Dogfish/bowfin

[richhodg66]

I have eaten carp, gar and buffalo quite a bit. Carp and buffalo are good smoked or made into patties. Gar isn't bad, they're just a lot of trouble to clean.

I don't think we have bowfins here. I bowfished hard for many years and never saw one.

[Tom W.]

They'll tear up a bass lure pretty badly, and a spinner bait will be useless. But they sure do fight great!

And their teeth are very sharp.

[high standard 40]

I have eaten bowfin and it wasn't bad. Fillet, remove the blood line, and fry like any other fish. This applies to freshly caught bowfin. Plenty of low income people here seek out bowfin and I have heard that if you freeze it, the meat gets mushy.

[Tripplebeards]

Well, I soaked the fillets in salt water for 24 hours and froze it. Before I froze it I gave it a shake in the container I was soaking it (in the fridge and ice water the whole time). When I shook it a few times in water the water turned into a cloud from what ever must have disintegrated or soaked out of the fillets. Never had happen that with any other fish. After the shaking I could tell the meat looked cleaner. What was all the cloudy junk that came out of the fish? The meat felt a little mushy and loose after the soak where before it was a good solid, firm texture. What ever the soak did it must have removed some meat since it literally looked like a white cloud in the water after shaking. I didn’t use tons of salt in my soak to justify a white cloud. I just used a few shakes out of the shaker.

[gwpercle]

I enjoy catching them on light tackle but as long as someone is around that would like to have them I will gladly pass them on along , I clearly don't have a handle on proper cooking...never could fix a tasty baked possum either ! A man has to know his limitations and mine is .... Choupique !
Let us know how they do after freezing. Interesting thread , have learned that up North they seem to live in cleaner water and thus taste ...not so muddy as ours .
Gary

[Tom W.]

I've been hungry before, but not quite that hungry...... Just can't eat a mudfish. Yet.