bowfishing

[H Rhodes]

Went bowfishing for my first time yesterday.  The little creek we floated was up some and pretty muddy, so we didn't see but two gar all afternoon.  I did get to shoot one time - then had a ball handlining a four foot long gar with an arrow through him....  I got to do this some more!  We had a ball! 

[seabass]

good deal buddy,keep up the good work.i am a bowfishing fool for carp.we don't get any big gar here.just small needle nose.if i had gar that big here i would never come home.

[H Rhodes]

Thanks Seabass.  That one was really sort of average for this river.   I think when the conditions are really right, we can load the boat up with these smiling jokers...  You need to fix a reel on that new yeller stick you just finished and bring it down here! 

[gstoneberg]

Nice.  I've been looking for one that size to relieve the skin off of for a bow backing.

George

[H Rhodes]

That one was given away.  I intend to do a lot more of this before summer  ends.  If I get some decent skins  I will let you know George.  We have canoed that stretch for years and have always seen lots of gar.  I am hooked now.  It's like a cross between hunting and fishing! 

[seabass]

Man Howard,i would love to come down there for those gar.i didn't get to go today because i had to fix my truck.i got it fixed today and headed out with the canoe in the morning.don't worry,i have plenty of bows and reels.i'll try and post some pics.

[seabass]

here is my new rig.i have had the bear recurve since i was eight.the real is a new ams retriever reel and traditional strap on mount that i got from three rivers.i have to say,i don't like getting that high tech.this is one of the best gadgets that i have ever bought.i can shoot 30 feet with this set-up.

[H Rhodes]

     Doggone it!  I let my old Bear recurve get away a long time ago.  The sight of that emblem made me all nostalgic there for a minute. 
     I don't know how far it is, but you are welcome any time.  I love to canoe to a likely spot where the water slows around a big log jam and then get out and hunt em from the shore.  I am hooked on this stuff. 
     You look loaded for bear there Seabass!  I think I am headed in a low tech direction.  I will have to post a pic of my new reel.  A buddy of mine turned it on his lathe for me from a piece of white oak.  I donated the fiberglass recurve in the above photo to my son and will be rigging up one of my selfbows for my next trip....  I got to work on a homemade  fishing arrow....  I am not set on my design just yet.  That fiberglass arrow and safety slide really work like a charm.  It will be hard to duplicate that kind of performance in my little shop.   

[gstoneberg]

That one was given away.  I intend to do a lot more of this before summer  ends.  If I get some decent skins  I will let you know George.  We have canoed that stretch for years and have always seen lots of gar.  I am hooked now.  It's like a cross between hunting and fishing!

Thanks Howard, that would be great.  I have fond memories of bowfishing with an old Darton recurve in the park that went through town when I was in college.  As soon as the carp and quillback started spawning I would shoot the heck out of them.  Poor folk would line the banks of the little creek and take every fish I thought.  Not sure how they cooked them.  Some of them would spot for me and let me know when a school was coming.  I shot until my fingers could not pull the string anymore.  It was a great time.  I haven't done much of it since then.  I should get back out now that I'm so close to the lake down here.

Good luck with your bowfishing.

George

[Wolf Watcher]

Those gar look to be some kind of fun.  Have been going down to Boyson Reservoir to shoot carp.  Hawk Huston got me going and since I can wade a large shallow lagoon, I just tie the string to my belt and let fly.  Works really well and doesn't take long to reload.  I shot one really different carp yesterday.  It had very large scales and they did not have the straight compact pattern of the regular carp.  Can anyone tell me what kind of carp that would be?  It really was beautiful.  Going again tomarrow so hope to see another one lake that!  A/Ho Joe

[gstoneberg]

I used to occasionally get a carp with just a few scales.  They were better looking than common carp.  We called them mirror carp.  http://www.allfishingbuy.com/Fish-Species/Carp-Mirror.htm  Is that what you shot?

George

[seabass]

Joe,here in Ohio people started using isrealie carp for bait.they would loose a few or throw them off their hooks.i am now shooting some of them.they have a large hump on their heads and really big scales.they look alot different than common asian carp.i believe they are some form of mirror carp.Howard,i also have a turned reel for my selfbows.it is made of willow and is very beutiful.it was made by a guy on this site.after i used my new fangled reel,i can't see myself using anything else.zero drag on this set-up.i am going in the morning and will let you know how i do.the lake i will be fishing has carp 20 pounds and bigger.i shot one last weekend that got me hung up in the trees then tore off my arrow.i'll give a full report tommarrow.ttyl,Steve

[criveraville]

Nice catch 

Cipriano

[TRACY]

here is my new rig.i have had the bear recurve since i was eight.the real is a new ams retriever reel and traditional strap on mount that i got from three rivers.i have to say,i don't like getting that high tech.this is one of the best gadgets that i have ever bought.i can shoot 30 feet with this set-up.

Best setup in my book. More time shooting and less time untangling or spooling

Tracy

[seabass]

you got that right Tracy,i'll never use a spool again.i can get off two shots sometimes at the same fish.i never could have done that with my old spool.