Bow Fishing

[taylor1884]

Has anyone ever bow hunted for carp or other tasty fish? My brother in law and I are considering participating in this years Great Lakes Bowfishing Tournament. We have never done this before and are looking for tips on how to be successful at it. Type of reel, boat, lighting, etc, etc, etc. Any thougths on the subject would be appreciated. Thanks :fish:

[explodingvarmints]

if the tourny you are speaking of is near caseville you fish during the day in the bay. you usually just use waders and a modified inner tube or little boat that drags behind you. most people i know use a deer hunting poundage with a old cheap p.o.s. bow that you would'nt mind dropping in the water. i'm not sure of the reals but i think they use those canister type ones the most. alot of folks just use the muzzy fiberglass arrows with the muzzy head. the amount of carp these guys shoot in a day is unreal to say the least. they bring in gravel trains to take the dead carp to farmers fields for fertilizer (i'm talking 20,000 lbs or something like that.) i have not gone up there to do that; however, i do shoot in our local creeks and marshes in the summer months at night an during the day. it's easier to shoot those buggers sitting still at night. have fun

[BarryPatch]

I don't know if their 'tasty', but I used to shoot alot of gar on Great Bear Lake.

[just tryin to fish]

i love shooting carp. i use my deer hunting bow for shooting them. a $10 spool real and a couple $7 arrow(stoped using the 20 dollar one because they keept getting snaped off). i just have a 14 foot boat that i shoot out of. i shoot in the day time. but am mounting flood lights this year to hunt at night.
if the tourny wasn't 3hours away from me i would participat

this was just a couple hours off shooting
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/9062Carp-med.jpg

[LittleMan]

I'd suggest this bow fishing kit from Cabelas. I dont have it, but PSE bows are usually pretty good. PSE Kingfisher Bowfishing Recurve Bow Kit (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/vertical-item.jhtml?id=0004395416242a&navAction=push&navCount=4&indexId=cat600272&podId=0004395&catalogCode=IF&parentId=cat600272&parentType=index&rid=&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fcatalog%2Fitem-link.jhtml_A&_DAV=MainCatcat21424)

[just tryin to fish]

wow they really stick it to you with that price. i would suggest just finding an old yard sale bow and buy a spool and arrow the spool ans arrow will only run you about $20-25.

[Neal]

(i'm talking 20,000 lbs or something like that.)

You are just a tad off the poundage, our two day record is 287,000 pounds of rough fish from saginaw Bay ;) (No That is not a mis-print)

Here's a pic of SOME of the fish

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/532/1599Carpload-med.jpg

[bhntr]

Now thats alot of carp! When is this shoot and how much does it cost to enter? Do you have to be a member of any type of organization when you enter? This looks like fun.

[Neal]

Now thats alot of carp! When is this shoot and how much does it cost to enter? Do you have to be a member of any type of organization when you enter? This looks like fun.

Everyone is welcome. Below is a link to our website.....it isn't updated for the 05' season yet, but most of the information is correct. Please PM me your Mailing Address and i'll make sure you get a registration form when they are available.

Neal

http://glbc-caseville.com/bows/glbc/index.tpl

[explodingvarmints]

holy crap..... i mean carp! my mechanic does that tourny every year (never comes close to winning) but says they have a great time. i am glad that none of my semi's or dump trucks are used for that peeeeyewww. that is god awefull nasty.

[yippy]

I would hate to be driving behind that truck...I have been bowfishing on the west side(Muskegon area) for several years now. I hang up my poles as soon as season opens. I use an older PSE with a spool. I use 130# planer board line. Muzzy arrows work best for me. Have gone through a lot though. Do not use the stainless harness that muzzy offers. The cable will pull into the fiberglass on the arrow and cut it in half on a good size fish. I use the 130# line to run through the arrow.

I tie the line on the front and the back with a large barrel swivel in between.
Then hook the line off the bow to the swivel. This allows you to keep the line in front of the rest when you draw back.
I did have the line get caught before I learned that one. The arrow came back at me just as fast as it left.
I have some pictures but dont know how to post. Can I e-mail them to someone here to post?

[taylor1884]

Wow!!! Thanks guys for all the input. I'm getting pretty pumped already. love the pic of the semi truck. Reminds me of college!!

[Splicer]

this year i'am going to get into bow fishing more it's fun of shore but the night time is where the numbers are.i work in chicago there is a web site like this one not as many people on line but just as helpful as we are here .there is a bow fishing area in the forum.www.chitown-angler.com there is as much info there as one guy could handle.
rick

[john warren]

first and foremost is learn how to set your bow up for fishing. make sure you use a slider on your arrow and that the line won't catch on anything. if it does it will come right back at you. many wade and have a great time,the serious guys use a good sized flat bottom boat. a john boat or pontoon boat works well, a lot of airboats are used too. get two or three plastic 55gal drums to keep your fish in.cut drain holes in them. its good to make a t-bar, its a post mounted in the boat that you can lean out on for shooting. i've seen guys in this shoot bring in 1500 pounds of carp and not even place in the money. some of the boats will use banks of driving lights attached to rails,for night fishing. the carp canbe very plentyful and the shootingfastand furious.i recomend a recurve bow,you'll frequently get shots off at halfdraw as the fish are moving fast.any poundage is fine, and remember to allow for refraction,shoot low. afterafewshots you'll be right on them.

[john warren]

P.S. yes they are tastey. all the fanciest restraunts used to serve carp. but they do have a ton of free floating bones.their awsome smoked too.

[Fordfreak]

Take it from someone who bowfishes from dusk to dawn 2-3 times a week in the summer. Forget the spool and get yourself an AMS bottle retriever (50-60$), they are alot faster and more conveniant. And forget about cable rigs on your arrows, and get yourself a triangle rest for your bow and tie your fast-flite line directly to rear of your arrow.,it will not snag.
I shoot off the shelf of my recurve, so I dont need a rest at all. The rest of my bowfishing buds have Oneida bows with triangle rests and bottle retrievers.
I will be shooting the Caseville tournament this year, so watch out for the two handsome dudes in the War Eagle!!!!

Fordfreak

[chrisjan_81]

Bowfishing is like a lot of other sports. It can be done without spending much money at all, but if you get serious, it can be quite expensive. I went for quite a few years with a spool real and cheap arrows and got a lot of fish. But i also broke a lot of tips, had fish slip off, even broke the cheap barbs fighting fish, and also spent a lot of time spooling the line back on. It was tons of fun, but one year i went to the AMS retriever, some nicer arrows and rigged up a boat with a high platform and some flood lights. Shot more fish than the previous years and it made things less frustrating, but i can say i had just as much fun with the cheap equipment too. Also, if you have a partner, try using a spotlight. it has a longer range than the floodlights and is easier to set up. And again, make sure the line is not going to catch on anything and that its attached to the back of the arrow. aim low. watch out for rocks. And be concious of other people. I love bowfishing, but some people dont like to see bloody fish dying on shore or floating in the lake, take care of what you shoot!

[deervision]

:fish: you should tie the string to the front of the arrow or use a safety slide.my buddy has a nasty scar from tying on the back of the arrow becauase the string got caught and came back as fast as it went forward.fish hard but fish smart and safe..

[just tryin to fish]

nice shoot

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/9062mikes_carp-med.JPG

[Fordfreak]

Deervision,

By using a triangle rest on your fishing bow you can tie directly to the back of the arrow without worry of snagging or annoying slide rigs.

Fordfreak

[deervision]

never tried one.know of a couple guys who have had hang ups with the triangle rest,they still shoot'em though.i like of the shelf.i shoot the GLBC in Caseville,mi. and the action can be very fast & furious,and i like not having to figit with my arrow.:fish: :fish:

[yippy]

Thanks Just Trying to Fish. Those were taken from Muskegon Lake. The gar had to go to the taxidermist. I havent seen one of those on the wall. The biggest one was 41".

I use a roller rest with a muzzy arrow. Muzzy makes a stainless harness for the string to slide to the back of the arrow. I had Three of those pull into the arrow and split. I still use the same idea just with 130lb planer board line for the harness.
I have had the same spool on the bow for 8 years. My friend bought the ams retriver set up and I dont think it is much faster. You can set up a bow for much less than a new pole.

[kcud rellik]

i bought a cheap bowfishing "reel" and it came with 70# nylon line.. should i replace this with something stronger? i've never bowfished before but really want to . i also have an arrow.. should i buy another before i go for my first time? and can you tie the line to the arrow tip? thank you

[dajumboman]

nice shoot

have the same bow and works great.. i shoot in muskegon county mainly in muskegon and spring lake. shoot lots of card every year that are close to 50 pounds and gar that are 3.5 feet.. some nites will shoot a garbage can full in a few hours.. great fun

[kcud rellik]

any noobie advice at all?

[Fordfreak]

Get an AMS retriever and a triangle rest.
Dont forget to shoot low.
If you think your aiming low enough, aim lower!!!


Fordfreak

[Jacob Huffman]

I have never fished a tournament but my brothers and I love to bow fish the area around Caseville and the area around west part of Saginaw Bay.We do pretty well but have to walk a ways to get to the water.Our biggest carp yet weighed in at almost 50lbs.It was huge.hen they are in the peak of the spawn you could almost walk across them they are so thick.

[kcud rellik]

how much is a triangle rest? y is a triangle rest better then a regular? thank you for responding

[Fordfreak]

With a triangle rest, you can tie your line directly to the rear of your fish arrow and not have to worry about your line getting snagged on your rest or cable slide rigs on your arrows. This rest works best with AMS or Zebco type reals. Go to Sullysbowfishing.com for pricing on the rests and retrievers.


Fordfreak

[kcud rellik]

i am looking at the safety slides.. would those be as good or would i still need a triangle rest? sorry for all the questions and thank you for all the help

[wyle_e_coyote]

http://www.sullysbowfishing.com/ anything you need, you will find it here..excpet aiming fluid..LOL

[Fordfreak]

kcud rellik

If you have a cable rig on your arrow, you do not need a triangle type rest. However a triangle rest will eliminate the need for the cable, which can and sometimes does break. It also keeps your arrow from falling off a standard style rest.
All the guys that bow fish with me use a triangle (tri-loop) rest, and love it. We all use AMS retrievers also and would never go back to a standard spool, or Zebco type reel for that matter. I use a recurve bow for shooting, so I just shoot off my shelf, which eliminates the need for any rest, and I can tie my 400 pound fast flight line directly to the rear of the arrow and not have to worry about hanging up upon release.

Fordfreak

[wyle_e_coyote]

Hey Fordfreak,
Do you have a digital camera that you could post a pic of how your arrow goes into the triangle rest. I am interested in how it looks when it is nocked, and in the rest, with the line tied to the back of the arrow.
I just set up a PSE King Fisher with a Synergy Reel on a reel seat. I have an arrow with a saftey slider shooting off a wheel rest.
I am interested in how your set up works.

[Fordfreak]

Wyle E Coyote,

Let me dig around in my photos and see what I can find. You have to feed the arrow through the rest backwards. Nock first, If that helps you visualize it better.


Fordfreak

[wyle_e_coyote]

Ok. I think I get it. You feed the arrow in backwards, line and all. Like pushing a needle and thread backwards into a hole. I think I got it. Well once I have to replace these sliders, I think I will switch to that set up. Allot less hassle and $ that way. Thanks.

[slckr69]

i got a question ... whata do you guys uh do with the fish after you shoot them.. i mean like carp arent good are they .. so like what do you do with them just trash them.... i mean me i would feed them to my piranhas but they cant eat that much..

also what fish can you shoot with a bow in michigan..

[kcud rellik]

ones i know for sure- carp, suckers, gar pike
possibly because you can spear them- pike and perch
please correct me if im wrong only one i know for sure is a NO is trout and salmon..

[yippy]

SLCKR 69, I bring them home and take a picture first. Then I feed them to the racoons. I have seen a few fox and coyote tracks around them also. If you like to shoot crows set the fish in a shooting lane.
I have people that take them and bury them under thier garden. But that is maybe 6 a year.
I have enough points to probably get a bear permit this year so I plan on freezing a few for bait. Need to check the rule book on that though.

One other fish you can shoot is a dogfish (bowfin).

[dajumboman]

your not allowed to shoot pike to my knowledge but you can shoot shad and suckers, and drum (sheepshead)

[kcud rellik]

i thought pike because you can spear them in winter but i may be wrong

[slckr69]

so how do you like get them close enough to shoot.. do you just troll through the shallows or do you like bait them or .. i know at night u can use lights. i dunno its just something id like to get into,. i know lake mac is full of carp but its so murky u cant see them .

[dajumboman]

yea u creap through the shallows at nite and you can easily get within feet of fish, very fun and good time spent with buddys