Bow fishing is one of the most rapidly growing hunting
sports. The concept is very simple;
obtain an inexpensive basic bow, put a fishing reel on it with a special fish
arrow, obtain a fishing license, and go shoot carp or any other of the legal
rough fish that are very common in our waterways. Sounds very simple and it is, once you figure
out how to hit something that is not where it appears to be. Because of the refraction of the water, the fish is always lower than it appears
unless it is near the surface. Most
beginners will get very frustrated when they first start the sport until they
figure out how to compensate for the refraction. Once that is accomplished, the sport is very fun and, indeed very
addicting. Don McGaffey and his sons,
Patrick and Christian have been bow fishing for four years now and thoroughly
enjoy the sport. They can commonly be found along local streams and on local
lakes peering into the water for their quarry.
June is the best month of the year as this is when the carp are spawning
and can be frequently found packed into streams or right up tight to the
lakeshores in very shallow water, making them easier targets. The fish they
shoot do not go to waste. They get sold
to a company in Alexandria that makes snapping turtle food out of them. It is not legal to leave them along the shore
or dump them in ditches or anywhere else that the smell of rotting fish would
be offensive. The fish can also be very
impressive in size. Buffalo and common
carp can frequently exceed twenty pounds and thirty pounders are fairly
common. The average fish is around ten
pounds. While no bow fisherman has any notion that the sport is going to rid the
waters of rough fish, it is one small
way to help reduce the population, one fish at a time, while enjoying some
excellent family time and some excitement and fun.
