Bait and Lures for Bowfin Fishing
- Use nightcrawlers, bits of small fish, minnows (dead or alive but check state regulations for the latter), salamanders and waterdogs, frogs or even stink bait (bait balls) commonly used for catfish.
- Equally, crayfish (crawdads) and other crustaceans find favor from the bowfin.
What is the best bait for bowfin?
Top baits for bowfin fishing are nightcrawlers, minnows, salamanders, frogs, and stinkbait. Other good options to use for catching bowfin are crayfish and other crustaceans. A shiny spinner with bait on the hook is often productive in the murky brackish waters.
What is the best time to catch bowfin?
Anglers stand their best shot at catching bowfin during spring, when the fish sometimes gather in small concentrations to spawn among the roots of a line of cypress trees or other cover and are even more aggressive than usual. Bowfin aren't especially particular about what they will attack.
