February 2007, Loc'n Unknown
BAGman,
After spending a few hours biding my time with only a few perch and b@$$ in 6-8 ft of water near a weedline. Finally, my tip-up with the the big 5" shiner flys and I'm thinking "Oh boy, here's that toothy critter I'm looking for!" After a good 40 foot run-off it finally stops, I set the hook, and I'm thinking that with the fight in this fish, this has to be a good pike. 2 good runs later and a toothy critter's head pops thru the hole, only it's not a northern Pike, it is a beautifully colored bowfin. What an amazing looking fish, green fins, and amazing markings on the tail. After snapping a few pics with my camera phone (I forgot my digital at home, D'OH) the fish was released to fight another day. Not much of a report, but I knew the people at BAG would appreciate the beauty of this fish.
Jeff C, 02/03/07

BAGman,
I iced this fish in Connecticut, in a small piece of backwater off of the Connecticut River, just north of Hartford. The fish was caught in 4 feet of water on the outside of a weedline. It was caught on a 5" Golden Pond Shiner suspended 12" off of the bottom.
The fish hit at first light, just as the sun was coming up. I also iced one 10 minutes after. The second fish was a little smaller that went about 4 lbs. I did not get a picture of that fish, though the second one was really gold and had bright green fins.
These fish were taking line really fast off of the tip ups. Once I stuck them and set the hook, they went nuts, changing directions many times, and making long powerful runs. A really nice suprise!! They definitely fight as good as, if not better, than a "Large" Northern Pike. I have attached the only picture we took.
I look forward to seeing this report on your site. You guys have a great site and a lot of informative information.
Thank You
Tom G (TBONE - ctfisherman.com), 01/29/07