Bob
10-11-2006, 12:05
Bowfishing the Kaskaskia
By Bob--O Aug 01, 2006
It's hot, really hot, even bass fishing seems like work. This is the time of year some of our local rivers and lakes heat up as the best time to bowfish. Your quarry... carp, gar, buffalo, and Asian carp abound, and cruise the upper water column, or are easily seen rooting the banks for food.
I've taken numerous folks out on my boat for their first bowfishing trip of their lives, all are skeptical at the least, and most look at you like you got hit one too many times by a jumping silver carp. However after getting the bow in their hands and slinging arrows they seem to think that this just may be an ok sport. Usually after numerous misses they actually hit one, then they are hooked and believe this REALLY is fun. Especially if their first hit is on a large carp.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/bob--o/gar.jpg
This is a sport that everyone can enjoy, kids, wives, friends, and family of all ages. The only equipment needed is an old bow of any style, a reel or line keeper, a fiberglass arrow with safety slide or cable, and bowfishing line. I use an old fiberglass recurve 50 lb draw, with a tape on drum reel. (About as simple and cheap a set-up you could find, and I shoot plenty of fish, and miss plenty more.) Draw weight doesn't need to be heavy, as most shots are very close. Reels run from simple drums you wind the line around by hand, to specialized retriever reels made for bowfishing, and even the large Zebco models are used for bowfishing.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/bob--o/bowfish.jpg
Boats make covering water easy, but I've shot plenty from the banks of sloughs and creeks. If you are bank bound try to find a high bank 4-5 feet above the water. Polarized glasses are almost mandatory, you WILL NOT see nearly as many fish without them. On my boat we cruise along the banks using the trolling motor to slowly creep around, and shut it off when we see fish and try to drift towards them silently. Many folks bowfish at night, and their boats are rigged with spotlights and a generator to run them. As like any other outdoor sport, you can out as much or as little you want into bowfishing, and still have a great time.
On the Kaskaskia, I find that the gar seem to stack up around standing timber or blow downs. What looks like a shadow of that overhanging limb might just be a gar laying in wait. Carp can be seen a ways off when they are feeding in a school, their lips sucking the surface of the water. (My buddy calls it smooping.) You can expect to find these where there is a film of goo on top of the water. You can also look for mud trails along the bank where they root like pigs for grass shoots on the bank. You sometimes will see a carp with its back out of the water trying to dig up food. A key tip is remember to AIM LOW... water refraction will have you shooting high every time if you don't remember to AIM LOW.
Most local archery shops have some bowfishing gear, or there are plenty of on-line stores that have a plethora of gear. One of my favorites is www.sullysbowfishing.com (http://www.sullysbowfishing.com/) Also there is an Illinois Bowfishers Club for those that didn't know. They have tournaments and functions frequently. You can read more about them at www.illinoisbowfishers.com (http://www.illinoisbowfishers.com/)
By Bob--O Aug 01, 2006
It's hot, really hot, even bass fishing seems like work. This is the time of year some of our local rivers and lakes heat up as the best time to bowfish. Your quarry... carp, gar, buffalo, and Asian carp abound, and cruise the upper water column, or are easily seen rooting the banks for food.
I've taken numerous folks out on my boat for their first bowfishing trip of their lives, all are skeptical at the least, and most look at you like you got hit one too many times by a jumping silver carp. However after getting the bow in their hands and slinging arrows they seem to think that this just may be an ok sport. Usually after numerous misses they actually hit one, then they are hooked and believe this REALLY is fun. Especially if their first hit is on a large carp.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/bob--o/gar.jpg
This is a sport that everyone can enjoy, kids, wives, friends, and family of all ages. The only equipment needed is an old bow of any style, a reel or line keeper, a fiberglass arrow with safety slide or cable, and bowfishing line. I use an old fiberglass recurve 50 lb draw, with a tape on drum reel. (About as simple and cheap a set-up you could find, and I shoot plenty of fish, and miss plenty more.) Draw weight doesn't need to be heavy, as most shots are very close. Reels run from simple drums you wind the line around by hand, to specialized retriever reels made for bowfishing, and even the large Zebco models are used for bowfishing.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/bob--o/bowfish.jpg
Boats make covering water easy, but I've shot plenty from the banks of sloughs and creeks. If you are bank bound try to find a high bank 4-5 feet above the water. Polarized glasses are almost mandatory, you WILL NOT see nearly as many fish without them. On my boat we cruise along the banks using the trolling motor to slowly creep around, and shut it off when we see fish and try to drift towards them silently. Many folks bowfish at night, and their boats are rigged with spotlights and a generator to run them. As like any other outdoor sport, you can out as much or as little you want into bowfishing, and still have a great time.
On the Kaskaskia, I find that the gar seem to stack up around standing timber or blow downs. What looks like a shadow of that overhanging limb might just be a gar laying in wait. Carp can be seen a ways off when they are feeding in a school, their lips sucking the surface of the water. (My buddy calls it smooping.) You can expect to find these where there is a film of goo on top of the water. You can also look for mud trails along the bank where they root like pigs for grass shoots on the bank. You sometimes will see a carp with its back out of the water trying to dig up food. A key tip is remember to AIM LOW... water refraction will have you shooting high every time if you don't remember to AIM LOW.
Most local archery shops have some bowfishing gear, or there are plenty of on-line stores that have a plethora of gear. One of my favorites is www.sullysbowfishing.com (http://www.sullysbowfishing.com/) Also there is an Illinois Bowfishers Club for those that didn't know. They have tournaments and functions frequently. You can read more about them at www.illinoisbowfishers.com (http://www.illinoisbowfishers.com/)