Hey everyone hope all is going well!

I had a big huge quick question for you all since I'm brand new to catching bowfin and fish in general. Where I fish it's mainly crappie and bowfin. I can easily lip the crappie if not literally just hold it in my hand normally since they are usually small. The bowfin on the other hand I struggle with.

Suckers are strong and BIG. I've caught some absolute tanks out of the lake. Living dinosaurs is what some of the locals call them. But anyways funny story, first time fishing on the lake I stuck my hand in the bowfin thinking "I'll lip this huge fucker" and 2 seconds later the fish was back in the water and my thumb is destroyed. Probably my favorite fishing story to tell. Now I usually pick up my bowfin with pliers, only problem I have with this is I feel like I'm breaking teeth and their jaw with it because they are so strong you need a really good grip so they don't swing around and you drop them or lose them. I'm not sure if I actually am but I'm so afraid that I keep accidentally hurting these fish. I have a net to pick them up but then the process of taking a picture or even putting them back in the water is a whole ordeal.

If someone can just let me know what or how I should handle these fish without hurting them or myself. Also what lure or bait you recommended because these bowfin absolutely destroyed my brand new $20 lure.

TL;DR: bowfin big, don't want hurt them. What use to pick them up with other than net? And bait/lure you use?