 BOWFIN
Scientific
Name: Amia calva
Other
Common Names: dogfish, mudfish, grindle, blackfish
Identification
A
close relative of the gar, the bowfin is a stout-bodied fish
with a long,
undulating dorsal fin that covers more than half
the length of its body. The tail fin is rounded, and adult males
have a very prominent black spot with an orange halo at the upper
base of the tail. The dorsal and tail fins are light olive with
dark mottling. Some bowfin have barbel-like nostrils that project
from
the head. In addition to gills, the bowfin has a modified air bladder
that enables it to use air by gulping at the water’s surface.
This feature allows it to thrive in North Carolina’s back waters
and swamps that are often very low in oxygen. A native fish in North Carolina waters, they are often mistaken
for the exotic northern snakehead fish.
Habitats and Habits
Bowfin live
in lakes and large slow-moving rivers with muddy bottoms and
dense vegetation. They tolerate silt and mud
and can survive in warm, stagnant water by breathing air. This
ability to breathe air allows bowfins to burrow in mud to survive
drought. Young bowfin eat phytoplankton, zooplankton and insects.
The adults eat fish, crayfish, small rodents, snakes, turtles
and leeches.
Fishing Techniques
Anglers can
catch bowfin using almost any standard bass bait from shiners
to topwater plugs to plastic worms. Their
value as a food fish is poor so anglers typically do not target
them. Anglers catch them occasionally when fishing for crappie,
perch or
catfish.
Good Places
to Fish
Anglers wishing
to catch bowfin should fish the coastal rivers of North Carolina.
Shallow habitats
with muddy
bottoms and abundant vegetation are good places. Smaller
tributaries draining swampy areas also hold numerous bowfin,
as do several
mill ponds in the Coastal region.
NCARP Minimum
Requirements: 10
pounds or 22 inches
State
Record: 17 lbs., 15 oz., from the Black River, June 21, 1997
World
Record: 21 lbs., 8 oz., from Forest
Lake, Florence, S.C., Jan. 29, 1980*
* Anglers
provide information on their potential world-record catches
directly to the International
Game Fish Association, which maintains the world records
for sport fishing.
Return
to Fish Profiles home
|
