I cast a small minnow with my Freshwater Phil pike rig under a poping cork. Within minutes, it went down deep, I set the hook into what I figured would be a bass or catfish, turned out to be a bowfin. I was pleasantly surprised by the fight this fish can deliver, making hard, fast runs and powerful headshakes. I finally landed it, measured 26 inches and weighed 6.5 lbs. I decided to keep it, as I always like to try eating something I catch at least once. Big mistake! Once I opened and filleted the bowfin, I found out that the fish's flesh has a very mushy texture which is quite repulsive to me. I didn't bother deboning it, it's going straight into the garbage, which is sad, because the fish could have lived. I won't make that mistake again…
