Bluff Bar Selected Harvest Round II.

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Ran out to bluffs same spot as Sunday. Managed 5 for 5 on the pike in just over 3 hours of fishing. Slower today. Pottahawk offered up 22 perch keepers / releasing 8 smaller ones in 4 hours. Landed this Bowfin also. Quick picture and released. Weird fish. Eyes on top rather than sides.
My friend enjoyed the battle though.
 

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Are bowfin good for anything? It seemed the perch stopped bitting when it was lurking around before we caught it.
www.britannica.com

Bowfin | Description, Habitat, & Facts

Bowfin, freshwater fish of the order Amiiformes (infraclass Holostei); it is the only recognized living representative of its family (Amiidae), which dates back to the Jurassic Period. It is a voracious fish found in sluggish waters in eastern North America from the Great Lakes southward to the...
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@DST - I agree. That one today was roughly 20 inches and heavy for it's length compared to pike. Being that they've been here long before me. I'll just keep releasing them. Would rather they leave the perch alone and feed on snakes instead. ;-)
 
Perch fished the the inner and outer bay for over 60 yrs. It was rare to catch a ‘dog fish’. The last couple of years I have caught many. They are a hard fighter and tough as nails,and really put pressure on the perch. As far as the question “can you eat them?”, depends how hungry you are.
 
I'm new here but figured I'd chime in. Although I don't eat bowfin, they aren't as bad as people say. The meat being mushy is due to an enzyme in the flesh that starts breaking down the meat as soon as the fish dies. If the fish is dispatched and fileted immediately, the meat is actually not bad. It's a little like crappie meat, but leaner.

Like live2fish said, they are a native species to Southern Ontario. Why are largemouth and crappie populations protected with limits but bowfin should be turned into fertilizer?
 
@liv2fish, I fully respect all sports fish. Been doing so since 1970. That said, there are times where over population of sheep head can be an issue. In the 80s with long point salmon boom - we took shepherd home and used them purposefully as fertilizer. No different than misners fish cleaning in Dover did with those that hit the nets. Yes I shovelled fish on one of those tugs as a summer job one year. Fishing cleaning left overs and "garbage fish" went into the "meal" for fertilizer.

Lets consider the long point deer "cull" for lime disease and the ministry burning hides to control it. Deer are native animals - but those deer have bigger problem than most. I considered that Bowfin on the increase may be a concern. I don't know? I do know that is the first in 40 years catching a bowfin on a lure - not bait tipped very odd. Also in an area where the water is cold seems outside their natural habitats. Its for these reasons - I suggest the potential of culling them. Is there an impact of the perch fishery if bowfins population explodes? For the past two years out of Port Bruce - I've hit schools of sheep head so thick - I stop down rigging and moved to new locations. If you can hit 10 sheep running one rigger rod in an hour. That's too many.

To be clear I have the upmost respect for the sports fishery. Love the sport. Hate invasive species and always on the alert for changes in the fishery. Really hope those Asian Carp stay away from Canada's great waterways.
 
@Nammer.C , it seems like I started a worthy debate here.

Crappie, perch, Bass, pike, walleye (pickerel), trout, salmon, even sunfish - all worthy meals. So now consider the population of sheephead and bowfin quadruples. How does it impact the meal worthy fish? How would that impact the recreational sport fishing enjoyment? If I catch a bowfin again in 16 foot cold water. -- it's coming home and will be used purposefully. It's not a protected species right? No limit on them either. If I caught it near a marsh or warmer water 8 feet or less -- sure release it. That's where they are supposed to be.

Just offering a full perspective.
 
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