Dogfish? Eat'em, Kill'em, or Let'em Go?

[Johnny]

BOWFIN or MUDFISH - - -
They both wreak havoc on the SPORTFISH population like Bass, Bluegill and Crappie !!!
throw them on land for the night critters such as possums and raccoons.

OR !!! visit the Florida Bowfin website for more information https://www.bowfinanglers.com/fl.html

Personally, I cut them up and put them in my garden.
Now that I think about it,,,, I think I have never seen a stunted gamefish in Florida due to overcrowding.
Moreover, I am doing my best to relieve the overcrowding issue of salt AND freshwater fish !! LOL


There is nothing more grand
than to be just simply messing
around in an old boat. POGO-1960

 

[lswoody]

We catch a bowfin or 2 every time we camp on the river on our set hooks. We always kill them. They will tear up a set pole.

 

[ccm]

I've been trying to catch one for quite some time now. In my opinion there is no such thing as trash fish and all fish have some sporting quality whether invasive or native. Some invasive species are great to eat while others fulfill a specific niche or role into the environment because of other invasive species ( ex. Tilapia & Hydrilla ) and some need to be eliminated because they pose a danger to humans and the ecosystem ( silver & Asian carp ). In my opinion if the fish is native and your not going to eat the fish/use it for bait there is no sense in killing it. Dogfish/Grinnell/Bowfin/Cypress Trout make great catfish bait especially for big blues ( I read this in an In Fisherman magazine where tank studies were done and big blues munched these first) I have not tried it yet as I have not caught one to see if this little experiment rings true.

 

[Analog Kid]

At my buddy's house on the butler chain in central fl we use to catch good sized largemouth every with every shiner. Now only these. We call them either bowfin or mud fish. They put up a nice fight though

 

[Johnny]

on the Butler Chain in central FL we use to catch good sized largemouth every with every shiner. Now only these. We call them either bowfin or mud fish

So Kid - - - in your opinion - - do you think the over population of the Mudfish or Bowfin has
something to do with the dwindling numbers of the Large Mouth Bass ???


IMHO - I think they do.

 

[satx78247]

To ALL:

Here in TX, we call them "tourist trout". = HARD-fighting & REALLY fun to catch on a light spinning rod.
(The largest one that I've ever caught was @ 12# and he "gave me a fit" for about 15 minutes on a light/conventional spinning outfit, that is one of my "crappie rigs", and struck a white feather/hair jig. - Bowfin/Grindle/"Cypress Trout" will almost ALWAYS hit a WHITE artificial lure/worm.)

As to eating, they taste OK as long as they are SCALDING HOT but taste RAW again if they cool off.
(Personally, I release them, so that I can catch them again. They are LIVING FOSSILS from the Jurassic Period.)

just my opinion, satx

 

[SumDumGuy]

 

[Johnny]

on sooooooo many levels, that right there - - - JUST AIN'T RIGHT

 

[satx78247]

SumDumGuy,

RotflmRao.

yours, satx

 

[satx78247]

Barefoot_Johnny,

Fyi, bowfins make GREAT cut bait, as they are BLOODY & stay on the hook well. = Channel & blue cats LOVE them - thus they are great trotline bait.

yours, satx

 

[JMichael]

Everyone around here call them Grinnel, and most everyone I know kills them and feeds them to the turtles just as fast as they catch them. They usually run 3-6 lbs here, and if you hook one of them on a fly rod or microlite rig, it can be a lot of fun.

 

[satx78247]

JMichael,

When I was in college in SW AR, (LONG, LONG ago) on the Caddo River, my first BIG (over 10#) grindle/grinnel was hooked on a 9ft bamboo fly rod and on a "frog pattern" bass-bug. (Most of the morning, I had been taking a BUNCH of 1-2 pound LM bass out of the edge of the lilly pads, so that that was a SURPRIZE.) = That was a FIGHT to remember!!!
(Seemed like forever till he was netted.)

Btw, the biologist of the AG&FD department said that the "tourist trout" mostly catch/eat carp/buffalo/suckers and SICK fish, as healthy game-fish are USUALLY too quick for them.
(TOO BAD that they aren't common where the Asian Carp are!!!!)

yours, satx

 

[BassAddict]

[attachment=-1]uploadfromtaptalk1401587922689.jpg[/attachment]

We let it go

 

[JMichael]

satx78247 » Yesterday, 14:32[/url]"]JMichael,

When I was in college in SW AR, (LONG, LONG ago) on the Caddo River, my first BIG (over 10#) grindle/grinnel was hooked on a 9ft bamboo fly rod and on a "frog pattern) bass-bug. (Most of the morning, I had been taking a BUNCH of 1-2 pound LM bass out of the edge of the lilly pads, so that that was a SURPRIZE.) = That was a FIGHT to remember!!!
(Seemed like forever till he was netted.)

Btw, the biologist of the AG&FD department said that the "tourist trout" mostly catch/eat carp/buffalo/suckers and SICK fish, as healthy game-fish are USUALLY too quick for them.
(TOO BAD that they aren't common where the Asian Carp are!!!!)

yours, satx

Wow! I can't imagine one that large on a fly rod. I be that was fun. My biggest is about 5.5 lb. I caught one the other day on an 11 ft bream pole. He was about 3.5-4 lb and that was fun. I've never heard what the AG&F's take was on grinnel so that's interesting. We are just now starting to see the occasional Asain carp in this area. I don't believe I've been out on any fishing trip so far that I've seen 2 on the same day. But I have no doubt that they will explode onto the scene very soon.

BassAddict » Yesterday, 19:59[/url]"][attachment=-1]uploadfromtaptalk1401587922689.jpg[/attachment]

We let it go

If thats a dogfish, they sure do look like sharks.

 

[Captain Ahab]

Shark without teeth!

They are a PITA


And caught commercially up and down our coast


Filet-O-Fish - hardly more like Filet-O-Doggie

 

[satx78247]

That photo is of a shark & they DO have numerous small/sharp teeth, though the gums conceal them until they BITE.
(Try putting a finger in their mouth & you'll draw back a bloody stump.)

"Dogfish"/the smaller sharks make GOOD smoked fish, ("fish & chips" in the UK is traditionally shark, though the Brits NOW use other kinds of fish too.) and I've also deep-fried lots of them in that way over the years.
(When we go to "the family place" on Oak Island, NC each year after Christmas, "dogfish" are about all that's biting "off the town pier" & they are great fun on a light rod/reel.)

yours, satx

 

[Captain Ahab]

Dude - that photo is off a Smooth Dogfish - they have rasp like teeth (the teeth are actually flat) that WILL NOT draw blood - I have caught thousands of them over the years

Dentition of the smooth dogfish differs greatly from other sharks which have sharp blade-like teeth. The small teeth of the smooth dogfish are flat and blunt, similar in both the upper and lower jaws. They are asymmetrical with a rounded apex or cusp. Large mature smooth dogfish has tooth crowns that are low, hiding the cusps. The 8-10 rows of functional teeth are used to crush and grind prey items rather than bite and tear as with other species of sharks.


As far as food - not that great, but edible

They are loaded in the waters around here (both smooth and spiny types)

You might be confusing this with a Brown Shark (aka Sandbar Shark) which have a nice set of teeth

 

[satx78247]

Captain Ahab,

Well, you may well be correct. - That photo LOOKS LIKE what we call a "dogfish" in coastal NC & along the Gulf Coast. = And YEP, the NC/LA/TX "cousins" taste GOOD on the BBQ, smoked or deep fried.
(The ones that we "call" dogfish have numerous SHARP teeth, as I found out when I once tried to unhook a 2.5 foot one, without a hook disgorger/pliers. = I have NOT made that DUMB mistake again. - I still have the 2" scar, where he bit my hand.)

yours, satx

 

[BassAddict]

Captain Ahab,

Well, you may well be correct. - That photo LOOKS LIKE what we call a "dogfish" in coastal NC & along the Gulf Coast. = And YEP, the NC/LA/TX "cousins" taste GOOD on the BBQ, smoked or deep fried.
(The ones that we "call" dogfish have numerous SHARP teeth, as I found out when I once tried to unhook a 2.5 foot one, without a hook disgorger/pliers. = I have NOT made that DUMB mistake again. - I still have the 2" scar, where he bit my hand.)

yours, satx

Either Ahabs right or my brother got really lucky! Had to lip em to get the hook out.

Edit : Admitting Ascab is right really hurts!!! Feel so dirty........

 

[Dark3]

I love catching bowfin. I catch a couple every year. Caught one 5.5 pounder this year already.

Put them back they are a great sport fish and not an invasive issue like a snakehead as they are commonly mistaken for