Bowfin
Amia calva
No statewide daily bag or length limit listed for bowfin.
Identify your catch
A long dorsal fin and rounded tail; young fish and males often have a tail-base eyespot.
Habitat on Sam Rayburn
TPWD lake records document bowfin, including a junior catch in 2026.
Fishing approach
Bowfin use vegetated, slow-water habitat generally; this is species ecology, not a current Sam Rayburn fishing report.
Fishing guidance describes documented approaches, not a promise of fish activity today.
Not listed in DSHS Advisory 51. That does not establish that the fish is safe to eat.
Harvest permission and eating restrictions are separate.
General species guide
Uses vegetated water and can take air at the surface. It is different from invasive snakeheads.
General Bowfin profile →Sources & lake evidence
TPWD Sam Rayburn lake guide and historical water-body records. Records establish occurrence, not current abundance.
Lake harvest rules ↗Eating guidance ↗Lake habitat & fishing guide ↗Species identification ↗