# Blackfish or Bowfin



## 27metalman (Jun 29, 2020)

This one was 9.3 lbs.  Dad caught it while we were bass fishing.


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## Nicodemus (Jun 29, 2020)

Blackfish, down in this part of the South.

They have a pile of various assorted nicknames though.


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## Dutch (Jun 29, 2020)

Mudfish.


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## Thunder Head (Jun 29, 2020)

Never heard a Bowfin refereed to as a Black fish. Mud fish yes.

Interestingly,
 Go google black fish. There are a bunch of different species from around the world that are commonly called that.


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## 27metalman (Jun 29, 2020)

I grew up calling em blackfish.  Younger folks seem to call them bowfins.  I've heard the "mudfish" mentioned above.  I gigged one later in the day, but it was about as big as this one... pulled loose and bent my gig.


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## antharper (Jun 29, 2020)

Fun to catch ! I’ve always called them blackfish


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## Railroader (Jun 29, 2020)

...Cypress Trout!


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## Redbow (Jun 29, 2020)

Mudfish in SC and I have heard them called Blackfish here in NC..Prehistoric species I think I have read, they been around for a longggg time...


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## seeker (Jul 3, 2020)

In the early 70's, I heard them called a Nixon trout.


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## wvdawg (Jul 3, 2020)

Nice!


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## fishfryer (Jul 3, 2020)

Blackfish,Cypress Trout,Bowfin,Lake Lawyer,Grinnel. I grew up calling them Blackfish.


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## Cmp1 (Jul 3, 2020)

Mud fish,,,,


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## ratherbefishin (Jul 4, 2020)

mad sow


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## oops1 (Jul 4, 2020)

Always heard em called grinnel


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## chehawknapper (Jul 5, 2020)

Amia calva.....sorry, had to.


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## Hooked On Quack (Jul 5, 2020)

Whatever species you decide to call 'em, be sure and lip 'em . .


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## little rascal (Jul 11, 2020)

Choupique/ Shoepick


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## jimbo4116 (Jul 12, 2020)

Hooked On Quack said:


> Whatever species you decide to call 'em, be sure and lip 'em . .



Lip one and you will lose a few fingers.  We used to hold blackfish tournnament to try to get them out of small lakes.  Standard equipment was a claw hammer. For knocking them out.  They will come toward the boat with ease until they see it, then hang on.


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## Uptonongood (Aug 28, 2020)

Grindle, mudfish,Choupique, bowfin, Amia clava...


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## Toliver (Aug 30, 2020)

Hooked On Quack said:


> Whatever species you decide to call 'em, be sure and lip 'em . .


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## georgia_home (Aug 30, 2020)

I recall someone posting a video recently, I think it was for those. And how nasty they tasted. 

I recall it being mudfish, but perhaps I am mistaken. 

( video was of buggy fishing with family, and taking one home and cooking)


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## Redbow (Aug 31, 2020)

The smaller ones aren't bad eating at all. We used to soak them overnight in salt water then cook them the next day. The bigger Mudfish make good fertilizer..


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## 27metalman (Sep 1, 2020)

That last post is a cool pic.


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## Jim Boyd (Sep 25, 2020)

Mudfish. 

Great fighters. 

Used to find tidal influenced pools in the lower Ogeechee river and would wear them out. Used every lure in the tackle box that had never caught a darn thing just to say we caught something on that lure!


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## jiminbogart (Sep 29, 2020)

georgia_home said:


> I recall someone posting a video recently, I think it was for those. And how nasty they tasted.




I believe that was Deer Meat For Dinner on YT.


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## NCHillbilly (Sep 30, 2020)

I've always wanted to catch one of those. Really cool, prehistoric critters.


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## jerseycat9 (Oct 18, 2020)

Up in Ontario the locals called them dogfish.


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## oppthepop (Oct 23, 2020)

Grinnel - that's what we have always called them. Caught a lot of them in beaver ponds when I was younger. Largest weighed 17 pounds and caught it on a crappie minnow. Gave it to an old fellow who was fishing along the creek that fed the beaver pond. You would have thought I gave him a million dollars! Wish I had a picture of that dinosaur, but MAN that was a LOOOOONG time ago!


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## Seanote (Oct 24, 2020)

Shaw Grigbsy, BASS Pro, lipped one on television in a tournament in Florida.  He didn't loose any digits, but lost some meat and skin.  I remember him discussing it after the event.  It was deep in the pads and he couldn't see it well enough to determine it wasn't a bass.  What a disappointment that must have been!  He said he would never lip another fish that he couldn't identify.


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## dtala (Oct 25, 2020)

watched my youngest brother lip a snapper in the Keys ONCE...he didn't see the humor but we laughed for days.


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## fishfryer (Oct 25, 2020)

Don't ever lip a chain pickerel(jackfish) either, I'll let you guess how I know.


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## redeli (Oct 27, 2020)

Obama Bass


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## RootConservative (Nov 18, 2020)

bowfin, mudfish, mud pike, dogfish, griddle, grinnel, swamp trout, blackfish, bonnetmouth, cottonfish, cypress trout and choupique names i've seen on this forum.


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## Son (Jan 31, 2021)

Have caught some large one's. Mud fish is what we always called then down in Florida. Some years ago, a friend ask me to catch fish for a Friday supper he had scheduled for some high class friends. Preparing to cook what I had caught and cleaned, he said. That's not enough fish. That's when I told him there was about a nine pound mudfish left on the bank down by the river. We retrieved the mudfish, filleted it, then fried it along with the rest. Cooked up a beautiful golden color. As the friends were enjoying the meal. One lady ask the friend. What kind of fish is this, talking about the mudfish fillets. He said, ask Son, he caught the fish. I replied. Cypress Bass. Then the lady said, it was some of the best fish she had ever eaten. So, remember, it's Cypress Bass.


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## Railroader (Feb 1, 2021)

My Dad, who never wasted anything, would cook big mudfish.

Skin it, soak it, parboil it, pick it, and fry like salmon patties.

They were good eatin'!

Of course, with enough pepper, onion, Old Bay, and Frank's Red Hot, you can eat just about anything.. lol.


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## catch22 (Feb 2, 2021)

mudfish!


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## DRBugman85 (Feb 6, 2021)

Nicodemus said:


> Blackfish, down in this part of the South.
> 
> They have a pile of various assorted nicknames though.


Cypress trout


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## madsam (Feb 7, 2021)

Boff'em !!!! Hard Fighter and fun to catch......


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## Ruger#3 (Feb 7, 2021)

Grinnel, backwaters of AR were full of them. Caught a bunch while cat fishing.


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## fishfryer (Feb 7, 2021)

Ruger#3 said:


> Grinnel, backwaters of AR were full of them. Caught a bunch while cat fishing.


I found cutbait on a treble hook will get the job done.


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## alwayslookin (Feb 8, 2021)

Son said:


> Have caught some large one's. Mud fish is what we always called then down in Florida. Some years ago, a friend ask me to catch fish for a Friday supper he had scheduled for some high class friends. Preparing to cook what I had caught and cleaned, he said. That's not enough fish. That's when I told him there was about a nine pound mudfish left on the bank down by the river. We retrieved the mudfish, filleted it, then fried it along with the rest. Cooked up a beautiful golden color. As the friends were enjoying the meal. One lady ask the friend. What kind of fish is this, talking about the mudfish fillets. He said, ask Son, he caught the fish. I replied. Cypress Bass. Then the lady said, it was some of the best fish she had ever eaten. So, remember, it's Cypress Bass.


Lol, that's crazy.
Always called em mudfish or bowfin. Still catch em from time to time. Have caught em on minnows, shiners, cut bait, and even plastics. Fun to catch!


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## Uptonongood (Mar 2, 2021)

little rascal said:


> Choupique/ Shoepick


Ah, south Louisiana...!


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## fi8shmasty (Mar 3, 2021)

They call them dog fish in wisconsin


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## blood on the ground (Mar 3, 2021)

Is it a invasive species?


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## NCHillbilly (Mar 3, 2021)

blood on the ground said:


> Is it a invasive species?


Nope, they're native. And ancient.


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## blood on the ground (Mar 3, 2021)

NCHillbilly said:


> Nope, they're native. And ancient.


Dang, never heard of it.


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## Son (Mar 4, 2021)

Cypress bass some like to eat em


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## BOWFINWHITT (Mar 23, 2021)

Bowfin...we shoot 2 or 3 Everytime we go bowfishing.


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## 27metalman (May 8, 2021)

Just posted a pic of an 8 lb one I caught last week in the Bragging Board thread.


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## BBowman (Sep 5, 2021)

We would filet them, cut the filets into strips, then wash the strips with water and pat them dry. Then we’d batter and fry the strips. Great eat’n fish. You can’t freeze the meat. Everytime we froze then thawed and cooked, the meat would become cottony and swell as you chewed it.


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