Bowfin gets day in sun with Highland Park's Mr. Mud tournament next week | Fishing Roundup

If you can’t beat ’em, hook ’em.

That’s the theme next week at Highland Park Fish Camp , where they’re staging another Mr. Mud fishing tournament in and around the St. Johns.

Rarely does a name better fit a fish.

The mudfish is formally known as the bowfin but also known as the dogfish and, through Louisiana (naturally), the swamp bass.

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He's a nasty after-dark predator that stalks the shallows to eat anything and everything in its path. Unfortunately, it’s also prone to sink its sharp teeth into a fishing lure and eventually disappoint the angler who fought like hell only to find out he’s latched onto something so worthless. And not exactly handsome, at that.

Worth less , but not worth nothing. At least not next Saturday (Sept. 7) at Highland Park in DeLand, the launch site for the Mr. Mud. Entry fee is $10 and first prize is $1,000.

Unlike most fishing tournaments, where the rules sheet is longer than Thanksgiving with the in-laws, this one is simple: Biggest mudfish wins. According to the FWC, Florida’s state record is 19 pounds.

So, not worthless, but still ugly.

And quite creepy, by fish standards, and in a prehistoric kind of way. They’re thought to be among the oldest creatures in the sea, dating back some 250 million years — give or take, you know.

A relic, of sorts, but more specifically, they’re what the biologists call a relict , defined as a “remnant of what was once a diverse and widespread population.”

Want more creepy? Mudfish are what’s called “bimodal breathers” who can breathe both water and air. Unlike you, they don’t fill their gas bladder with garlic wings, but through a duct connected from the foregut (you have one too, so don’t judge) to the gas bladder.

Throw Mr. Ugly in a toxic canal, he’ll just come up for a look-see, gulp in some air, and go back to the hunt.

One final bit of lovely trivia for these nuisance beasts: They can live upward of 30-some years.

All of that aside, the bowfin gets its day in the sun next Saturday at Highland Park, beginning at first safe light until 2 p.m. Lots of food options and live music at the park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

And if you know fishing, you know this is the day you aim for the fat creeper and pull up one largemouth bass after another.

Halifax/Indian River

Art Mowery fishes the intracoastal throughout Southeast Volusia (SeVo!), usually targeting trout. One day last week, he instead found a school of drum taking off after his pigfish. “Never had that happen before,” Art says. “I took some large shrimp out the next day and couldn’t find them.”

He also says he’s having an impossible time keeping the jacks off his mullet.

As well chronicled, if not chronicled well, this is the time of year for mangrove snapper in the river. Generally, you’ll catch them in the 10-inch range, which conveniently happens to be their legal minimum. This provides a serviceable filet, if not a plateful. Want bigger?

“Mud minnows and small finger mullet might not get you as many bites but will get you the bigger fish,” says Capt. Jeff Patterson ( Pole Dancer charter ). “The jetties and mangrove shorelines in the river have been hot as long as the tide is moving.”

Capt. Jeff says he’s also been finding a bonus flounder or two when fishing the strands of mangroves. “Redfish, tarpon and snook are biting pretty good at the inlet but I feel like it’s going to get even better.”

Capt. Billy Pettigrew ( RedfishTails.com ) confirms the flounder bite and says “snook are on fire.”

“I’m catching them shallow and deep, from Flagler to Port Orange.”

Large shrimp and finger mullet, he recommends.

Also, Capt. Billy will be the guest speaker next Thursday (Sept. 5) at the Flagler Sport Fishing Club. Topic: Tournament prep. Meetings are at the Club 51/Social Club at 51 Old Kings Road. More info: FlaglerSportFishing.com. It’s free and open to all, by the way.

Surf

Chris Mansfield ( Reel Healin’ Outdoors) had a beautiful day along the surfline this past week. The haul wasn’t as nice as the conditions, but still not bad — some whiting and a redfish that checked in at just under 19 inches, all caught in the first trough.

Chris is big on Fishbites and Sputnik sinkers from The Sinker Guy.

Offshore

The area’s “Best Fishing Charter,” according to our Community Choice Awards, is the Sea Spirit out of Ponce Inlet, with Capt. Nic Stephens at the helm.

Recent returns to the docks have brought legal snapper — mangroves and vermillions — along with decent catches of amberjack.

Capt. Mike Kyp ( Fireline Charters ) provided a nice surprise for local angler Phillip Moore: A 65-pound cobia that took a hunk of cutbait off the ocean floor. The 20-minute fight included the fun of watching the cobia swim from bow to stern and around again.

The marine forecast for this holiday weekend looks good through the inlet and out beyond. An east wind is the only potential negative, except for those who consider it a positive, of course.

St. Johns

Don McCormick says the trolling bite has been solid through Lakes Woodruff and Dexter. “I went twice and caught 20+ specks both times,” he says.

Capt. Bryn Adams (Highland Park) confirms the speck bite and says her folks are also finding bass at the mouth of Woodruff, mostly on artificials.

Hook, line and clicker: Send us your fish pics

We want to see your most recent catch. Email your fish photos to ken.willis@news-jrnl.com.

Please include first and last name of angler(s), as well as type of fish (we're occasionally stumped).

Do I need a fishing license?

You can find all the license info, including exemptions, on Florida's Fish and Wildlife Commission website: MyFWC.com. But the basics are: No: If you're 65 or older, 15 or younger, you don't need a license. “ Probably” Not: If you're fishing with a licensed guide or charter boat, both of which often purchase commercial licenses that cover their customers. Yes: Most everyone else, including visitors from other states. Yes: Even if you're a shore-based angler (shoreline, dock, pier, bridge, etc.), and even if fishing with a shore-based guide. However: The shore-based license is free . . . But: You still need to register for that free license.

Where do I get a license and what does it cost?

Many bait shops sell licenses, as do the bigger retailers (Bass, Dick's, Walmart, etc.).  Florida's FWC uses a third-party site for buying or renewing fishing licenses:  GoOutdoorsFlorida.com. The cost : $17 for an annual license. Don't forget: Whether you're fishing fresh or saltwater, you need the specific license. Freshwater and saltwater licenses are both $17 annually.

I’m here on vacation, do I need a license?

Yes you do, and they're also available at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or certain bait shops and big retailers. Cost: $17 for three days, $30 for seven days, $47 for a year. Also: Non-residents need to purchase that license even if they're just fishing from shoreline or shore-based structures. (Florida residents need that license, too, but they're free.)

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Bowfin gets day in sun with Highland Park's Mr. Mud tournament next week | Fishing Roundup