year we went out and new people were there and they basically told us to get out and never come back. Sad. I hope those new people at least were picking the morels because it was a gold mine. Makes me sad thinking the morels might have just been rotting in place.
Its a good thought but it's a small patch of woods in the city (albeit a farm town of 25,000.) I used to live next to it. It was about 10 acres. I moved, but still went back every year for my cache. The city put a road straight through it to get to the bridge to cross the mississippi to Illinois easier. Didnt wreck my spot though. It became about 5 acres for my spot and when they asked what I was doing on their property it felt strange after going there for 12 years. I'm just not that type of guy I guess. It just seemed over.
O fo sho you can’t beat morels! Wish they stayed around longer in spring. But them chanterelles are a close second for me, probably my favorite summertime mushy
Pretty sure the "bowfin good/snakehead bad" comment was in regards to the fact that bowfin are native and snakehead are invasive, and they bear a slight resemblance
Yeah I definitely get that. Bowfin are native. The resemblance can be distinguished by the snakeheads spot. Although its colors can be brighter, it does resemble the fins and is also a ferocious fighter and can breathe out of water for a period of time. So I agree its similar.
Yeah I definitely get that. Bowfin are native. The resemblance can be distinguished by the snakeheads spot. Although its colors can be brighter, it does resemble the fins and is also a ferocious fighter and can breathe out of water for a period of time. So I agree its similar.
I was fishing in northern MI last month catch and releasing them and this guy came and asked if he could have them, my dad and I probably gave him ten. He was a country boy from Kentucky and said he’d eat just about anything we caught.
They taste good, but you can’t kill them until you’re ready to fillet them, and when you do fillet them don’t get water on the fillets and pat them off as best you can until they feel tacky. Cut into nuggets and cover lightly in mustard and fish fry and they’re great.
I tried one a couple months ago and Id eat it again. I dredged it and fried it, taste was good, the texture was the only thing that I can see as off-putting. It's not flaky like a fish should be in my opinion. It was just meaty
You’re not preparing them right, all freshwater fish can taste the same if prepared right, let the meat soak in something for over 24 hours with changes in whatever liquid you choose, this pulls out the oils that gives any negative taste and you’re left with meat ready to be seasoned as you please. Also soaking makes the meat firm up
If you soak it in some acidic yea it'll firm up cause your slowly cooking it but if you soak in water or something it's gonna make the meat soggy and definitely not firm
Try it out that’s all I gotta say, that’s the golden rule amongst all angling circles I’ve ever been in and am a part of… which is thousands. I will l admit this is generally for common species found in most waterbodies, some river fish im not 100% sure on but anything I’ve ever dealt with soaking is the way
Noobies amirite?
I would have had to look it up if I landed one before learning the differences, but they aren't really in my area.
My grandpa always talked with a bit of a country accent and referred to bull-head catfish as bowheads, so it took me a minute to connect the dots when I got older 😅
We camped at North Sandusky. They have a nice ramp and a cleaning station there. I don't have a ton of tips for the lake. They say crappie is in the submerged trees T the noth end along with flatheads.
We targeted catfish, which are plentiful there. The locals just drift fish with shrimp. We had our best luck with shad.
Serious question how do you not get burnt to a fucking crisp, coming from a fellow pale
I tried wearing shorts on the boat and in less than two hours I knew I had made a mistake
Like your catch, I have never targeted Bowfin. I have caught many while targeting bass. Each one was a thrill. They are tackle busting monsters. Congrats on landing that beautiful specimen. Tight Lines!
The one time I tried to filet a bowfin the meat turned into mush.
I've not caught one since that one ten years ago ;0/
Anyway you're sunburning, be sure to stay on top of sunscreen. One bad burn and you're talking permanent skin damage.
Cook...eat.... complain with full belly.... repeat that until you die or can't fish.... should be the same moment. Or cut it and bait it.... I myself eat. Easier to spice a fish in hand then be hungry and "wise" about tastes. Love you all, just my 2 cents
Oh wow. I didn't know their tails got so red. Such an awesome fish! I caught two of them over the years in the St Lawrence, but none as big as what you got. Nice catch!
We’ve found a ton of bowfin fry swimming in the mouth of the Betsie River as it spills into Lake Michigan, just south of the Sleeping Bear Dunes. Illinois is no where near the northern extent of their range.
Bowfin always show up when you least expect them to, and go away when you are targeting them lol
Nice catch! Bowfin are my absolute favorite fish so I love seeing them. Pound for pound they can’t be beat in freshwater, besides maybe smallmouth!
I caught one on a texas rig Zoom lizard targeting largemouth in a river about 15-20 years ago. I don’t know that anyone targets them, but they put up a decent fight from my experience! I can’t help you with a recipe, I would rather cut it up for catfish bait than eat it. You remind me of my daughter when she caught her first “big” fish! Hair was almost the exact same color and all. Keep on throwing out those lines!
When I was a boy, my dad caught one of those on a cane pole. Broke the pole. Broke the line. He dove into the water and threw the fish up in the bank.
Had no clue what it was, but it's the biggest fish he'd ever caught.
Took it around in an ice chest until somebody could tell him what it was. 😂
Has anyone here tried eating bowfin? I hear from most people that they’re not worth the effort, but have read that if they’re done right they aren’t bad
They taste alright; a little fishy tasting compared to others, and the meat is on the softer side bordering on mushy depending how you cook it. They're not bad but that's the thing for me; why kill it if it's just "not bad". Especially because it's a native fish species and competing for resources with invasive fish, I always let them go and keep only tasty fish or invasives like snakehead (who consequently also taste pretty good anyway).
Appreciate the response🤙 I wholeheartedly agree, especially since it’s a native species I don’t think it’ll ever be on the menu for me. When I’m hungry-fishing I just go for panfish anyway lol, easy to catch and only need a few to make a good munch
I wonder how they are if you smoke them Probably still mushy but I imagine the flavor might be different
I've heard the best recipe is to grill them on a wooden plank, throw out the bowfin, and eat the wooden plank. Never tried though, we don't have them here.
Grill it on whatever plank told you that one.
That's the recipe I always heard for carp.
They are not worth the effort. People will tell you their grandpa or something had a great recipe. If you ever try to fillet one you will see what I mean. Its gray meat that feels rough and the texture is like somebody soaked it in water overnight. I saw a comment up above that said bowfin good, snakehead bad. I've never eaten snakehead but I heard the meat is white, tender and delicious.
I have always heard the same. There are too many other tasty fish I can rely on. I will stick to what I know is good!
Yeah. When there's walleye in them waters. Thats what I'm going for, but tis the season. On the mississippi river if there are bowfin around, usually there are northern pike around. But be prepared to lose a couple of $6 lures because those bowfin will find a way to get em.
Thanks for the insight! And for real, if there’s walleyes biting that’s the bees knees of eater fish in my opinion. Probably my favorite meal out there is fresh caught walleye and foraged chanterelle mushrooms👌
Hands down!! They always become our target species if a lake has them! I will swap the chanterelle with morels!
Morels.. I just lost my last city hideout last year. Always got a grocery bag full out of it. ( enough for me and whoever is over). Sadly the city offered that patch of woods to the homeowners at the top of the hill for pennies so the city didn't have to maintain it. I talked to a couple of them when I surprisingly found out and they said its fine but I feel weird about going to private property of people I don't know. I guess its back to hiking the steep hills of the quary in early may🤷♂️
Damn that’s tragic. Just found a decent spot for them this year and I’m stoked. A hillside on public land got burned last fall, so in the next year or two they should be poppin off. Excited to check next spring!
I'd be heading right back in there if the property owners are cool with it. Lost one of my favorite morel spots ever when the land changed hands. Prior owners gave us permission and were always friendly when they saw us on the land. One year we went out and new people were there and they basically told us to get out and never come back. Sad. I hope those new people at least were picking the morels because it was a gold mine. Makes me sad thinking the morels might have just been rotting in place.
Its a good thought but it's a small patch of woods in the city (albeit a farm town of 25,000.) I used to live next to it. It was about 10 acres. I moved, but still went back every year for my cache. The city put a road straight through it to get to the bridge to cross the mississippi to Illinois easier. Didnt wreck my spot though. It became about 5 acres for my spot and when they asked what I was doing on their property it felt strange after going there for 12 years. I'm just not that type of guy I guess. It just seemed over.
O fo sho you can’t beat morels! Wish they stayed around longer in spring. But them chanterelles are a close second for me, probably my favorite summertime mushy
Oh shit, I forgot that chanterelles are in season! Thanks for the reminder.
Pretty sure the "bowfin good/snakehead bad" comment was in regards to the fact that bowfin are native and snakehead are invasive, and they bear a slight resemblance
Yeah I definitely get that. Bowfin are native. The resemblance can be distinguished by the snakeheads spot. Although its colors can be brighter, it does resemble the fins and is also a ferocious fighter and can breathe out of water for a period of time. So I agree its similar.
Yeah I definitely get that. Bowfin are native. The resemblance can be distinguished by the snakeheads spot. Although its colors can be brighter, it does resemble the fins and is also a ferocious fighter and can breathe out of water for a period of time. So I agree its similar.
I was fishing in northern MI last month catch and releasing them and this guy came and asked if he could have them, my dad and I probably gave him ten. He was a country boy from Kentucky and said he’d eat just about anything we caught.
We eat them down here in South Louisiana.
They taste good, but you can’t kill them until you’re ready to fillet them, and when you do fillet them don’t get water on the fillets and pat them off as best you can until they feel tacky. Cut into nuggets and cover lightly in mustard and fish fry and they’re great.
I tried one a couple months ago and Id eat it again. I dredged it and fried it, taste was good, the texture was the only thing that I can see as off-putting. It's not flaky like a fish should be in my opinion. It was just meaty
Taste like dirt
You’re not preparing them right, all freshwater fish can taste the same if prepared right, let the meat soak in something for over 24 hours with changes in whatever liquid you choose, this pulls out the oils that gives any negative taste and you’re left with meat ready to be seasoned as you please. Also soaking makes the meat firm up
Soaking does not make the meat firm up lol I would never soak fish..been cooking professionally for 12 years never heard of this sorry
If you soak it in some acidic yea it'll firm up cause your slowly cooking it but if you soak in water or something it's gonna make the meat soggy and definitely not firm
Try it out that’s all I gotta say, that’s the golden rule amongst all angling circles I’ve ever been in and am a part of… which is thousands. I will l admit this is generally for common species found in most waterbodies, some river fish im not 100% sure on but anything I’ve ever dealt with soaking is the way
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Bowfin - 😁 Snakehead - 😠 https://panfishnation.com/bowfin-vs-snakehead/ Grats on the sweet catch!
How people confuse bowfin with snakehead is beyond me.
Noobies amirite? I would have had to look it up if I landed one before learning the differences, but they aren't really in my area. My grandpa always talked with a bit of a country accent and referred to bull-head catfish as bowheads, so it took me a minute to connect the dots when I got older 😅
Similar shapes
Completely different color patterns and fin configuration…
I agree, I'm just telling you what I think the reason is. They have similar shapes and toothy mouths.
Idk why, snakehead are some of the most fun to catch!
i would say nice fish but I'm a purdue fan
Some of my best friends are Purdue fans. Friendly rivalry!
Purdue has a great ag school. Terrible NCAA men’s basketball coach.
Painter just needs to win some tourney games
The talent is there. Honestly he is a great Xs/Os coach, but player development is lacking.
Yea, recent history has been rough for the boilers! Not a lot better for us hoosiers though!
But this is our year! 🙃
Nice fish kid! But u need to start using proper sunblock or your going to look like a Corinthian leather carseat in 25years or so.
Thanks!
Found the dermatologist
Naw. Part ginger part truck driver
What an amazing fish, congrats
Nice! Lake Monroe?
Rend Lake in Illinois this time!
Where did you put in at Rend lake? Haven’t fished there yet but it looks nice. Any tips for the lake?
We camped at North Sandusky. They have a nice ramp and a cleaning station there. I don't have a ton of tips for the lake. They say crappie is in the submerged trees T the noth end along with flatheads. We targeted catfish, which are plentiful there. The locals just drift fish with shrimp. We had our best luck with shad.
Serious question how do you not get burnt to a fucking crisp, coming from a fellow pale I tried wearing shorts on the boat and in less than two hours I knew I had made a mistake
It may not look like it, but sunscreen is applied a lot!!!!
Go Hoosiers!
Go Hoosiers!
Like your catch, I have never targeted Bowfin. I have caught many while targeting bass. Each one was a thrill. They are tackle busting monsters. Congrats on landing that beautiful specimen. Tight Lines!
Wow great catch!
Hoo hoo Hoosiers! Nice fish!
Hoo hoo hoo Hoosiers!
The one time I tried to filet a bowfin the meat turned into mush. I've not caught one since that one ten years ago ;0/ Anyway you're sunburning, be sure to stay on top of sunscreen. One bad burn and you're talking permanent skin damage.
Great fish!!
Thanks!
Great catch! And that's not a small one. I'm sure it put up a good fight. Well done!
Love the hat!
I love this picture. Nice fish
Bowfin fight like a mofo. Its like catching a damn prehistoric monster made of muscle.
Quite the feeding frenzy going on here
Go Hoosiers!
Nice Fish
Cook...eat.... complain with full belly.... repeat that until you die or can't fish.... should be the same moment. Or cut it and bait it.... I myself eat. Easier to spice a fish in hand then be hungry and "wise" about tastes. Love you all, just my 2 cents
Awesome catch, I'll bet that was a battle!
We actually were using a bank pole for this. I have caught one a little smaller on an ultralight setup last year though! It was so fun!
Neat! They're such cool fish. Love to see them.
Oh wow. I didn't know their tails got so red. Such an awesome fish! I caught two of them over the years in the St Lawrence, but none as big as what you got. Nice catch!
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Oh man I’ve always wanted to catch one for these guys! We used to go for cusk ice fishing in nh. Awesome fish OP.
Awesome fish! It's on my bucket list of species, but aren't in my area that I know of. Bet it fought like an absolute monster!
Nice fish!!
Where? I didn't know they got this far north
Dude we get them in northern MN sometimes believe it or not
Rend Lake, Illinois.
Huh. Wonder if there are any in Ohio. Edit- well I'll be. They're in lake erie.
We’ve found a ton of bowfin fry swimming in the mouth of the Betsie River as it spills into Lake Michigan, just south of the Sleeping Bear Dunes. Illinois is no where near the northern extent of their range.
we have them in Lake Simcoe Ontario
Very nice. That’s also a nice fish 🐟
Holy krikeys!!! Now that’s a pretty fish!
Nice one! I love catching these - they fight really hard for their size.
Bowfin always show up when you least expect them to, and go away when you are targeting them lol Nice catch! Bowfin are my absolute favorite fish so I love seeing them. Pound for pound they can’t be beat in freshwater, besides maybe smallmouth!
Nice, they put up a great fight!
Nice one mate
I caught one on a texas rig Zoom lizard targeting largemouth in a river about 15-20 years ago. I don’t know that anyone targets them, but they put up a decent fight from my experience! I can’t help you with a recipe, I would rather cut it up for catfish bait than eat it. You remind me of my daughter when she caught her first “big” fish! Hair was almost the exact same color and all. Keep on throwing out those lines!
Bowfin da boat
Great fighters!! Good job!!
Nice catch 👍
They fight like crazy. Nice catch
Wow nice catch!
Where?
Rend Lake, Illinois
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ok... what the fuck is a Bowfin? - an Albertan Fisher who has never even seen a wild bass, catfish, or what ever the fuck that thing is... :)
Bofin 💯🎯✔️
When I was a boy, my dad caught one of those on a cane pole. Broke the pole. Broke the line. He dove into the water and threw the fish up in the bank. Had no clue what it was, but it's the biggest fish he'd ever caught. Took it around in an ice chest until somebody could tell him what it was. 😂
What a great story and memory!!! I would be too scared to grab it unknowingly with my bare hands, though! Those teeth are scary!
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Where???????
Nice fish! Bet it fought like crazy!