Every fishing license sold should require passing a simple test of native and invasive fish. Somehow people got to thinking bowfin are snake heads and kill them.

I've seen many people mistake them for invasive snakehead and leave them on the bank. We definitely need more education as fisherman on the difference between snakehead and bowfin.

You have to keep them alive. They have an enzyme in their flesh that softens it after they die. So keep them in water alive up until right before you are ready to clean. Next, make a mixture of vinegar and water and put the filets in there initially. This will help firm it up. They are probably best in a fish patty but are ok just as filets.

Bowfins are great! Living fossils, and the last living representatives of a line that's split off from their closest living relatives way back in the Triassic, before the Dinosaurs even were a thing

Bowfin are hands down my favorite fish to catch this time of year. I feel like lately they've been getting a bit of attention which I'm glad to see. They really are awesome fish. If you're fishing for them though, I've found that the smaller males will go for the night crawlers, but the big females really tend to prefer cut bait and you really have to give the big ones a bit of time to eat then set the hook hard and prepare for a hell of fight. The bigger ones have a tendency to run straight towards you at an angle and launch themselves well clear of the water. A net is also really nice for landing them because 3 times out of 4 they thrash hard enough to break your line or the hook off in their mouths when you try and pull them out of the water. Amazing animals.

I don't live or fish in the USA but to me a Bowfin is basically an American snake head. like the snakehead it evolved to live in low oxygen environments. It can breath air if needed and even evolved a very similar body style with that long torpedo shape.

Shoutout Brendan for giving some love to America’s native fishes!

Bowfin are definitely underrated fish they hit top waters worms and live bait they fight hard get big

Great video on a great fish! Down here in Louisiana they're called choupique. I've caught a few when fishing for panfish, including a 26-incher - biggest fish I've ever caught.

Love all these creative new series!! Really enjoying them, keep up the good work!!!

The most thrilling fishing experience to this day was catching a bowfin when I was around 12 years old, in a kayak by myself. The thing dragged me up and down the river for at least 10 minutes like it was nothing. When I finally pulled it out, I was convinced it was a snakehead, as they were in the news a lot back then. It looked unlike any fish I had ever seen before, and put up a hell of a fight.

I was taught by a Cajun gentleman to keep a bowfin alive until I'm ready to fillet it, then cook it within 10 minutes of killing it, which means working quickly. I fry it in olive oil with a sprinkling of creole seasoning and it's very firm, as well as delicious. I'd compare it to a very lean, boneless, skinless chicken breast; no weird mouth coating or aftertaste at all. I believe the most important thing is keeping the time between killing the fish and cooking it's fillets as short as possible. Loved the video, and thank you for giving some respect to an amazing fish!

I caught several of these fish in North Carolina when i was in the Marine Corps. Locals called them mudfish. They are very aggressive, hit quite hard, and fight like crazy. Had more than one spinnerbait completely destroyed by these fish. They are definitely fun to catch.

I have really enjoyed watching your channel for awhile now keep up the good work bud!!

I caught one of these when I was 14 here in Indiana...at first we thought I had a log...lol then we thought oh man it's a turtle...took me about 25min to land it...biggest fish I ever caught and when it fought finally it was the best fish I can remember catching. Also have fished that same spot for many years and only ever caught the one.

Im from Louisiana a tip my grandfather and dad told me was to put the meat in water with ice and a lil bit of vinegar it keeps the meat from falling a part or getting to soft

I caught a bowfin when I was younger! It was honestly the coolest thing I ever caught because nobody knew what it was so it was a really cool experience. Definitely hope to have more like it! I can't believe those things can survive at the bottom of Lake Superior. Insane!

bowfin are an absolutely underrated sport fish. pound for pound one of the hardest most agressive fighters in freshwater, and they get huge in some lakes!

Glad to see someone else shares my love for the Bowfin! Absolutely fascinating fish that put up a great fight and can be very pretty to look at as well depending on location and time of year

These are my absolute favorite fish to catch. They can be pursued like bass or waited on like catfish. Very cool animals and they fight hard.

You should also mention that bowfin are a native species and at least here in Michigan are often mistaken for Snakehead. I've seen more than one angler kill them because of it. Also use cut bait or live gills and you're almost guaranteed to catch them constantly. I just use an egg sinker with about a 12-18 inch lead down to size one circle hook.

Beautiful and bowfin don’t go in the same sentence 😂. We had a few down in the bayous on the Mississippi gulf coast where I was raised. I’ll never forget one absolutely destroying my dads favorite top water prop bait, a frog colored spin-i-diddee. We call them grinnels in the Deep South and won’t think of eating one unless starving to death. 😂

There's no such thing as a trash fish to me. If I have a fish on the end of my line, I'm happy.

Really enjoyed this! Cool segment idea and great video all around!

I will never forget my first bowfin. This guys will fight you until they get put back into water. I thought I hooked the largest bass of my life.

They are really cool spawning. They are all clustered at the top of the water where it looks like it's boiling. It's awesome only seen it once in my life, you can brush your hand through it and it's mud fish babies in a pile

11:09 That’s really with every species of fish. Bigger fish are older fish so there’s always a risk of high mercury levels.

I've never even saw a bowfin... as I am from across the Atlantic, but as a general rule, oily fish go to the charcoal. It will be interesting to see you grill the next one and taste the difference. Mushy fish flesh, like tench for example, are horrible when fried but excellent if baked in the oven. Please try that too, put it in the oven with butter, carrots, onions and pumpkin. I'll subscribe now just to see if you try these out. Cheers.

Just started watching this, really like the format, the look and feel, and especially the lack of commercialism (so far, just let me skip over it). I like watching fishing stuff that's not so focused on selling stuff like lunkerdog or millhouse. Nice job and thanks.

I don't have them in CA but I am fortunate to watch KZfaqrs like you who love the fight they put up!

Howdy there! I lived in Louisiana through my teen years. My friend and I would catch them on juglines all the time. We call the choupic (shoepick) down there, and they taste great! I was always told keep them alive right until you're about to eat them. If not the meat starts to break down. I looked it up and it's some kind of acid in the muscle. Great video! I'm happy to see one of my favorite fishes getting some attention.

Yep, they pull like a train . I have caught several over 10 pounds in the Waccamaw River in eastern NC. Some of the locals eat them in the winter in a stew ,but not me. He is the highest order consumer in the river and aint changed in 10,000 years. The white meat is kinda soft and puffy in warm months. Spots on tail are varied in number. As you prolly know , use caution , they can hurt you. We use half a bream for bait . I understand Northern Snakehead are similar, never saw one in NC.

helpful vid. I live in MA and will be targeting Bowfin for the 1st time this season.

Man I stumbled upon this video in my recommended and was hoping this was already a series with a few episodes out already because this is great!

I love Bowfin they jump like bass run like big flatheads and will eat lures cut bait whatever you throw at them, really cool fish.

I remember the first time I saw a Bowfin was when my dad hooked into one. It looked so bizarre to me and I thought we had discovered some prehistoric fish that nobody knew still existed, lol. I've never targeted Bowfin, but I went fishing with a buddy a while back who does, more or less just for fun if the Bass aren't biting. He'd bring an extra rod and used chunks of hotdog for bait and just let it sit on the bottom...those Bowfin loved it! Caught 3 or 4 big ones that day. Boy, they are ornery fish once you get them in the boat, and that slime doesn't help matters in trying to handle them, lol.

My first dogfish was big, like 37 inches. it was the length of my whole leg. I had no idea what it was. It put up one heck of a fight. I would love to catch some more, but they aren't in my state, colorado. I grew up in indiana

Pro tips for cleaning and cooking bowfin: cut the spine and let them bleed first. It greatly improves the flavor. Also, scale the fish but leave the skin on. It will hold flavor and make the filet firm enough to grill.

Brendan I love the overhauled production! Great to see you getting so many views.

We call them Grinnell in Southern illinois west ky. Some eat them most just throw them on the bank. They're a blast to catch and we usually catch alot on jugs and trot lines around here. Eating wise they're ok. Better hot fresh out the oil then cooled off they tend to get mushy when cooled off

Bowfin are my nemesis, I've fished for them multiple times and I haven't caught one yet! They always elude me. Personal vendetta aside, they're some of the coolest fish that swim in the US, and they're native. No fish is a trash fish, and bowfin are some of the best in my opinion

I had some white sucker for the first time recently and it was good. The roe was absolutely delicious however. I like to roll it in flour and pan fry in lots of butter.

you should come down to Maryland and go fishing for snakehead

We just got some land that has a muddy river full of bowfin, super fun to catch ,and always put on a huge fight 🤩, looking forward to more videos on this

The bowfin is my absolute favorite fresh water fish! So aggressive. The funnest way you can catch a bowfin is with square bills and spinnerbaits. They are not bottom feeders. They are opportunistic predator fish. So they will eat off the bottom but they will absolutely and I think prefer ambushing their prey.

I catch them in clean water mostly. They are native so I just toss them back. I have caught them only on cutbait never on lures. They seem to be in rivers mostly around here I have only caught one in a lake.

Caught a bunch of these south of oak hill as a teenager, at the time had no idea what they were, but sure was fun to catch!

I love them, really good fight. I've caught some around 8-10 pounds. We call them mudfish. They will hit some lures, too! I've had luck on rubber worms, spinnerbaits, whopper plopper etc

Got a freshwater drum last week. My fishing buddy caught it in a clear water reservoir. Weighed about 3-4 lbs., and fried it whole. Was delicious.

Caught one of these bass fishing once. I had to look it up to figure out what I had caught. Awesome!

Smoked bowfin is absolutely delicous. I Skin'm hit the fillets with a dry rub, smoke them, add sour cream, hot sauce, parmesan cheese a little horse radish, salt, lemon juice, a little bit of onion, form the meat into pattys and make some smoked fish burgers. If your mix is too loose toss patties in flour, they Fry up nice in a pan with some oil, like a crab cake, A little bit of bbq sauce and some LTO on a bun! Its a nicesandwich! Its a process but it aint difficult. And a 8lb bowfin gives you a good amount of product. I freeze some patties for later.

Glad to see yet ANOTHER KZfaqr collab with Eurotackle

I’m with you! Bowfin are one of the best tasting fish!

One of my favorite species and one of the hardest fighting fish in the river,lake.

I've heard of people eating bowfin here in MI (very few though) I've heard of more people eating burbot here. Its supposed to taste good grilled.

absolutely love fishing for bowfin, my pb is a 8 pounder here in indiana , loved the video

Try a ned rig with a yoga pants colored trd. Bowfin in GA love it. They must forage on a lot of small fish becuase I’ve even cut a trd in half then rigged it and ripped there faces off.

choupique in Louisiana and they are eaten...like almost everything else. Special handling required for consumption like bleeding them out. Can get mushy quick.

I love catching bowfin I can understand why people wouldn’t they’re slimy and smelly but I’d you’re in it for sport they’re very aggressive and give amazing fights especially when they get over 5 lbs.. thank you Brendan for giving this overlooked fish some good light!

I had an issue with filleting a bowfin - I am pretty willing to eat weird stuff but the bowfin flex was so soft it was like cutting wet bred or a rotting fish. I kept it cold before prepping - super odd. Hey this video was great - thanks for sharing.

I caught a Bowfin three years ago in a weedy area of a nice clean lake by me. It was about five pounds in weight and I wouldn’t call it an attractive fish but it fought very well.

In louisiana the bowfin is also called a shoepic and Grinnell !! They live in clear clean creeks as well .....their meat is similar to gar !!! You can catch them on artificial lures.....they will destroy lures with their ferocious bite....a jerk bait such as a red fin and shallow diving crank baits work well....any plastic lure and spinner baits work well...you can have a big time catching them on lures due to the ferocious attack on lures !!!🙃😉🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

I rinse mine in a 50/50 ice water/ vinegar mix and it takes out that after film and makes the meat firm

Bowfin or grinnell as we call them in east texas are an excellent sport fish ,one of the strongest fighters around . It will average 5 to 10 lbs on most lakes & streams. My largest is a 13.6 , 33 inch fish on a black lizard . As far as eating they are a little cottony and will get mushy if not eaten hot . But overall there are no fish that aren't good to eat . Peoples opinions usually are based on what someone else said not personal experience. Carp ,buffalo, bullhead catfish and drum are also good eating ,contrary to what is put out there. Great video young man !

Lol! The reaction to the excavator crossing the bridge!😂

Here in finland, where i live, almost all of the carp family fish are considered trash fish, and pike too, trout, salmon and other related fish along with perch and zander (european version of walleye) are most sought after, and i lived that way for a long while, until couple years ago i tried roach, it was good, then i tried smoked tench, it was good too, but then i got to try smoked european bream and i couldnt believe how good it was, bream is so underrated, it immediately jumped to my top 5 favorite tasting fish, i always liked pike, and smoked pike is also great, but bream is awesome smoked

I've eaten bowfin and thought it was great.. found this when I looked up the recipe Bowfin and several other fish are great table fare but overlooked by many anglers

I was frightened when I caught my first bowfin. It looked was very ferocious and scary looking. I wouldn’t even consider eating it.

Awesome! Only caught 1 bowfin so far

Good to know, thanks for the review Brendan, God bless you bro. I’ve had creek chubs and suckers and those have a weird taste to them, also I’ve had crappie that have tasted pretty bad so If it’s better than those fish I might give it a try actually 😂

Great video, still a bucket catch for me!

They really love cutbait especially fresh cut up bluegill! Toss some cutbait by a weedline or even near the shore weedline and you'll hook one eventually. They fight like crazy and the big ones are a real challenge! They are supposed to be good smoked due to all the oils. Turned into a dip after is good due to the mushy meat. They also make good fish patties/cakes and asian style fish dumplings and fishballs for soup due to the meat texture making normal methods hard. You can get firmer meat if you wait to clean them but its a race against time as it breaks down fast!

+1 on your conclusions. I have only kept and eaten one. The flavor was fine. Very mild. The texture was a put off for me. Too mushy for me to want another. I’m happy to catch and release them. Great fighters!

ned rigs work great for them too I've caught tons on a purple ned

Caught some big bowfin back in my freshwater days. Tried cooking it a few times and it never turned out good. They fight like a tank though. I'm closer to the ocean now though. So it's all saltwater anymore

We catch them in bucks county Pennsylvania ,it's one of my favorite fish to catch.

it's called dogfish in wisconsin, hits lures and mean as hell!!

I never encountered Bowfin when I was in the South. Well shot video and very entertaining. You said they are compared to Pike - do they have a big Y bone like a Pike does or more pin bones like Trout? The look on your face when you ate it was priceless. I'll definitely look out for this next time i'm down there.

Well, it was good to see a KZfaq site extolling the virtues of so-called trash fish. I spent many happy days fishing the Killbuck Creek in Ohio, pulling in channel cats, carp, and yes, bowfin. I remember the first time I caught one, wondering the hell it was! I stopped on the way back and asked the old lady who ran the bait shop whether the bowfin was edible. She said she had once tried it and summarized the flavor as resembling “bloody cotton” Given what I learned about how the bowfin was carnivorous I was a little surprised at that comment. So when I looked it up in a reputable fish book, I laughed at the following-“Not generally considered a food fish, except in Indiana”. Haha-don’t know what that says about Indiana tastes! But after watching your bowfin prep, I can see that, though soft flesh, maybe the people of Indian know a thing or two! Just wondering if you have ever tried smoked carp. To me it was delicious, sort of a cross between ham and smoked salmon. I recall bringing it in to the school where I taught and offering it to willing students, not telling them what it was. The smoked carp received good reviews, though a few changed their mind when I revealed what it was! Anyway, thanks again for this video!

We call them Grinner or Grinnel here in Mississippi. In Louisiana they call them Shoepic. You have to eat Bowfin as fast as possible. An old creole man I knew said: You have to cook them warm. No fridge, no next day.

We call them Shupick in Louisiana.. They are great when fresh, but freezing causes the meat to be mushy.

Dogfish are perfectly fine to eat, I've started convincing other around me and forcing family members to try it in MI. I've only recently started eating them last year, I caught a bunch of them out of a nice clean river. They bite really well on minnows, just a leader, hook and of course the minnow. In terms of meal prep, definitely keep them alive until you are ready to cook them up. Hammer to the head and bleed them out, then fillet as you normally would. I never bother with removing the darker flesh unless it's from a smelly fish (looking at your sheep head/freshwater drum). A quick rinse in cold water, dry well with paper towel, slice to size, season, flour, egg wash, panko bread crumbs then deep fry. They end up looking like chicken tenders and taste great, plus NO BONES! The ones I've eaten are more on the flavorless side, not off putting or fishy, not super flavorful, but add some tartar sauce and it's the bomb. I never noticed them being particularly fatty, not like trout or salmon anyways. They eat a lot of crayfish in the rivers so sometimes you get one that has a sweet smell and almost orange flesh. Too bad people kill and leave them to rot, they are no worse/better than northern pike based off of their diet and fight. No native species should be seen as an unwanted pest. Maybe they wouldn't be so plentiful if people found out they actually taste good.

Bowfin are amazing fish if eaten in the right conditions. If you cannot keep the fish alive or on good ice, trying to eat one could end your fishing trip because their meet quickly decays compares to others. If it dies and you eat it at the end of the day you start getting an ammonia taste or smell.

Bowfins belong to the same clade as gars. They are living fossils beeing arround already for 250 million years. Please be sustainable so they will still be arround when we might be long gone. ❤ Awsome Fish! Greetings from Europe.

I'm in the Cincy area. I've gotten into fishing lately. I honestly like to eat catfish, I'd try bowfin any day. Cool videos.

Here in Louisiana we eat them. You gotta harvest and fillet them immediately. Put them in oil quick and the meat doesn’t get mushy.

I've read that bowfin roe is Very good and is likened to sturgeon caviar. With how old the species is it wouldn't surprise me!

Bowfin-roe caviar is very good, not up to sturgeon quality but with a good texture and flavor. I think it’s the only part of a bowfin I’ve eaten, though.

Caught my first bowfin last year and man what a fun fish.

In the 60's while stationed at ft riley kansas I caught my first common carp. I did not know that it was not for "good" people to eat. Most of our "trash" fish were called that because of the big stick up our ancesters (oops, never mind)

I think you are only the 2nd one I remember seeing try eating those. The other one wasn't a fan of the texture but also said it tasted muddy. He caught it in a ranch pond down here in FL, not flowing water like yours. That might make a difference in the flavor.

The biggest bowfin I have caught was 9lb. It fought like hell and jumped out of my net 3 times. It also bent my hook almost straight.

In Louisiana it’s referred to as a choupic it’s from the Native American Choctaw meaning mud fish. We love catching them

Cool vid I agree bowfin are super cool I’d like to catch one

That carp looked really surprised!

The key to fishery management is catching and eating the fish. Carp and Bowfin will take over a water body if people don't see them as edible. Perhaps we should get a Top Chef on the carp and bowfin and make them great. BTW...a Chardonnay could cut that oily feeling in the mouth.

Bowfin is good eating. You just have to cook them fresh and do not freeze them. Catch one, get it home, (DO NOT FILET) just scale, gut and head it then grill it. You have to use charcoal or an open fire. Season with lemon pepper to taste when you put it on the heat.

A perspective hard to understand from german perspective, were eel, carp etc. are very popular sport and eating fishs. Thx. for that fantastic statement to rehab the view on this fish. greets from germany

When I was up at my cabin last year I may have caught a Minnesota state record dog fish. It was prolly well over 13 lbs. And I caught 6 or 7 of um. They are hell of a fighter!🎣❤😁🙌🙏 since me and my sister and brother were little we always looked forward to see who would catch a dogfish at our cabin. Praise Jesus God bless.

Try Manns baby 1- crank. Use a medium action rod. Looks like a tadpole, bowfin love tadpoles.