Bowfin Pics

Are they good to eat?...W

Nice looking bowfin! I'm hoping we get some nice weather here soon, so the spawn starts turning on and the big sows come out to play! You ever eat them? I have in the past, just haven't recently.

Biggest one I ever caught was in about 1969. I guess I was about 15 then. This bowfin weighed over 15 pounds and was over 3 feet long. The white mark is a blem in the old pic. Pound for pound, this is probably one of the hardest fighting fish in the water. I sometimes go fishin' specifically for this fish. I fish the tail races at mill ponds and also in the mill pond. I use cut bait with a large cork. They're mighty ornery! The forum would not let me attach that pic in this thread as it is already attached in another thread. You can view it here at the bottom of this thread, titled, Big mud:

http://www.catfish1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72513

Bill in SC

Bowfin and gar are great fighting fish,but just bumb you out when your looking to bring food back home

Sorry to here you are only catching the BOWFIN and not the catfish...Some people like to eat them but not real fond...I have tried them and the meat when cleaning them are bright white and look like it would be very good...However when I have cooked them they taste air or sponge like the meat really has not taste...Not real sure why they would not taste good as they are a meat eater...

These fish are one heck of a fighter and fun to catch...Be careful they have teeth and are very aggresive...

813Fishing said:

27" and 26" both are 5.8 lbs
http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/166/l7e28e646b109e36c4e3da8el4.jpg
Down here in florida,I keep going catfishing at a local river and catch 10-12 bowfin in about 3 hours...Pretty funny to hear you guys only seeing a few. (Too bad bowfin hit before cats do,only ever caught 1 channel cat)
All my bowfin are caught on cut bluegill.
Heads,body,tail, you name it,they will eat it

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Well some folks think they taste really good...I may just not be cooking them right or preparing them right...I can tell ya know if you prepare them like you would a catfish they taste air or sponge like...The meat when filleted looks like it should be good...It is snow white and very thick,a bone structure simular to a cat...

It really had no taste to speak of...just kind of chaulky and sponge like...

This is just my take on it...There maybe other ways to do it to make it taste better...

metalman said:

Are they good to eat?...W

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This is what I did once and it was weird because it was like you were eating nothing.

Very nice fish.

Boil till the meat will come off of the bone.Mix the flesh with cornmeal(or 2/3 cornmeal-1/3 flour),beaten egg to hold together,chopped onion,garlic,salt & pepper.Make patties and fry.Gar or any fish can be done this way.Leave out the fish and it is still GOOD!

We often took the ingredients to the river or lake.If you did not catch fish,you still had good eating.Canned Salmon,Cod or most any fish are good like this.I have never tried Asian carp yet as we don't have them.

I love you Brothers and Sisters.

You would be surprised how long Grinnel (Bowfin) can live out of water too. They can breath air also.

I have never tried it like that before or any fish for that matter...Sounds like a hushpuppy with a little meat stuffing...LOL
Maybe someday I will try again...
Thanks for the recipe...

peewee williams said:

Boil till the meat will come off of the bone.Mix the flesh with cornmeal(or 2/3 cornmeal-1/3 flour),beaten egg to hold together,chopped onion,garlic,salt & pepper.Make patties and fry.Gar or any fish can be done this way.Leave out the fish and it is still GOOD!

We often took the ingredients to the river or lake.If you did not catch fish,you still had good eating.Canned Salmon,Cod or most any fish are good like this.I have never tried Asian carp yet as we don't have them.

I love you Brothers and Sisters.

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ya,thanks peewee.
Jim, ya gar and bowfin both have those lungs,they are still kicking after 30 minutes.

ya,thanks peewee.
Jim, ya gar and bowfin both have those lungs,they are still kicking after 30 minutes.

ya,thanks peewee.
Jim, ya gar and bowfin both have those lungs,they are still kicking after 30 minutes.

deerhunter4 said:

I have never tried it like that before or any fish for that matter...Sounds like a hushpuppy with a little meat stuffing...LOL
Maybe someday I will try again...
Thanks for the recipe...

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You got it.Hushpuppy recipe it is.The only difference is you want self rising corn meal and flour for hushpuppys.It don't matter if you use plain or self rising for the flat fish patties.

I love you Brothers and Sisters.peewee

They don't breath much air when we get them out of the water. We shoot them in the head with a .22 so they don't tear up everything in the boat.
BB in SC

i am gonna try gar balls this season. the hushpuppie type not what your thinking,lol. and for the asain ive never had it but a buddie of mine said they were better tasting than catfish. might want to fry it up before grinding it if ya ever get some. and pray you dont. there ruining fisheries here.

I have tried gar bites :smile2:,they taste like scallops.They are chewy and good but weird since your expecting fish.With ketchup they are pretty good though.