Your clothing and your gear make a difference while you go for ice fishing.
Ice fishing clothing
Adequate warm clothing is essential for fishing in the cold. Ice fishing boots can keep you comfortable. A good pair of these boots can help you with the right grip to remain stable on the ice and also keep your feet warm at the same time.
Ice fishing methods
Hook-and-line is a good method for Bowfin. It involves using limber rods with reels or spools with lines that help absorb the shock when fighting with an aggressive fish like Bowfin. Try using the spring bobber. It is the small wire or metal strip that goes along with the rod to alert the angler of any movement.
Tip-ups another technique where a device is placed on top of the ice above the hole with a dangled bait attached to it. There are small reels attached to a flag. When the fish is caught, the reel turns and the flag moves to a tip-up position.
Spearing is another method where angler built shanties for fishing. It is more of a sport where spearing anglers cut large holes in the ice with a chain saw or ice saw. Spears with tines are used to do this kind of ice fishing.
Buying a fishfinder gps combo can be worth the investment if you regularly go for ice fishing. Because these devices will tell you how the fish is responding to your fishing technique. Accordingly, you can continue with a technique or change it to get the fish.
Bait for the Bowfin
Bowfin prefers live or dead natural baits than artificial lures. For natural bait, you can use shrimp or nightcrawlers. For dead baits, use roach, minnows, bluegills or any small fish that you can get.
If you decide to use a lure, go for metallic ones because bowfin can bite off the wooden or plastic lure with their sharp teeth.
Hooks
Use a bigger hook to catch bowfins because they have a large mouth. They will be interested in a bigger bait. Eagle Claw and circle hooks are good enough for catching the bowfin fish.
Rigs
You can go for a 1 hook or 2 hook bean stinker rig with a swivel. A 20-30 lb. Super braid leader can be used to catch a bowfin.
