As I tried to slip through the knee-deep water without causing any disturbance I could see the shadows in the grass. When I was finally presented a shot, I drew my bow, hit my anchor point and released the arrow. The grass erupted as the big carp thrashed. Hand over hand I landed the fish. That first bowfishing hunt took place more than 40 years ago.
Just last week I stopped off at a small creek on the way home from work to check out the situation. Invasive Asian carp were swimming by in pods nearly thick enough to walk across which means season is in.
What Is Bowfishing?
Bowfishing combines bowhunting with fishing. A line is attached to an arrow, that line is attached to a reel on the other end which is mounted to the bow. When you shoot, the arrow is retrieved by hand lining the arrow back in or reeling it in with a reel mounted to the bow. The gear is as simple or as complex as you want it to be. I started out with a recurve bow and a simple drum reel.
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Essentials of Bowfishing: The Bow
The bow can be a longbow, recurve or a compound and some bow anglers even use a crossbow. The bow doesn’t need to be fancy or the latest model nor does it need to be a hunting draw weight.
Anna Ribbeck of Swamp People and Muzzy Bow Fishing Pro staffer who also loves to bowfish says, “My Muzzy Deviant bow is about 35 lbs. draw weight.” The setup on a bowfishing rig is simple; it’s usually just an arrow rest and a reel. Ribbeck recommends shooting instinctive rather than using sights when bowfishing, “You have to be so quick when you shoot fish,” says Ribbeck. Sights are seldom used when bowfishing.
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The Reel
There are several types of reels available. I have seen homemade reels made from an empty soup can, a few scraps of wood and a piece of inner tube. However, most folks purchase a reel. These reels need not be fancy but as you progress in your bowfishing you may decide to get a reel that is easier to reel up the line.
The drum reel is popular with many beginners. It is straight forward; the line is wrapped around the drum and a small clip holds the line. The line slips out from the clip when the shot is taken.
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Spincast reels are mounted to an arbor seat which is screwed into the stabilizer hole on the bow. The button is pushed before the shot and the line and fish are retrieved by turning the handle.
The bottle reel holds the line in a bottle and once the shot is taken the line peels out of the bottle. The line is retrieved with the handle of the bottle reel. The bottle reel is Ribbeck’s reel of choice, “A bottle reel is easy. You don’t have to push any buttons, and you can concentrate on shooting.”
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The line used on these reels is a braided Dacron usually 250 lbs. test for most applications but in extreme cases a heavier line is used.
The Arrows
The arrows are made of solid fiberglass. The weight of the solid fiberglass helps the arrow to penetrate the water and the fish below the surface. Today’s bowfishing arrows utilize a slide system which not only attaches the line to the arrow but effortlessly moves up and down, so the line does not impede the shot. These arrows do not have fletching as most shots are fairly close range. The heads on the arrows are barbed to penetrate the fish but the barbs prevent the arrow from coming out of the fish.
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When I first started bowfishing the common carp was the primary target as I mainly fished around small lakes and ponds. However, with the invasion of Asian carp in many of the nation’s waterways, bowfishing has gained more popularity to a target rich environment. Wading or bank running gives you the advantage of the high ground, but keep in mind the refraction of the water will require you to aim low when shooting at a fish under the water. A pair of polarized sunglasses are helpful spotting fish in the daylight hours.
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“When you first start bowfishing you will miss a lot of fish, but eventually you will hit one and you will know what your aim point should look like from there on out. You will still miss fish, but your friends who have been bowfishing a long time will miss too,” laughs Ribbeck.
Fish & Other Game
Non-game fish; carp. gar, suckers and other rough fish are the target fish for most bowfishing. However, in saltwater other fish are fair game. Ribbeck enjoys shooting redfish at night from a boat. The boat is rigged with lights and a generator to power the lights which illuminate the water where the fish are visible even in the stained swamp water of Louisiana. Sometimes alligators are taken with bowfishing gear where legal.
“My favorite thing about bowfishing is anyone can get into bowfishing. You don’t have to have a lot of equipment,” continues Ribbeck. “We chartered a bowfishing guide who had all the equipment. I fell in love with bowfishing and then started acquiring the gear.”
So, dust off your bow a bit early, get yourself a reel, a few arrows and hit the water. Beginner or seasoned bowfisher the misses will help you appreciate the ones you land.
