Bowfin, The Underrated Game Fish

When I was a kid my mother and father took me fresh water fishing on a canal that flowed from Okeechobee Lake. I remember catching these enormous fish that looked like something from prehistoric times. We never knew exactly what they were called back then, until recently when I fired up my computer and did some Googling.

Bowfin was the name I found. They are also known by many other names such as dogfish, mudfish and cottonfish.

What ever the name, Bowfin, as I remembered them, are excellent game fish. Reaching a weight of 20lbs and lengths of 30" Bowfin are known to be very aggressive fishes. Pound for pound they are one of the most exciting fishes to catch.

I recall a time when my father actually had to go into the water to knock out the Bowfin because it wouldn't give up. But back in those days my father fished with bamboo rods so bringing up a huge fish wasn't as easy as reeling it in.

I think I'm going to relive those childhood memories and return to that old canal and try my luck, fishing for Bowfin. Maybe they've grown in size since I was last there. Catching a 20lb Bowfin would certainly give me something to talk about, and I won't be using a bamboo pole.