Dog Fish

I was just thinking, all the lakes I have fished and over many years I have never caught one. Are they rare?

They don’t seem to be common in all lakes, like Perch or Pike or Sunfish. I’ve been vacationing around the Aitkin area for over 30 years, and those lakes hold healthy populations. I’ve had them hit flies, crankbaits, and spinner baits. They put up a tremendous fight, great fun.

S.R.

I’ve only caught a couple and wouldn’t hurt my feelings if I ever caught another. Yea they put up a good fight but there just as ugly and disgusting as an eelpout.

My 2 cents.

glenn57 wrote:

Yea they put up a good fight but there just as ugly and disgusting as an eelpout.

I’ve only caught 2 and both were one hell of a fight like Glenn says. Much like a large carp, you’re excited as all hell until it gets close to the boat and you realize what it is.

Sheepshead relate the same when when walleye fishing. Think ya got a wall hanging walleye then you see that sheepshead.:???:

Dogfish have amazingly strong jaws. I’ve had more good tackle wrecked by dogfish than any other fish.

Ice fished a Mississippi backwater yesterday and saw three on the underwater camera. They were within 10yds to each other; just laying flat on the bottom like a log. Also on another backwater lake had one swim up a stick their nose up the ice hole. Wish I could’ve played Whack-a-Mole with him LOL

Largemouth Bass guys run into them frequently on Pool 4 and tributaries like the Chippewa. I’ve caught a handful. The spinner bait I was using on the last one resembled a coat hanger after the encounter.

Caught many of those miserable things in the backwaters of the Mississippi River. Seems when we I get into panfish, in the summer at least, the dogfish are on the hook and spoiling the fun.

Had a lot destroy scum frogs in the pads. Good times really.

buckybadger wrote:

Largemouth Bass guys run into them frequently on Pool 4 and tributaries like the Chippewa. I’ve caught a handful. The spinner bait I was using on the last one resembled a coat hanger after the encounter.

I rest my wrecked bait claim with this post.

growing up in minneapolis I used to target them on Minnehaha creek, thought they were much more fun to catch than carp. actually found them pretty easy to target, catch a couple creek chubs throw them on a treble with a weight, put a few slices in them and wait. Like was said earlier hell of a fight.

They are a beautiful fish, love the flowing fin, spot on the back, knarly rounded head, color in clear water is very nice. They are in my guess a victom of their own aggresivenes, they tend to just demolish lures, nobody keeps them but because people are not always good at handling fish and because they get hooked deeply they end up washed up and dead.Spear fisherman maybe thinking they are doing everyone a favor spear them and don’t even keep them. Lakes with big ‘gills often have them becuase they keep the lake from getting stunted.If like me you seek out lakes with poor or no accesses (less pressure) you will see higher numbers of doggie (and big everything else) so don’t ‘dog the dog’!

Ahhh the Bowfin. I think Iowaboy1 eats them.

Slawrenz – We use to catch them in the creek between Hiawatha and the falls. You would see them in schools swimming at the surface.

I think they’re awesome fish. I can’t think of a freshwater fish that puts up a battle like a bowfin. And I agree that they absolutely demolish lures.

Probably 10 years ago, I stopped and talked to a older guy (and based on his drawl, a southerner) on a fishing pier on Twin Lake in Robbinsdale. He was targeting bowfin with minnows and actually had a number of them on a stringer. He claimed that they are delicious, but I have never tried one.

When you are walleye fishing and catch one, it sure is a disappointment to see that trophy walleye turn into a dog fish as you grab the net. I had my elderly dad out on Pokegama (Grand Rapids) and he hooked into one. Thinking it was a walleye and seeing how hard it was fighting … digging down just like a trophy walleye … it sure was a bummer to see it turn out to be a dog fish. Oh yeah, they smell pretty bad, too. I’m all for those who want to target them, though. More for you, less for me.

Fun fish to catch. Once you know it is a doggie, your joy turns to fear of losing your bait or having it destroyed. Very slippery and tough to unhook. They do not call them mudfish for nothing.

And did you know how they got their name? They Bark!
Well, ok, it’s kind of a bark but they do let out what sounds like one.

While we were camping on the south side of ML, my Dad claimed he saw one crawl out of a hole on the bank of a harbor and walk to the water? I don’t know, maybe margarita’s we’re involved but he told the story every time we were there.

Come up to brained, I can name a few lakes that have a ton of them in.

for sure state record dogfish has swam under my dock a few times last summer, had it nip at my lure a couple of times but never ate…

Many years ago, my Wife and I were staying at a resort near Aitkin. It was our first day on that lake. We were working our way down a shoreline right at dusk, pitching Spinnerbaits at shore cover and catching some very nice Bass. Then I hooked something considerably bigger and heavier and meaner. All I saw was long, dark green and thick. I’m thinking “State Record Largemouth”. Well we went around and around for quite a while before I finally got this fish up to the boat where Mona expertly got it into the net. I grabbed the rim and hoisted it into the boat and……sigh…….Unhooked it and threw it back. Mona thought I was insane and all I could do was look at her and say “Arf Arf”.
At first I was disappointed, but man what a tussle! It was a fun fish to catch. Years later I was fishing this same lake with my son-in-law Mike. We were on a bunch of big Bluegills and Pumpkinseeds. I was using a 4 weight fly rod (essentially an ultra light to you non-fly fishers), 4# tippet, and a bead head nymph tied on a #8 hook. This setup was great fun on those ‘gills, but then I hooked into a fish that just swam away as though it wasn’t hooked. There wasn’t a lot I could do about things for quite a while. Eventually I was well into the backing before I slowed it down and started getting some line back. This happened 4 times before the fish finally was tired enough to land. It was a 28 inch long Dogfish, hooked right in the upper lip. Again I was chagrined to see it was a Dogfish, but also realized that landing a fish like that on a light weight fly rod meant I could probably handle a big Trout or something too. Great fun and a memorable battle.

S.R.

They do put up a tough fight and knowing you are going to have to unhook them. You unhook them and then they look back you and they are smiling at you. that’s creepy!!!

They have the ability to breathe get oxygen from air or water which allows them to live where other fish can’t Bowfin wiki

Dan wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>glenn57 wrote:</div>
Yea they put up a good fight but there just as ugly and disgusting as an eelpout.

I’ve only caught 2 and both were one hell of a fight like Glenn says. Much like a large carp, you’re excited as all hell until it gets close to the boat and you realize what it is.

Same way I feel when I catch a walleye…except without the fight.

I’ve caught them on dare devils as well.

Pete did an article on fishing for them a long while back.

How to Dog Fish

We used to occasionally catch them trolling on the lake I grew up on near the Horseshoe Chain. I remember the first time we caught one… into the World Book encyclopedia to the fish identifying section.

One time a number of years ago, we had some sunnies in a dockside basket (don’t tell gimruis). We were relaxing by the fire and heard some commotion down in the water, so I grabbed a spotlight and was surprised to see a bowfin trying its damndest to get at those sunnies.

You’re busted Wiggum!

Can’t say that I’ve ever caught one. Had one on a couple times bass fishing, but got off. Really don’t care to catch one based on stories from friends and family about them. Plus if they wreck lures, I don’t want any part of that since there are more than enough pike out there that are good at that anyways.

Chew on this: did you know that the dogfish/bowfin is one of only two freshwater fish in the entire world that can breath atmospheric air like a mammal AND breath oxygen in the water through its gills? When the water quality is so poor that there’s not enough oxygen for their gills, they will simply come up to the surface and grab a gulp of air. Their swim bladder can be instantly converted to a lung. The other species of fish that is capable of this: the African Lungfish.

Had one wreck a spinnerbait north of Madison Lake years ago, got him in the net, and brought it in the boat to show my “then” young sons.
He slimed the carpet as I was unhooking him and releasing him.
After that there were so many biting flies in the boat we had to take water from the lake to wash the carpet. That helped, but by then the flies had about eaten us up,so we quit.

I thought snakeheads were capable of breathing air along with alligator gar and some others.