Present, classed as rough fish. Native.

Bowfin

Amia calva

Called dogfish locally. A native fish older than the dinosaurs, and it fights harder than anything else here.

What the DNR measured

Shawano Lake data: No stand-alone table in the 2023 comprehensive report.
Season: Open all year as rough fish: no minimum length, unlimited daily bag.

Bowfin gulp air, so they thrive in warm, weedy, low-oxygen backwater that other predators avoid. The shallow bays here suit them.

1 of the 10 named areas hold bowfin. Tap a marker for the reason.

Spot	Why it holds them
Cecil Bay and the east taper	The lake narrows to under a mile from north to south at its east end and shallows out. Heavy vegetation, warm water, and the Cecil launch right on it. This is the best largemouth and panfish water on the east half.

Season on Shawano Lake: Open all year. Summer, in the warmest water you can find.
Limit: Rough fish: no minimum length, unlimited daily bag.
Wisconsin state record: 13 lbs 1 oz, 31.6 in
Where the record came from: Willow Flowage, Oneida County, 1980-07-19