# A pair of bowfins?



## Smackdaddy53 (Nov 4, 2011)

My buddy and i were running some drop lines in lake texana in the back creeks and caught a pair of odd looking fish with a big mouth full of teeth. We kept them alive in an ice chest of water and took them to his house for pictures and released them back right where we caught them because we figured they must have had a bed nearby since there were two of them on the same line. They were bowfins! We looked them up on the internet and it stated they are found in east texas but lake texana is far from that! I thought it was worth posting pics because i misplaced the disposable cameras we took the pictures with four years ago and just found them and got them developed. Let me know if any of you have caught a bowfin and post pics if you have them! Here you go!


-mac-


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## KingTut (May 19, 2005)

I've caught a few over the years. They're very aggressive and can decimate a small pond in no time. Put up one heck of a fight. I caught one last crappie season on a minnow and very light tackle. The old nasty thing stunk like poo!


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## perchjerk (Apr 15, 2011)

We call them grinnels. Fun to catch. Usually a surprise tho.


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## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

Bowfins, Grinnels, Shoepics, all the same, depending on where you're from... quite a fight. They'll make you think you've got a huge LMB.


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## BrandonH (Oct 15, 2006)

I've caught dozens of them...they are the strongest fighting fish I've caught in freshwater.

Brandon


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## wwind3 (Sep 30, 2009)

Fishing a bass tournament out of Huxley Bay on T-Bend in early 70's---made a run up the lake to a slough near the government ditch where I had caught fish on my favorite Bomber bait. First cast I hung a whale LMB which turned into a monster grinnell. Had to land him to get my bait back---SOB bit a hole in it. Only one I had in my special color. Caught two on spinner baits in Bayou Bodcau north of Haughton La on two casts--almost ruined my whole day---wore me out. 

Fishing with a guide on Lake Jackson out of Tallahassee in 1970 -caught one over 10 pounds-got it in the boat and subdued it with a boat paddle-put it in the splash well behind my seat-it was bleeding profusely from the attack of the boat paddle. Hot August sun-every time I looked around I swear the fish was staring at me. After about an hour this large commotion behind me-I turned just in time to see the creature jump over the top of a 50 horse Evinrude slinging blood everywhere--lands in the water and swims away. Things are bulletproof-no wonder they have lived so long.


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## FISHROADIE (Apr 2, 2010)

To bad you did not catch them on a pole, they are some hard fighters. I caught one out of my neighbors lake years ago that was 11 lbs, what a fight. When they are spawning there fins turn floresent green its wierd, good catch.


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## Dgeddings (Sep 16, 2010)

their a really cool predator there is actually some consideration in stocking them in more lakes here in OK to help control the spread of the white perch outbreak we're having on the arkansas river chain (thanks kansas...)


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## JakeBrake (Jan 28, 2009)

I caught one on Sam Rayburn when I was a kid once.... so ugly and scared me so bad, I cut the line and paddled back to shore as fast as I could.... I had never seen one before.. I was probably around 10 then. I was afraid it would jump in the boat or something! ha ha


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## Jasmillertime (Mar 23, 2010)

They are fighters for sure. And they will tear up a frog faster than anything
I can't believe you are touching them lol. Last one I caught I used the boga and hook remover. Those things stink


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## Smackdaddy53 (Nov 4, 2011)

These didnt stink! I was freaking out when we caught two on one line. Pretty cool that all of you havd had experiences with them. **** things stayed alive for over three hours with just their heads in a bucket of water. Swam off like nothing ever happened. Thanks for the responses!


-mac-


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

The one on the left is a male and the one on the right might be a female. Probably a spawning pair.
In breeding season they adopt vivid colors, the male has an eye spot on the tail like a redfish,especially during breeding. And it gets a weird fluorescent green color to it's head and fins.
They are super predators, I have seen them eat baby wood ducks as they came out of duck boxes and trees in a swamp, as the baby's hit the water for the first time. They would get every ducking that hit the water except the ones that managed to swim away while it was munching a brood mate.
I have also seen them take grown wood ducks off the water while duck hunting in back water sloughs, their favorite place to hang. 
It would take them a while to drag a woodie down and it would sound and look like a gator was thrashing around when they did.
They will mangle the best made spinner bait into art metal.
They do have a connection with their air bladder I think that allows them to breath air, so they can live in 02 depleted water and in a cooler for a long time!


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## Wett'n my Hooks (Mar 26, 2011)

They are great, after they are sun baked


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## Garagedoorguy (Mar 9, 2011)

Those mean money in a bowfishing tourney


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## Lone Eagle (Aug 20, 2009)

tbone2374 said:


> Bowfins, Grinnels, Shoepics, all the same, depending on where you're from... quite a fight. They'll make you think you've got a huge LMB.


Cypress Bass in South Carolina and Mudfish or Green Trout in Georgia


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## RB II (Feb 26, 2009)

I caught one years ago in a bass tourney in the jungle on Livingston. Thought I had won the tournament when I hooked it, it BLEW up a spinner bait.


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## Barbarian (Feb 12, 2009)

Dgeddings said:


> their a really cool predator there is actually some consideration in stocking them in more lakes here in OK to help control the spread of the white perch outbreak we're having on the arkansas river chain (thanks kansas...)


Are you serious? Just have a Cajun weekend / white perch festival with a no limit weekend every 6 months. That will keep them under control. We kill every choupique we catch. Always heard they live off small bass. They will destroy a spinnerbait and buzz bait. They look like orca coming up behind a buzz bait in 2-3 foot of water.


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## big-john (Jan 6, 2011)

shadslinger said:


> In breeding season they adopt vivid colors, the male has an eye spot on the tail like a redfish,especially during breeding. And it gets a weird fluorescent green color to it's head and fins.


You answered my question before I could ask it.I was wondering if they were the same or different from the fish I use to catch up north that were emerald green and had a eye patch.



Lone Eagle said:


> Cypress Bass in South Carolina and Mudfish or Green Trout in Georgia


We called them "dogfish" in Michigan .


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## jfish87 (Feb 15, 2010)

in louisiana you can catch them in just about every bayou. They spawn in January and eat just about anything including buzzbaits and frogs. Make a really slow bass fishing day into a lot of fun by knowing where they hide at. I've been days where we've caught over 60 and probably missed 80 more since their jaw is so hard to hook.


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## blackmagic (May 13, 2011)

Caught a 10 lber. in a pond in Cypress last year,stinky fish and very aggressive!


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## gold_glove (Feb 24, 2012)

Are they related to snakeheads?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## texcajun (Feb 22, 2009)

Prolly won't change too many minds about our native choupique, grinnel, bowfin or whatever name you may choose to call 'em, but here goes.

I grew up in Louisiana with a father who believed that choupique were the devil and everyone of them needed to be killed. You might catch one out of a mudhole of a pond and my father would say that the choupique was the one that ruined that pond. And I'll admit, I've killed more than my fair sharre of dem critters over the years.
Around 19 years of age I actually started researching them and reading all I could find out about 'em and it turned out to be a real eye opener. 
Choupique have been misunderstood for decades, just like gar. Found out the reason they can live in some pretty nasty looking water is because they were built for it, not 'cause they ruined it. Because they have a primitive lung, when the oxygen content of water drops below a level that would sustain most fish, the choupique can just breath air. LSU discovered that they are one of the most efficient predators out there. Which is to say that when they eat, most of what they eat goes towards fuel and growth as opposed to waste. This translates to they only eat when they need to. Their row is on par with some of the Russian caviars and LSU even attempted to figure out a way to market it, but without much sucess.

So I will plead the lowly choupiques case and ask that if you are blessed/cursed with the fortune to catch one of the great beasts, please don't kill it. They have a place in our ecosystem and they are not now, nor have they ever been a drain on any of our other more lesser fishes.

And oh yeah, PLEASE DON"T EVER EAT GAR ROE! Their row is poisonous and at the least will make you violently ill.


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## JONES (Feb 16, 2012)

Ive caught em at texana before.


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## Wett'n my Hooks (Mar 26, 2011)

Texcajun, I will be more than happy to put any Bowfins I catch in your pond or tank. But don't fear, been awhile since I've caught one.


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