#roughfish

[hubcapcreatures]

This guy is called a Roughfish and he’s downright lugubrious #hubcapcreatures #recycledart #roughfish #deepseafishing https://www.instagram.com/p/CaRSJPZgIJl/?utm_medium=tumblr

[isaacsfishingcorner]

There are a lot of species I’m proud of catching, but the Bigmouth Buffalo is fairly high on that list. Native filter feeders like these are natural competitors to the invasive Asian Carp species. So if you are ever lucky enough to catch one of these awesome fish, please release it back to its home to keep filling that niche in the ecosystem

[schnitzerphoto]

Found a few of these guys at 10,000 feet willing to eat. . . #flyfishing #bycatch #coarsefishing #roughfish #sucker #winstonrods #fishpond #nomadnets #scientificanglers #colorado (at Rio Grande National Forest)

[chinook]

Get a Blue Sucker t-shirt.  http:www.nanfa.org/cart.shtml#MOshirt

[isaacsfishingcorner]

If you are going to be foolish enough to try to set the hook straight up on a gar, you need to at least use sharp hooks. If you want a higher chance at landing a gar set the hook sideways so that the hook will catch the softer area between the teeth on the lower jaw. But if you are pier fishing like I was that really wasn’t an option so I crossed my fingers and got lucky

[isaacsfishingcorner]

My prized catch on a rainy day: a Bowfin on the fly! I worked so hard for this fish because the water had become so muddy. But after a few hours I finally got one to bite

[isaacsfishingcorner]

I was starting to think I wasn’t going to catch a Bowfin at this spot, I let my baits sit for about a hour with no bites. Then within 15 minutes I landed these two beauties. It still makes me sad that so many people kill these native fish thinking they are trash fish, not only do they put up an incredibly hard fight they also serve an important role in the ecosystem. To quote Solomon David (a man who has studied these fish more than almost any other scientist),

“...like other well-known predators (such as pike and muskellunge) will eat whatever prey is most abundant, including crustaceans (crayfish, freshwater shrimp), forage fish (shad, minnows), or game fish.

In doing so, bowfin can help prevent the overpopulation of forage fishes and stunting in game fishes such as sunfish and bass, therefore maintaining a balanced ecosystem.”

So in a nutshell: If you aren’t going to eat it, don’t kill a Bowfin

[isaacsfishingcorner]

Now if I can only catch an Alligator Gar I’ll have caught all of the gar that are native to this part of the country