Bowfin...ohh ya!!

[David Kearney]

Hey guys. Well me and Tangledline hit the Island this morning. Started at 9:30am, the weather was partly cloudy with some sun comming through but was still cold out on the island. Got up 2 about 15 degrees at the most. We were going for carp at the pond in Centerville...when we arrived we didn`t see much in the way of carp, but did manage to see some bowfins which we started to target, and wouldn`t ya know it...by 10:10am I had my first bowfin on.

View attachment 7004
Landed him in 3 minutes(thanks to Tanglelines net handling abbilities). He was 26 inches long, and about 11 inches in gurth...weight about 4lbs. Took some pictures and let him go...continued on around the pond trying to sight fish them...Tangledline caught a Bowfin as well about 45 minutes later. (Picture to come).
View attachment 7006

We moved to the otherside of the grandstand...but the wind was blowing making it difficult, so we moved back to the pond to try for some more bowfin or carp...had no other luck. But we did see a trout hanging around still.

Tangledline had to go to work, and it was getting chilly out there so we packed it in at 1:00 pm. It was exciting gettin a bowfin...look forward to many more trips to the Island this year for some more firsts!

Both bowfins where caught on a worm and hook...no weight, rigged wacky. They were bedded in the mud, and we had to come up on them quitely, and drag the worm over there heads...and wack!! here`s another picture...View attachment 7005

Thanks to Tangledline for the day!! Fantastic!!

 

[efka]

this thing looks wicked, nice job.

 

[ec1]

awesome!! Now you've finally gotten your hands onto a fish this yeaR! Congrats!!
I saw a bowfin in real life for the first time last week at simcoe, and they are scary looking though...For some reason I don't think I would like to touch them...Along with mirror carp...Those are the UGLIEST things you can ever fish for

 

[halleb]

Wow, good job guys!! I did not know there is bowfin around Toronto Island? This is one bit scary looking fish, looking a bit like snake.

 

[tangledline]

kearney....i am stll freaked out 16 hours later....woah
the fishes were growling at you....
kearney fails to mention that the fish leaped out of his solid grip straight towards me at chest level....
on the ground this fish is swift....
i am generally comfortable around bears, moose, large farm animals but snakes and bowfin....they give me the shivers....something even more evil feeling about bowfin...
i was sure kearney was gonna lose another finger....
kearney does not fear the bowfin....yet.....
if we keep catching them i am sure he will eventually fear them....

 

[MikeyMikey]

such a freaky looking fish

 

[chibi]

nice catch!!!!!!!!

your bowfin looks SO creepy. for some reason the one i caught was grey in colour... don't know if i would be willing to handle yours looking so lively in colour! haha.

=)

 

[disspatcher]

...Ive never caught one, think Id have on the heavy gloves before I went near it...damn Fugly!

 

[PainInTheBass]

Congrats on getting rid of that skunk!

Get some fish grippers. Makes toothy critters harmless.

 

[frozenfire]

Good stuff guys!

Once you handle a few of them, you get the hang of it!

Same goes for other odd and weird stuff like tarantula's! The hairs, beady eyes and the fact that they are the size of your whole hand always gets to me...but after a few times holding them and letting them get used to you, they're harmless... and make for quite interesting pets!

 

[YAWN]

Very nice, real worms or rubber worms?

 

[tangledline]

real worms...but don't make them move too much as it cost me the interest of our first bowfin....
they like worms, crayfish, leeches, and as water warms spinner baits.
if you find a bowfin in an area and you catch release... it and its offspring will be there next year...
but a little more experienced. 180 000 years this species has percivered ....outlasted dinosaurs...
just waiting for the day to teach man what its like to get his hand mauled ....bite the hand that feeds..
this evil fish crawled out of the water and women were spawned from its evolution......
don't believe me catch one and look into its eyes...

 

[David Kearney]

Your twisted buddy!! LOL