This is the first of four articles on Kentucky’s ancient fish species. Future articles in the series will include gar, paddlefish and sturgeon.
The bowfin (Amia calva) is a taxonomic relic of the Jurassic geologic period, an era of prehistory made famous in a 1993 film with the tagline “When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth.”
The sole surviving species from order Amiiformes, the bowfin is a bony fish, with a robust, cylindrical body, rounded caudal fin and long, low dorsal fin. In Kentucky, it is most often known by the common names of dogfish or grinnel.
Distribution in Kentucky includes tributaries to the Mississippi, lower Tennessee, lower Cumberland, lower Green and Ohio, as far upstream as Boone County. But since the bowfin’s preferred habitat is vegetated shallow wetlands, swamps, cypress sloughs, and river backwaters, populations are highest in western Kentucky.
Males have a black eyespot on the base of the tail (caudal peduncle) that is commonly encircled by an orange-yellowish border. It is thought the purpose of the eyespot is to confuse predators, deflecting attacks away from the head of the fish (Photo Provided)
The bowfin is a bimodal breather, which means it has the capacity to breathe both dissolved oxygen in water and atmospheric oxygen. This survival mechanism enables the bowfin to thrive in adverse water conditions — low levels of dissolved oxygen — that would be lethal to other fish species. It swims to the surface and gulps air, breathing atmospheric oxygen by means of its air bladder. In fresh (or brackish) waters with sufficient levels of dissolved oxygen, the bowfin breathes through its gills.
The bowfin is something of an oddity, uncommon or absent in most of the state’s waters, so it is not a highly sought after sport fish species. The bowfin is classified as a rough fish by regulation, so there are no minimum size or creel limits.
Its flesh is soft, said to be rather bland-tasting and of poor texture. But in the swamps of Louisiana, bowfin are considered a Cajun delicacy, often smoked, blackened or prepared as fish cakes.
The Kentucky state record bowfin, weighed 15.08 pounds, and was caught by Norman Moran, of Lexington, Kentucky, from the Green River on May 31, 1999. The Kentucky state bowfishing record is 15 pounds, 10 ounces, arrowed by Don Bellamy, of Princeton, Kentucky, from Lake Barkley, on April 9, 2006.
Fish of the order Amiiformes were once widespread in both freshwater and marine environments with a range that spanned across North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Today the bowfin’s geographic range is limited to much of the eastern United States and adjacent southern Canada — from the Gulf states and Atlantic coast, up the Mississippi River basin to Minnesota, east to the Susquehanna River, Quebec, and Vermont.
Bowfins are stalking, ambush predators known to move into the shallows at night to prey on fish and aquatic invertebrates such as crawfish, mollusks, and aquatic insects.
The average length of a bowfin is about 20 inches, with females typically reaching a larger size.
The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) all-tackle world record bowfin weighed 21 pounds, 8 ounces, and was caught from Forest Lake, in Florence, South Carolina, on Jan. 29, 1980.
The sides and back of the bowfin are olive to brown in color, often with vertical bars, and dark reticulations.
The dorsal fin has horizontal bars, and the caudal fin has irregular vertical bars. The underside is white or cream, and the anal fin is bright green. Young are black and tadpole-like in appearance. They grow quickly, and typically leave the nest within four to six weeks after hatching.
Males have a black eyespot on the base of the tail (caudal peduncle) that is commonly encircled by an orange-yellowish border. It is thought the purpose of the eyespot is to confuse predators, deflecting attacks away from the head of the fish to its tail, which affords the bowfin an opportunity to escape predation.
Bowfin spawn in the spring or early summer, typically between April and June, in vegetated, clear shallow water, over sand bars, and also under stumps, logs, and bushes.
Optimum temperatures for nesting and spawning range between 61 and 66 degrees Fahrenheit. Males construct circular nests, clearing away leaves and stems. Depending on the density of surrounding vegetation there may be a tunnel-like entrance at one side.
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A male often has eggs from more than one female in his nest. Females vacate the nest after spawning, leaving the male behind to protect the eggs during the eight to ten days of incubation. A nest may contain 2,000 to 5,000 eggs.
Bowfin eggs are adhesive, and will attach to aquatic vegetation, roots, gravel, and sand. When the fry are able to swim they form a school and leave the nest accompanied by the parent male bowfin who slowly circles them to prevent separation.
Bowfin reach sexually maturity at two to three years of age. They can live ten to twelve years in the wild, and 30 years in captivity. Females live longer than males.
Anglers fish for bowfins with live minnows, but they can also be caught on soft plastic bass lures. Shorter jigs, such as a crayfish pattern, work great, when rigged Texas-style, with a bullet weight and heavy worm hook. Keep the hook point exposed, since bowfins tend to nibble and their mouths are very bony. A stout hook set is required.
Bowfins put up a good fight on light tackle, but require careful handling, since they have powerful jaws and a mouth full of sharp teeth.
The bowfin is a “living fossil,” one of Kentucky’s remarkable ancient fish.
Art Lander Jr. is outdoors editor for NKyTribune and KyForward. He is a native Kentuckian, a graduate of Western Kentucky University and a life-long hunter, angler, gardener and nature enthusiast. He has worked as a newspaper columnist, magazine journalist and author and is a former staff writer for Kentucky Afield Magazine, editor of the annual Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide and Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide, and co-writer of the Kentucky Afield Outdoors newspaper column.
