The North American bowfin is a phylogenetic relict, the last survivor of a great family of related fishes (Amiidae) that thrived almost worldwide from about 200 to 50 million years ago. Seeing one is a bit like gawking at an old Model T rattling down main street. The large, ganoid scales, the flattened bony head, and the long rippling dorsal fin may appear ugly to some, but biologists nod approvingly. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.

Tackle

 

Rod: 6- to 7-foot medium-heavy-power casting or spinning rod.

Reel: medium-capacity baitcasting or spinning reel.

Line: 12- to 17-pound-test mono.

 

Rigging

Most bowfin catches are accidental. They sometimes attack bass lures, but not consistently. If you catch one on a spinnerbait, you could spend weeks throwing spinnerbaits to visible bowfin without a follow. The best rigs for bowfin are similar to those for catfish-float and set rigs baited with livebait or cutbait. The paternoster rig is particularly effective, as it allows an anchored baitfish to swim around above the bottom to attract bowfin.

Location

The preferred habitat of bowfin in the south is swampy weedy bays in lakes, rivers, or backwaters. In the north, they thrive in similar eutrophic habitat, and most spend the summer in shallow weedy bays. During late summer and early fall, they usually head for deeper weedlines in main basins and deep bays. In winter, they're typically in 15- to 30-foot depths.

Bowfin are spring spawners, making nests near shore in substrate similar to what largemouth bass use, though they can tolerate a muckier bottom. Optimum water temperatures are 60F to 66F. Nests are typically 1 to 2 feet deep and 15 to 24 inches in diameter. The male rigorously defends the nest and is likely to attack any large bait or lure that ventures too close.

Presentation

Bowfin have few devoted fans, but their savage strikes and determined battles mark them as a first-class sportfish. If you're on a lake with a known plenitude of bowfin, consider tossing a chunk of cutbait into a shallow bay. Use a float rig over soft bottom areas. Bowfin often come off bottom to feed, as evidenced by their infrequent attacks on topwater lures. But if bait-live or dead-offers a diminished possibility of escape, bowfin approach in a chewing mode.