# Huge Bowfin/Good Bass on Yellow River



## Geezer (Mar 30, 2014)

Caught this huge Bowfin on Saturday 6/20 on Rod & Reel. I've never seen one this big. Wonder just how big they get. Caught the bass on a cricket, while fishing for bream. The irony is that there was a bass tournament going on around us all morning, keeping the water stirred up.


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## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

Nice bass and muddy, I seen a guy at the slough just above log lake catch one on a live bream that was 18lbs, biggest I've seen on YR. Did you catch an bream?


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

That's a big ol' bowfin. Did it eat a cricket?


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## Geezer (Mar 30, 2014)

jcoss15 said:


> Nice bass and muddy, I seen a guy at the slough just above log lake catch one on a live bream that was 18lbs, biggest I've seen on YR. Did you catch an bream?


The bream bite was not good & only caught 4 keepers. However, we did catch about a dozen small channel cats. I attributed the poor bream bite to so many bass boats going back & forth past us so much. Nothing against them. Those guys were having a ball with their tournament & were really courteous. They all slowed when they saw us.


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## Geezer (Mar 30, 2014)

Bodupp said:


> That's a big ol' bowfin. Did it eat a cricket?


I caught him on a cut up piece of river roach. He gave me a good fight. Those things have some bad looking teeth & are really strong. I had to stick him with an ice pick several times in order to get him to cooperate for the photo.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

Man, I have never seen a bowfin that large. People actually eat those things out in Louisiana. That was pound of meat and I bet you tossed him back to the gators.

http://www.bowfinanglers.com/recipes.html


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## Geezer (Mar 30, 2014)

fishwalton said:


> Man, I have never seen a bowfin that large. People actually eat those things out in Louisiana. That was pound of meat and I bet you tossed him back to the gators.
> 
> http://www.bowfinanglers.com/recipes.html


That is a new one on me. I never heard of anyone eating one of these things. I always heard that if you tried to eat one, the more you chewed, the bigger it got. Hence, the nickname "Cottonfish." You are right, as soon as I got the photo, overboard he went.

I wonder how many on this forum has eaten a Bowfin/Cottonfish, or tried to.


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## tibiasterrible (Oct 17, 2013)

Me and a buddy ate some last year. caught them while we were messing around after scouting a few spots for duck blinds. Eatable but not good. cubbed up and fried it.


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## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

That's a big old grinnell ! A fine bass too !


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## Garbo (Oct 2, 2007)

Dang 


Cool Report 

Thanks.


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## Fielro (Jun 4, 2012)

Nice bass, congrats


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

State record bowfin in Bama is 18#6oz. I think 19# in fl I keep catching the same 30" one at my dock. 3 times now. They're pretty dumb


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Try'n Hard said:


> State record bowfin in Bama is 18#6oz. I think 19# in fl I keep catching the same 30" one at my dock. 3 times now. They're pretty dumb


If you get tired of your "pet", you can always use Geezer's ice pick trick - which I like btw.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

Yeah. The first time I caught him I didn't have my glasses on and I reached down and lipped him.... That's a lesson I will never forget


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## KingCrab (Apr 29, 2012)

Cotton fish, Grenels, Cajuns call the Chickapins I think.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

I think a chinquapin is a crappie. We pronounce it "CHAN-KEE-PIN"


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## Spoolin Up (May 3, 2011)

I ate some once, on a camping/survival kick, not the best table fare. Caught mine on an ultralight off of a slew on yellow river.. they get big for sure. 

Sent from my SPH-L710T using Tapatalk


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## basnbud (Jul 20, 2011)

I've heard a good way to cook em is to cover them with a cow patty, bake till done, then remove cow patty and throw fish away and eat the patty.

basnbud


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

Those are some goodens!!!! Congrats on a good day!


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## anglerdavidm (Feb 12, 2009)

*bowfin*

I once caught one 34-inches and 22 lbs on the Bogo up in small lake in northeaster Indiana. I thought it was a huge bass to start with. They are great fighters and will eat just about anything. This lake was hysterical at times. The Amish people up there would pull their boat trailers to the lake and back it in with their horses, and the proceed to start the outboard and go fishin.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

anglerdavidm said:


> I once caught one 34-inches and 22 lbs on the Bogo up in small lake in northeaster Indiana. I thought it was a huge bass to start with. They are great fighters and will eat just about anything. This lake was hysterical at times. The Amish people up there would pull their boat trailers to the lake and back it in with their horses, and the proceed to start the outboard and go fishin.



Wow! You shoulda made that one official! Beats the Indiana record by over 6 pounds


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