TALE WATERS & TIDES · POCKET FISHING GUIDE
ARKANSAS SPORTFISH
Bowfin
GO100SCORE
BAYOU BARTHOLOMEW
🔥 SPAWN NOWGrinnel. Living fossil. The South's freshwater bulldog.
SIZE
20–28 in
MAX
36 in
WEIGHT
Up to 17 lbs
HABITAT
OxbowsSwampsBayousSlow rivers
Cypress backwaters, weedy lakes, slow muddy water.
DIET
Anything — fish, frogs, crawfish, snakes.
BEST BAITS
Soft plastics · Spinnerbaits · Live bluegill
SEASONAL PATTERN
BESTSPRING
SUMMER
FALL
WINTER
Summer: Hold deep cover, ambush.
ANGLER INTEL · RIGHT NOWHIGH CONFIDENCE
DEPTH
2–6 ft
shallow cover
TIMING
Any time today — steady bite
TOP LURE · LURE
Soft plastics
reaction strikes on bed — aggressive
TACKLE
Heavy baitcaster, 40 lb braid, wire leader
TECHNIQUE · Slow presentation in shallow cover
ANGLER STATS
SPAWN 60–70°F TEMP MATCHBITE
78
FIGHT
94
STEALTH
64
FUN FACT
Bowfin are the only living member of their family — every other Amiidae species died out 65 million years ago. They can breathe air, survive drying mud, and a guide on a hot day will joke they're 'living fossils with attitude.'
STATUS
Secure
Native · Amiidae
LIVE PFG SIGNAL69°F · Beaver Lake● GO 100