first i heard of in R H DONT lip em LOL

East Texas is ate up with them. Last year while fishing the sand bass spawn on the Sabine River, my nephew couldn't get away from them. He must have landed 6 of them in an hour. For him, it got old in a hurry. The first 2 are fun, after that, they're a chore.

LSU researched these guys extensively. Some egghead cajun with an education decided to learn all he could about the wonderous choupique. Turns out most of what you (and my dear departed dad) thought about them was all wrong.

The bowfin/choupique/grennel/mudfish is probably one of the most efficient, ancient, and misunderstood fish in our local waters. My old man used to think they would ruin a body of water and his proof was all the mudholes he'd seen and caught them in. Turns out they don't ruin any body of water, they can just live in places where other fish can't. They are crazy efficient with their diets, meaning they process most everything they eat and produce little waste. Their roe, unlike gar roe (which is poisonous) rivals some of the finest caviar out there.

Like you, I used to kill every one I came in contact with, 'cause that's what my old man taught me. Nowadays, I admire the heck out of 'em, then turn 'em loose. Oh, and tie on another lure, 'cause they just wrecked the last one I had tied on.

Years ago, I caught one on a chatterbait fishing a club tournament of Fork. Thought I had big bass for the tournament. Turned out to be about a 7 pound Bowfin. Destroyed my Jackhammer ($$) chatterbait.

Saw a kid catch about a 3 pounder during the sandbass run at Rowlett creek. He was just about to lip it when I yelled at him not too due to those fine teeth they have. What they say about them wrecking lures is very true.

Speaking of lipping. At Welsh back in 1992 I was fishing a club tournament on Squaw Creek. My partner in the front of the boat set the hook. I asked him if he needed the net and he said it was small. He was going to lip it. So I look over the side where he was I saw that the fish was actually a Walleye. I was just screaming at him not to lip it but too late. He lipped it. The thing chomped down on his thumb. You can image the words coming out of his mouth. He was shaking his hand to get the fish off making it even worse. He finally got it off swearing like a sailor. His thumb was all tore up.

So, there are Walleye's in Squaw Creek or at least there were in 1992.