The BATTLE of the BEAST!! (PB BOWFIN)

This was a battle for sure, Fishing in eastern North Carolina with Conrad / explorishingadventures
We started out the day fishing for whatever but when I came across a section loaded with bowfin i had to see what I could catch, THEN a monster showed up!!
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[@roberthill1400]

Congratulations John! I caught a bowfin about 40 years ago outside of Virginia Beach. Had no idea what I had caught, but it fought like nothing else! Keep the great videos coming!

[@garypica7544]

People mistake bowfins for snakeheads. Bowfins are not invasive and shouldn’t be killed.

[@colinmahon19]

For sure, they actually eat a lot of roughfish rather than preying on desirable game fish

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

A lot of bass guys in particular don't like them...which is funny, because bass are technically invasive(stocked) in a lot of the waters you find them in. Growing up in Iowa about the only place we could find them was water systems linked directly to the Mississippi River and you'd often find them nailed to trees and left there. It was sad.

[@rrpostalagain]

Yeah, this is ridiculous. I’d love to catch those and people just throw them (with all the other trash they don’t pick up)

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

@@rrpostalagain If you can find a way to NC I’ll put you on them.

[@rrpostalagain]

@@ExplorishingAdventures It’s a deal. I’ve spent a lot of time traveling but now using my time off to fish a little. I might combine the two. I’m looking for pike in AZ this week ha.

[@OsvaldoFerrer]

Ignorant people may have thought that they were snake head. People need to know their fish instead of killing off the wrong species and thrashing the place the way they did. SMH!

[@eduardohidalgo9802]

Yep bowfin are treated rather unfairly in my opinion. They get confused for snakehead and killed often. A lot of old timers also love to claim that bowfin eat all the good fish(game fish or fish that game fish feed on). Nothing more than wives tales.

[@stevebrown3559]

@@eduardohidalgo9802 Exactly. Seeing as they were here long before all the other fish, if they were going to eat all the good fish, wouldn't they have done that before now?

[@KingOfAquariums]

​@@eduardohidalgo9802game warden caught a guy here locally beating one on the bank and gave him a 1000 usd ticket. Loved to see it.

[@justinproctor761]

Yup bowfin. People need to educate before they try to educate. LMFAO. Publicly humiliated.

[@BB-bv6uq]

I love the way you fish for anything anywhere. It's cool 👍👍

[@Lesabrejunkie]

Nice bowfin! That looks like a lot of fun, never caught one. I hate it when people throw trash and dead fish everywhere. Gives us responsible fishermen a bad name.

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

There are some everywhere you go it seems!

[@Spencer3712]

It’s illegal to throw them back in some states.

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

@@Spencer3712 Bowfin are native throughout most of North America unless they’ve been introduced to a confined body of water.

[@cbeardmusic4295]

they do it a lot on Guntersville..

[@Spencer3712]

@@ExplorishingAdventures I wasn’t talking about bowfin. I was referring to carp which is what we consider “trash” fish.

[@ZekeFishingPro]

WHAT A FIGHT!!!! That's why I love Bowfin!! Always wanted to catch one!!! Awesome video!!!

[@HookNVibe]

I just caught my first one out of the creek behind my house 19 inches my hands were shaking I was so excited. Have been wanting to catch one of these dinosaurs for years!! Caught in a live worm under a bobber. Tight lines brother and Fish on you’ll get you one!!

[@KingKunta.]

the lake i live on has a healthy bowfin population, what ive learned fishing them is they're 90% smell almost like a catfish but u can pull them with bright bass lures in the sun. Amazing fish, they have an air bladder that allows them to breath on land. you can actually see them gulp air in the summer. please dont kill them theyre not invasive and they dont die until they completely dry out

[@KingKunta.]

they're also very hard to hook their mouth is very very thick bone unlike most fish that kinda have this cartilage. 9 out of 10 times they bend the hook

[@moreepicrandomness9508]

What a beautiful bowfin never caught one that I seen other KZbinrs catch them and that's a pretty good-sized one

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

We're in one of the best places you can ever go to fish for one and I'm not just talking about the spot we fished this day. NC is considered one of if not the #1 place to chase Bowfin, especially a trophy sized fish. If you ever find your way out this way give me a yell and I'll give you a really good shot at getting one. (Never promise anything with fishing! lol)

[@slotho122]

You set the hook on these fish so well. I can learn a thing or two from you.

[@lukeswitzer6479]

I know some people don’t like bowfin or gar fishing but if you were going to, I recommend treble hooks for live bait hook up ratio is much better just put one of the hooks in their back and it doesn’t necessarily matter if they come off(the bait that is)

[@joshuascoot77]

Dang man you've got to have a subscriber meet up. I'm in eastern NC and bowfin are my favorite fish to catch

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

Where at Josh? We're located out of the Jacksonville/Richlands area.

[@joshuascoot77]

@@ExplorishingAdventures im out of Dublin County. Used to live about 15 min away from Jacksonville. I mainly fish the Goshen swamp for them big ole bowfins

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

@@joshuascoot77 I’m not familiar with that area. Is there foot access?

[@joshuascoot77]

@@ExplorishingAdventures yes there are several places to access Goshen on foot. Its about 45-60 min away from Jacksonville. Kinda close to kenansville

[@joshuascoot77]

Totally meant Duplin county BTW lol

[@diegoforest]

Nice Bow on that light -med gear. I used to seriously fish these in a lake near Raleigh where there are a ton of them.I caught up to 11lbs and I was going for the state record. This video made me want to fish again for them. Nothing fights better in the dead of the summer. I learned to always use super sharp 3/0 hooks, a steal leader, and let them run before setting the hook. I did try eating once. Horrible.

[@uofm1334]

Great catch! That thing was huge!!!!

[@rondisanti8928]

the thing about fishing in NC waters is you are fishing for thing in the water and there are things in the waters fishing for you! :) i have seen some big gators in the inner coastal areas.

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

You aren't wrong but as long as there isn't people feeding them and you're not in their primetime for hunting you're normally pretty good. I used to wade some areas and watch them swim by while I was inshore fishing for drum, trout and flounder.

[@traceevans7505]

I love catching bowfin. The best thing I have found for them is a hard weighted minnow lure with a spinning spoon and at least one treble hook. They go crazy for top water frogs too but it can be extremely challenging to hook them without a treble as I can see you found out 😂

[@fishing569]

I guessed you were in Georgia, but even better you are in my back yard!! We have some monster bowfin here.

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

NC is one of if not the top destination for Bowfin fishing in the country.

[@anastaciolopez1434]

I am surprised you did not hook a big catfish. They love cut bluegill. That was a beautiful fish. Great video Sir.

[@CreekFishingAdventures]

Yeah I thought I might get one in thhere

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

We saw one on one of our last trips but have not hooked into one here yet. With the falling water levels that probably has a lot to do with it.

[@danriley5848]

Beautiful Bowfin and a great video as always. It bothers me that people feel the need to kill them and leave them on the ground like that , not cool.

[@youstupidboi2483]

It might be because people think that they're snakeheads.

[@MsNessbit]

Ignorant people tend to think that if you kill the "trash fish", suddenly your water will only be populated by game fish. Not how it works, but I've seen it a lot through the years@@youstupidboi2483

[@tammyekers8898]

Great video love your enthusiasm.

[@pomkevxiong8920]

I said damn when I saw the thumbnail good job for catching that BEAST

[@mojodojo5533]

Wow! That's a heck of a fish.

[@harryhyde6714]

Outstanding video man....keep up the good work...

[@mikeboyce584]

Nice change up John never caught a bowfin either but they look like good fighting fish

[@brianathern9154]

Bowly cow what a monster! Beautiful looking trip brother. You and Conrad were on it. Solid multi species action.

[@ellefox5179]

Ok, John....so when are you and some buddies gonna show us some Catfish Noodling!🐟🐟🐟

[@johnbubbajohnson5630]

Thank you so very much for sharing this video with us John. You have my favorite KZbin channel from day one if me starting to watch KZbin sir.God bless you sir. 🙏❤🙏❤🙏😊😊😊

[@greenwoodsbushhogging6704]

I know you've probably already passed by the Charlotte NC area, but you're always welcome to swing by for some super fun small lake fishing. Panfish, bass, carp, potential for 10lb bass.

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

Did you say "carp"? :-)

[@greenwoodsbushhogging6704]

@@ExplorishingAdventures yes sir. I don't really target them to keep them really healthy, 40+ pounds on average, but I can't help but throw a fly at them tailing in the shallows when I get the chance.

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

@@greenwoodsbushhogging6704 That would be awesome!

[@JD-HALL]

Bowfins are fighters for sure.

[@rhardee8]

I caught one that weighed right at 15lbs on Grendle Creek a tributary of the Neuse River near Grifton NC using a Berkeley Light Rod with 8lb test on a 6in Purple Creme worm about 1974..lol..We call `em Blackfish..

[@dcfanchris]

18:04-You and Conrad need a net.I lost a brook trout and a spoon trying to do something similar last spring and I had to watch it slowly saunter back to it’s hole with my spoon glimmering behind it.

[@sethjohnsonoutdoors4055]

Chunky largemouth bass at the beginning 😍 👌

[@stankittrell7384]

I live on the Pungo River in ENC. Come on down here and fish for Speckled Trout, Puppy Drum and flounder. With your luck you might even hook a Tarpon.

[@leeroy5665]

Not to take away from your trophy it's awesome but I see all these records of 10 lbs etc but when I was 15 I was fishing with my mom at a pump station in southern Louisiana, caught a bowfin under a cork with shrimp and it was a 10 minute fight, pulled drag forever and ran all around the open water along the tree line I had strong line and a redfish pole when I caught him. He had to have been pushing 20 lbs bc he was 33 inches long and as thick as the big sunny D containers. We laid him across a 24 inch water pipe and his head and tail were hanging off each side by almost a foot I could hardly pick him up and OMG the teeth were like a shark. I'll never forget that bowfin I've caught much smaller but this fish was just different. The spot we fished was never fished for years and years and bowfin always hung out along the tree line. Great catch y'all.

[@missiondiscover]

WOW! I'll have to try for one when I am in NC for vacation

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

Give me a yell and we'll make it happen!

[@dementus420]

I caught a 6.5lb bowfin on a hank parker spinnerbait out of the ocmulgee river in Eastman Georgia and that thing literally folded my spinnerbait blade in half with it's jaw when it hit. Really tough fish.

[@repairdrive]

Great editing!!

[@elijahmcgeorge5198]

I hate people who do that to fish like that just cause they hate them doesn’t mean u have to kill them and if u are going to kill them take them with u don’t leave them for other people to find

[@BassManStrikes]

In most states it's illegal to catch a fish and toss it on the bank to rot, even rough fish.

[@kevinaltizer]

North Cakalaki

[@j.b.m4640]

Yuuup

[@frederickwestberry7895]

Hey John you need to go fishing with Nick from 618fishing he's the king of catching huge bow fins

[@CreekFishingAdventures]

Yeah he is good at it

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

Nick started fishing for them after I spoke to him several times about getting down this way to fish for them, not knowing at the time he was in the Mississippi river basin. He's got good numbers and a shot a giant where he is but we get fish over 30" on the regular here. So much so that we really don't fish for them that often. We've begun really targeting them with lures which has been really exciting! (but tricky...)

[@sammarkey672]

Yo! Awesome bowfin. I wish I could find some....

[@mauricegraham8443]

I love catching warmouth

[@chunknelson9885]

Great catch giant bowfin. My pb bowfin is 27.5" at 6.67lb. Keep the good videos coming out man and I'll keep watching. Good luck and tight lines to all. KFNS. TGBTG.

[@wiseguysoutdoors2954]

My son and cousin caught a 29 1/2", 17 3/4 lb bowfin in a lagoon off of Presque Isle on Lake Erie, in Erie, Pennsylvania. They had that behemoth mounted and that toothy critter looks great on the wall with that big eye spot on its tail.

[@douglasbriley321]

There's a spot about 45 minutes from Clarksville that I've caught a TON of bowfin there.

[@RiverBanks-OzarkStoryteller]

Hey if you don’t like “trash” fish, take them home and bury them about a foot and a half in your garden. Flower bed, whatever. Plants will grow like crazy, and produce delicious fruit!

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

At least have a use for them. I don't condone unwarranted killing or over harvest of any species but at least use what you take and only take what you can use.

[@Spencer3712]

@@ExplorishingAdventures in Missouri it’s illegal to throw back invasive species like carp if you catch them. Those are what’s best to bury in your garden to keep from “wasting” them.

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

@@Spencer3712 Understood. That’s common in a lot of areas with carp, especially Big Head and Silver Carp. The problem is with species that are native like Gar and Bowfin.

[@stevebrown3559]

@@Spencer3712 Tht is not true. Common carp are not considered an invasive species, and it is not illegal to return them to the water. It is the bighead and silver carp that are invasive, and cannot be thrown back.

[@Spencer3712]

@@stevebrown3559 Yes I thought since we were all fisherman here that we all knew what I was referring to but thank you for the clarification.

[@jordom1416able]

Great video! Wish I had more time for fishing and spots that weren't so far from me.

[@meleagrisgallapavo]

Bowfin! Oh yeah!

[@michaelhenson4738]

Thank you.

[@PhotonChief]

Bowfin and gar are in different families, bowfin being Amiidae and gar being Lepisosteidae.

[@georgegaiennie3747]

Choupique or grinnel, depending on what part of Louisiana you’re in. Some folks eat them; though I’ve never tried it, NEVER underestimate the ability of a Louisiana cook.

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

I've eaten them before and they can be good but they are odd and if they aren't prepped right you probably wouldn't be able to stomach the meat after seeing what it looks like after it has sat for a while or the fish has died prior to cleaning. Unless you're doing patties of course. As far as common names go, here in NC they are often called Blackfish. Growing up in Iowa they call them Dogfish. They undoubtedly have the most common names of any fish I've seen.

[@colinmahon19]

I just caught my pb bowfin, a 21" fish weighing about 5 pounds or so. I did it on a 6 ft UL spinning rod with some 4 lb sufix monofilament, which made it a great fight. I was jigging for perch and crappie on a lake with my dad, who also caught his pb bowfin that day on his UL rod, a 23" 6 lb fish. We had an interesting day to say the least

[@keeno86]

Wow, awesome

[@CreekFishingAdventures]

That’s awesome

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

Those had to be some fatties! The trip to this spot we took before John came to fish with us my daughter Da Hammer caught one just over 30" on her St. Croix 7' UL.

[@twotoekenn]

I was just there last week! There are some nice largemouth right around the spillway.

[@OntheRealFishing]

Amazing fish! I have not broken down and tried some cut bait as bait yet but, I am sure I will soon. Thank you for taking us along the adventure.

[@peon_hero]

When you're fishing for them, use a number 3. They have a smaller mouth then a bass and the smaller the hook the better then penetration of their hard mouth. I file the tip of my hooks.

[@Tightt88]

BOWFIN are my favorite to catch! They are the most aggressive fresh water fish to catch.

[@stevebrown3559]

Agree 100%!

[@honeyholehuntersfishing]

Nice bowfin!! Such an underrated fish to catch

[@jessiefayne4083]

As long as you know how to clean them and prepare the fish right bowfin tastes great

[@peyton7563]

hey man, love the videos. i’d love to see a review on your reels in a video somtime

[@scooterfishing9323]

Nice video. You worked hard on that. I have subscribed. Greetings from Belgium. 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

[@skydiver6711]

Man the bowfish is one nasty looking fish. It looks like a cross between an eel and a snake. Just nasty.

[@sethjohnsonoutdoors4055]

Beautiful scenery 👌 😍

[@clydeshope6942]

Awesome job

[@matthewanderson9876]

Awesome video man, I feel ya on the dead bowfin there, I lost my cookies 2 weekends ago down there lol

[@KembaWalkerGOAT]

Lake Waccamaw, presumably? Looks like the dam & river there at least.

[@visscherlively3925]

I myself being from South Carolina and having fished Bass tournaments there were many days that the Bass just were not biting and I needed to wrestle a fish if you want to catch the bowfin..aka the mudfish throw a purple worm with a redtail and if you are in the mood for your arms to get tired put on a saltwater spinner jig with a red head and a white rubber body. Mud fish have nasty teeth and will cut your line so use twenty pound line when you get them to the boat squeeze them over the back just behind the gills and it paralyses them and they cannot move I have caught thousands of them over ten pounds.

[@justinproctor761]

I've fished for 42 years. And know my species I seen a red ear and a bluegill hybrid. But I didn't see a pumpkin seed. Lol spotted bluegill. I've heard it all now. LMFAO

[@stephencorleymississippili4007]

The next time you fish for bowfin, try using kahle hooks,

[@CreekFishingAdventures]

Ok I’ll look into that

[@dragchute1]

Apologies for the Canadian spelling of "tomatoes" ,😅

[@marksanders6403]

I was thinking there was way to get a weight if you measure the length and girth and can get a really close measurement in weight

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

Based on the ones I've caught I guessed 12-13lbs. Using the calculation brings it to just over 12lbs. so right there.

[@countrifried]

I need to go fishing with guys like y’all so I can actually start catching the bigger fish. I can catch panfish in creeks and rivers no problem but other than that, I’m in year 2 without catching a quality bass

[@lynnstanton7018]

Wow u still need to come fish our sprtsmn lake. Not fished much. I just hung a 4 lb largemouth 18 in its nice

[@stonedavies3976]

What a catch keep up the good catch

[@shootingwind6905]

That is fair bluff

[@luke3977]

Nice bowfin, grennil, dogfish ha, fun to catch and always in backwash and low oxygen rivers/streams. Was horrible seeing so many dead one's on the bank, people are idiots. Bowfin and Gar have been around millions of years, why kill such beautiful fish. Bummer it swallowed the hook, such a pretty fish to slowly die.

[@triqpham]

Wow those are prehistoric. Amazing. It’s to bad people are mistaking those for snakeheads. That must be why they are trashing them. Unfortunately.

[@austinhernandez2716]

That's one reason. But another reason is pure greed. They treat all the waters like their own stock ponds. They say bowfin eat all the small sunfish. You know, bust like bass do... Hypocrisy

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

Most of the people doing it couldn't even tell you what a Snakehead was. It's that they "kill all the bass and brim". Bass, which are introduced in almost all their range, are far more destructive to native fishes. Not as bad as Flatheads but still pretty bad.

[@stevebrown3559]

@@ExplorishingAdventures As you probably know, largemouth bass are aew considered one of the most unwelcome invasive species around the world. The fact that bowfin and gar were here long before bass, it makes you wonder why people think they "destroy the fishing". Surely, if that was going to happen, it would have happened long before now!

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

@@stevebrown3559 Yeah, it's kind of ridiculous how much hate there is for native fish in order to protect an invasive. Same thing with Buffalo. 100% native to the waters they are found in but people lump them in as a carp and they get the same treatment even though they aren't a carp at all.

[@stevebrown3559]

@@ExplorishingAdventures Funny thing is, it's called FISHing; the idea is to catch FISH! I don't understand why people go crazy over a 5lb bass, but hate the idea of catching a 30lb carp or a double figure bowfin...

[@ejsimps231]

32 inches is impressive! My PB is 28 inches, which is an average size. Travel to Jordan Game Lands in Central NC, you'll be catching 'em all day long.

[@ExplorishingAdventures]

I've seen a few caught in the Jordan spillway but nothing near the numbers we have along the coast. We've caught a lot of them over 30". I set my PB this year with a 35" goliath and I can honestly saw I've seen bigger. Not much bigger, but bigger.

[@ejsimps231]

Yea. The spillway south of the lake near Moncure you won't really find them. North of Jordan Lake in the creeks that feed into the Lake south of Durham, known as the game lands, they're everywhere

[@rogelioramirez7872]

Hey when your going to make another vid on a little bit creek fishing the smaller the better??

[@srsykes49]

You didn't have to go all the way to the east side of the state for bowfins. I catch them quite regularly in the Yadkin River near the center of the state of North Carolina . But never caught one that size. Good job. 👍

[@austinhernandez2716]

They're less common in the hills and mountains. They don't like strong currents.

[@srsykes49]

@@austinhernandez2716 They seem to be very common in the lower part of the Yadkin just north of High Rock Lake.

[@brianbeatty8]

I really enjoy your videos you travel to some awsome locations. I do have to comment on how you release your fish. You really should take the extra time to release them properly instead of just tossing them back in the water sometimes quite a distance. Please show respect to the sport you enjoy so much.

[@dougalexander7204]

Nice swamp trout. A perfect predator, been around since the Jurassic times. They get a bad reputation they don’t deserve. They are not invasive like a snake head, you can eat them, and they are an awesome game fish. Please put them back in the water to do what God designed them to do.

[@BLHomestead]

Wow, that might have been a record fish. I know New York wasn't much bigger. Congrats sir!

[@pl345ant]

Not to be mr know it all but record in NC is just shy of 18 lbs! 17 lbs 15 oz.

[@pl345ant]

Still great fish!

[@monicamcbride7999]

NC creek fishing

[@jimhair8513]

I catch the here constantly in SC Ace Basin

[@FluffyPantsReviews]

Where in NC is this?

[@lt.pickles6383]

What part of NC? I fish Wilmington on vacation every year

[@fishingwithkeaton8384]

How are there fish in that wooded area? It looks like flooded woods.

[@rogerdickinson9335]

It’s a swamp

[@pbfirearms5388]

I may be wrong but I think most of your bites were gar. Bowfin aren't hard to hook as a matter of fact they are hard not to hook with any lure or bait they very are aggressive. Around here in the slough and swamps of S Illinois when you fish for anything bass, crappie, catfish it's hard not to catch a Bowfin. Good to eat but you must keep them on ice from the hook to the cook or they are very mushy and you can not freeze them unless they are mostly cooked first. They make great fish cakes.

[@CreekFishingAdventures]

Oh ok. Thanks for the info

[@pastorkristoffer4074]

Very tough skin hard to pierce

[@kevindifranco3494]

Did I really hear you say Bowfin are in the Gar Family?

[@CreekFishingAdventures]

Yes

[@kevindifranco3494]

@@CreekFishingAdventures - they Gar are one of the closest related Orders but Bowfin are their own Order.

[@louiejordan7625]

Why?r they mistaken for snakehead? Your supposed to kill them.i have only caught 1 and it was SUPER strong and aggressive

[@freeroamer9146]

In Florida we had migrants cast netting. Either not familiar or negligent of the law. Fish that weren't considered table fair would be thrown aside as they sorted through their catch.

[@CC_Marauder]

#270👍🏼🎣👀

[@jeremyblackwater439]

I really like catching bowfin and I like them as a species. Can’t believe people actually kill them like that. 😔

[@cheguycrespin3436]

Are bowfins invasive species?

[@CreekFishingAdventures]

no they are native

[@jaburchfield7194]

I don't think I have ever seen a fisherman quite as afraid to touch fish as you. Sorry bro, just a weird observation.

[@cheguycrespin3436]

There's got to be a reason why they didn't put them in the water

[@wrenchhead6840]

These are not trash fish…. They are prehistoric animals who have ben here long before humans…..

[@gailreineke7186]

Some people are just plain cruel.

[@louiejordan7625]

I wonder if its because they are called nuisance fish?no good to eat but still should be left alone

[@figityfuktup]

So are Bowfin an invasive species in that area?.... Is that the reason they are discarded?

[@joshuascoot77]

No they are native. Just taste awful and will ruin expensive rigs

[@austinhernandez2716]

No! They are 100% native all across the eastern US. Been here for tens of millions of years

[@austinhernandez2716]

@@joshuascoot77 Some say they're delicious. I catch and release so idk. They're like pike, small razor sharp teeth, so yeah you do need some strong gear

[@joshuascoot77]

@@austinhernandez2716 everything I've heard about them they are horrible and hard to prepare to be edible. One person said "cook on a cedar plank, when finished throw away the fish and eat the plank" 🤣