Thread: Shallow Lake Crappie

I bought a lot that is right on the smaller lake and built my house there. I know a lot of folks used to fish and hunt it because they had built a rough earthen ramp where I just built my dock/slip. Weird thing, I catch two kinds of Grinnell. One is just like any Grinnell I've ever seen. The other is identical except it has neon blue pectoral fins that actually seem to glow in the water. Next one I catch, I'm taking a picture and posting it on here.

Grinnell....

Probably a male bowfin. The males have prettier colors than the females. Also juvenile bowfin have different color patterns as well.

Thanks! I had never seen it before...

Matt, any idea how hard they are on the game fish species? Eating them that is.

Originally Posted by JST

Matt, any idea how hard they are on the game fish species? Eating them that is.

They are definitely fish eaters. I haven't read any diet studies on bowfin, but most fish eaters eat the most plentiful fish available to them. In most cases this is shad. The majority (greater than 50%) of fish biomass in most systems is gizzard and threadfin shad. But like all fish eaters, a bowfin will eat a small bluegill, largemouth, crappie, catfish, or any other game fish that swims in front of it. But if I had to guess, they mainly eat shad.

The worst thing on a small lake is yo yo's !!!! They need to be outlawed !!!!

Mackenstein, let me know the next time you go to the oxbow, i have my drone ready to fly and you won't even hear it.