How to Identify a Bowfin (Amia calva)

• Dorsal fin: A stout-bodied fish with a long, undulating dorsal fin that covers more than half the length of its body.
• Tail eyespot: Males show a very prominent black spot with an orange halo at the upper base of the tail.
• Body shape and scales: A stout body, cylindrical in shape, with armor-like scales.
• Head scales: No scales on the head.
• Coloration: Dark brown to olive on top, transitioning to a cream underbelly.

The bowfin has a long, undulating dorsal fin covering more than half its body length, often an eyespot near the base of the tail, and lacks the gar's long, tooth-filled snout.

Lives in lakes and large, slow-moving rivers with muddy bottoms and dense vegetation; tolerates silt and mud and can survive in warm, stagnant, low-oxygen water by breathing air. Native to many of the coastal plain waters east of the Blue Ridge, roughly from Virginia to North Carolina (note: following a 2022 taxonomic revision, populations formerly found in the Mississippi/Ohio River basins and Great Lakes region were reclassified as a new species, the emerald bowfin, Amia ocellicauda, and are no longer part of Amia calva as covered in this entry).

Lay the fish flat on its side in even light and photograph the whole body first, then the details below. Spread the tail fin so its shape (forked, rounded or square) is clear. Raise the dorsal and anal fins fully; ray counts and fin edges only read when the fin is spread. Photograph the gill cover and cheek straight on so the ear flap and scale rows are visible. Shoot the side of the body before the fish dries; spots and stripes fade fast out of water. The app reads the photo and names the likely species; use the marks on this page to confirm it.

Size and daily limits for this species differ by state and by water, and some waters are catch-and-release only. Check the current regulations for where you are fishing before keeping any fish; if you are unsure of the species, release it.