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Posted

Is anyone else having trouble posting? The text keeps jumping around after you get to the end of the box. Has there been a limit put on length of replys? I can't even get back to the home page? That keeps jumping around also?

click the black down arrow on the right side of the tan bar above the text box, it extends the text box and will stop the jumping until you reach the bottom.

also, if you cant ID a bowfin by the skull, it is not a bowfin. and i dont believe it can be a record, as a DNR officer must be present on an official weigh in. if the fish has been decayed, there is no way to get an exact weight. therefore, it cannot be considered a record

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Posted

Is anyone else having trouble posting? The text keeps jumping around after you get to the end of the box. Has there been a limit put on length of replys? I can't even get back to the home page? That keeps jumping around also?

Grebe, I had same issue. You prolly have IE8. You must use compat mode. Then it works the way it should. There is post somewhere about how to set this, I believe in the Page - Compat view settings area.

Posted

Ah! Dunka. That stretched it out, so now I should be good? Never had to do that before, just fired away and it kept up with me? Oh well, whatever works, thanks.

Posted

BoxMN, whats lE8?

Posted

Well it sounds like the head, body, and fins all looked like a dogfish. It was the scales that were odd and larger from what I heard. There was no decay in the one day burried in cool soil and the dnr guy took it straight in to be weighed and verified.

Posted

Well it sounds like the head, body, and fins all looked like a dogfish. It was the scales that were odd and larger from what I heard. There was no decay in the one day burried in cool soil and the dnr guy took it straight in to be weighed and verified.

i still will think of this as only a tall tale until it is verified

Posted

BoxMN, whats lE8?

Internet Explorer 8

Spreadsheet sent RTS

Posted

Dunka!

Posted

Jakesbud,

I would like one also, please and thanks! ryan_seabright at hotmail.com.

Posted

I sure hope it is not a snakehead.

Posted

I sure hope it is not a snakehead.

You never know they had one in Wisconsin.

On a side note. I don't think she deserves the record she obviously has no respect for the fish if she buried it. I love fishing for bowfin and don't understand why others don't? People fish for bass because the fight not eating quality, and in my experience bowfin put up a much better fight than bass.

Posted

I would rank bowfin in the top 5 for sport quality easily, with the ranks of lake trout, carp, catfish, and smallmouth bass!

I hear all the time about people catching them and either throwing them on shore or cutting them open and letting them back into the water. I guess if a fishes' name doesn't start with a wall and end in an eye it's no good.

Posted

unless of course it starts with a "sal" and ends with a "mon":) Seriously though, I can see why some guys like fishing hard fighting rough (or nearly) rough fish like cats, bowfin, carp and sturgeon; I like a spring trip to the Rainy myself to see if I can better my biggest sturge. But when push comes to shove, no way do they compete in my mind with top predator species like salmon, muskie, or even walleye. I'd sooner troll or cast for hard charging predators than soak bait for the most part. Yeah, of course once in a while some will hook one of the rough species on a lure, but by and large they're caught soaking bait and sucking thier existence off the bottom.

Posted

Quote:
unless of course it starts with a "sal" and ends with a "mon":) Seriously though, I can see why some guys like fishing hard fighting rough (or nearly) rough fish like cats, bowfin, carp and sturgeon; I like a spring trip to the Rainy myself to see if I can better my biggest sturge. But when push comes to shove, no way do they compete in my mind with top predator species like salmon, muskie, or even walleye. I'd sooner troll or cast for hard charging predators than soak bait for the most part. Yeah, of course once in a while some will hook one of the rough species on a lure, but by and large they're caught soaking bait and sucking thier existence off the bottom.

If you want a hard charging fish that will crush a lure. Make a hard charge. Make a run on your line that will end with it comming to the surface and doing a tail walk then turn and make a dive into the shaddow of your boat then make another run? Then you want to fish for Bowfin!

I catch most of my Bowfin on crankbaits and spoons. Bowfin are by all means a top predator species. The only place they are not a top predator species is in you mind.

Posted

We're fishing different waters my friend. I've been tossing spoons, cranks, and pretty much everything under the sun in MN for 40 years and have caught not 1, zip, nadda dogfish on the aforementioned baits. picked up a few over the years ice fishing for eyes, a few hit on jigs below dams, and sure they put up a fight. But a top notch predator?? Please.

Posted

If you've seen how a bowfin attacks a spoon or crank during the spawn you would change your opinion in a heart beat. They are angry eating machines at certine times of the year.

Posted

We sure are fishing differant waters.

This one took a spoon.

cid_529.jpg

This male in spawning colors took a crankbait.

cid_176.jpg

This armored head is not the head of a bottom feeder. A jaw spreader will not keep a Bowfin from closing its mouth and with teeth like that. We are talking predator.

BowfinSkullLabel.jpg

Posted

Quote:
a few hit on jigs below dams,

I see you haven't watched a Bowfin go on the hunt below a dam. If you had you would have a strong feeling that the reason the other fish were there was because the Bowfin chased them there. There is a small dam on the Cannon River near where I live and every year I see small fish pushed up into the shallows traped by Bowfin which are swimming back and forth in the deeper water just waiting for one of the smaller fish to be foolish enough to make a break for it. A Bowfin can also gulp air from the surface to give it an advantage over other fish in warm low oxygen waters.

Posted

The reason people dont like carp is because first of all its not a natural fish and 2nd they ruin more lakes than any other fish. Ive never heard of a lake choked off by Bowfins.

Posted

A bowfin wouldn't be living for over 100 million years if it wasn't a top notch predator. Sure, I've caught bowfin while soaking a crawler on the bottom, but I've also caught my biggest walleye doing that! And lot's of bass, a pike, even a muskie! I've caught bowfin with a minnow and bobber and casting spinners...so to consider them a bottom feeder is probably not very accurate. I've also seen them chase and feed on schools of baitfish infront of the overflow dam on the vermillion river (aka bowfin capital of minnesota!). I think they play just as important of a role as a bass or pike in helping keep small panfish numbers in check. Would I ever eat one? Probably not. crazy

Posted

I would never even consider eating a bowfin, that much I know. Saying that they're not a top of the line predator is a pretty ignorant thing to say-no offense. They're terribly ugly fish, and terribly aggressive. First bowfin I ever caught was on a berkley blade dancer( i dont even know if they still make those) the fish hit hard on a long cast, but missed, so i casted back and the fish smacked it hard again. They're definitely aggressive and fun fish to go after, I've never once caught one on live bait. Earlier this year my friend actually caught one on a figure-8 maneuver boatside, while we were muskie fishing-he ate it on the second turn and it was hilarious. IF that's not aggressive, I don't know what is.

It's a bit of a shame that they get such a bad rap because of how ugly they are.

Posted

Don't say you would not eat one, or anything, until you try. They are awsome smoked. don't ask just try!!

Posted

I've caught over 12 bowfin this last year all but one on live bait fishing eyes. Love the fight, they are a good time.

Posted

Quote:
The reason people dont like carp is because first of all its not a natural fish and 2nd they ruin more lakes than any other fish. Ive never heard of a lake choked off by Bowfins.

I know some people don't like hearing this but Carp are the #1 game fish in the world and Carp are most likely the smartest fish in the lakes you fish. Just because you don't get bombarded constantly with advertisements of how cool you would be if you use brand X to catch Carp. It doesn’t mean Carp are bad fish. There is a lake near where I live that is full of 12lb and bigger Carp. All I ever heard is people complain about all of these big fish in this lake. All I have to say to them is; when was the last time you caught a fish that weighted 18lb? For me it was today. It took me into the backing on my 8wt. Last week in one day I boated 10 fish for over 150lbs total. How has your fishing been?

I once heard someone say; It's the most fun you can have in fresh water. I concur.

Posted

good to see the ol' dogfish has so many supporters:) Enjoy them guys, I've got salmon (and steelhead, walleyes, muskies, etc... to catch:) Maybe I'm just lucky to be able to get to a lot of good water up north:)

Posted

Ironically enough, last week's issue of outdoor news had an article about fish IQ. Carp finished 3rd behind striped bass and bigmouth buffalo...bowfin were 5th. So according to this test, bowfin are smarter than pike, smallmouth and largemouth bass, sunnies and perch.

Posted

I guess that doens't come as a surprise...and I'll take back the "not a top predator" line too. In thier enviroment I'm sure they do incite fear among the smaller species. After all, they're big, and do have a nice set of teeth. Maybe I should have said not a worthy target species. Yeah, I'm sure nobody will argue that one:) I'm still not gonna fish em...

Posted

first and only dogfish i have ever caught were on spinnerbaits, just smacked them in about 4 feet of water.

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • leech~~
    • smurfy
      🤣 did your nose just grow a bit!😏🤭
    • Wanderer
      I hope to be fishing….  It’s so rare that I get to go, I hate passing up the opportunity. 😉   
    • leech~~
      Since the Vikings are never in it. We use it for an excuse to make some fun stuff!  Last year was a bit light. Hot cheese bean dip, hot wings and pepperoni cheese bread! 😋
    • Hookmaster
      That snow and the 15-25 mph winds on Thursday with higher gusts will be nasty drifting. I didn't go to LOW (can I say that in the this thread?🤫) this week because of it.
    • smurfy
      Who's watching the big game Sunday? More importantly what's ya'all cooking!   I like good football si I'm tuning in. Food... yea no clue yet 
    • Wanderer
      Hard to see em well enough to tell.
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
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    • JerkinLips
      Same story, different day (Monday).  Caught several small walleyes (biggest were 14 and 15 inches) with the best bite from 2-5pm.  Caught my record walleye this winter at 6½ (inches, not pounds).  Was wondering why the bobber kept going down a couple inches for several minutes until I finally reeled it up.  Fortunately it was just hooked in the lips.  Having a lively minnow definitely improved the action.  I put down a pike sucker for the first time this winter and got an immediate hard bite.  When I went to set the hook, the line broke just above the hook.  Don't know if it was a northern bite-off or just weak line by the hook.  May try some pike suckers next trip.   Ice conditions were very good except for heavy drifting (even with very little fresh snow).  Didn't see any vehicles traveling off road except for snowmobiles and a tracked SxS, although there weren't many people out on the lake.  Water came up around my house about 1½ inches but froze very quickly with the cold weather and no snow on top.  Will probably have to block it up again next time up.   Good luck fishing and be careful of severe drifting of snow, especially with the 3-5 inches they are predicting for Wednesday night.  
    • leech~~
      Why, do they all only wear Sitka camo over there? 😏
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