Finally got the go ahead today with the Corp of Engineers to have the first ever bowfishing tournament on Carlyle Lake. The biggest Lake in the state of Illinois at 26,000 acres. It will be May 16, 10A.M. to 6 P.M., at Coles Creek, which is a high water ramp if needed. The Corp has agreed to take care of fish disposal.

Also got the go ahead for a special variance to shoot below the spillway Saturday night ONLY after the tournament. Seems the commerical fishermen this winter couldn't get their nets out because of all the ice in the tailwaters. The Corp said the shooting should be good.

A flier will be out in a few days. Heading to the BAA meeting this weekend in Nashville.

Bowfisher

Looking forward to it!!! Put it on the SILO Calendar if it is finalized!

NOTE TO ALL: Everyone has the ability to add SILO themed adventures to the calendar!

WOOHOO!

It dont get much closer than this for me....:D

And that variance sounds awsome!!!!!!!!

i hope i will go

Sounds like agreat time is headed this way!

Hey Bowfisher, what kind of equipment do you use? Can you use a regular hunting set-up or is 312 fps to fast? I bowfished in the backwaters years, a lot of years ago using a 30# fiberglass recurve. Just curios what youall use nowdays.

4-me, you won't be gettin' 312 with a bowfishing arrow. ;) They generally weigh in at about 1500 grains.
Just about anything that will fling an arrow will work. But....most folks don't use their hunting set-ups for a couple of reasons. First, most huntin' bows are just too powerful and set up for much lighter arrows. Meaning the rests sometimes won't hold up the much heavier fishing arrows. We typically don't use very heavy poundage bows and most hunting bows are in the 60-70 pound range. That much K.E. will put an arrow way, waaay though a fish and if you're shooting in shallow water you end up burying the arrow in the bottom. This can be bad if there is grass or roots.
Second, fishing is tough on equipment and most guys don't want to put their hunting bows though the mud, blood and fish goo let alone the bumps and bangs that bowfishing brings.

BTW, I use a 50# draw weight recurve. Christine uses an Onieda set at about 30-35#. If I was to give advice on draw weight, it would be 45-60# for a recurve or longbow and under 50# for a compound.

Hope that helps.

Hey Bowfisher, what kind of equipment do you use? Can you use a regular hunting set-up or is 312 fps to fast? I bowfished in the backwaters years, a lot of years ago using a 30# fiberglass recurve. Just curios what youall use nowdays.

4-me;
I am from the "old School". I use recurves 99.9% of the time. Light weight and simple. Kind of like Carpsniper says in the above post, keep it under 50#. I like to use anything between 40-45# with a spinner reel.
I would not recomend using your deer hunting bow because it is usually set to a high poundage, you have to take everything off and set it up for bowfishing, then reset it up for deer season again. Bowfishing season is from Jan 1 to Dec 31. I shoot year around. You will most likely not like getting all that blood and slim on your bow. Find an old bow at a garage sale for $50 or less and make it a deciated bowfishing bow.

I hope some of you SILO members can do the walking shoot at Rend or make the day shoot at Carlyle with boats.

Bowfisher
Illinois Bowfishers

Will the variance cover from the bank, or a boat, or both???

Will the variance cover from the bank, or a boat, or both???

Ron;

Boat.

The variance to shoot below the spillway is for entrants of the Illinois Bowfishers Carlyle Classic. Will you be shooting the tournament?

Bowfisher

The variance to shoot below the spillway is for entrants of the Illinois Bowfishers Carlyle Classic. Will you be shooting the tournament?

Bowfisher


That's what I'm trying to work out at the moment....

Or is this tournament only open to members of the IL Bowfishers club?

Ron and all, our events are open to everyone.

We do give members a break on entry fees. This is to encourage folks to join the club through economic incentives. ;)

They are thick in the spillway.

Can someone post a typical bowfishing rig so that I know what I would need to purchase to get setup?

http://www.siloutdoors.com/imagehosting/57348d4473978a96.jpg

They are thick in the spillway.

Can someone post a typical bowfishing rig so that I know what I would need to purchase to get setup?



http://www.silverdollarboats.net/BowfishingRigs.html



Is that what you are looking for? Don't forget to add about $50,000 for a good 1 ton to pull it.

Bowfisher

They are thick in the spillway.

Can someone post a typical bowfishing rig so that I know what I would need to purchase to get setup?



DeBunk

Just kidding. Check out the article on getting started. Shows the reels, arrows and recurves or you can use one of them wheel bows. Bob just stole one on SILO yesterday. Any old bow that is between 40 and 50 # will work. Check out the garage sales coming up this spring. Should be lots of bows under $50. You can use a nicer bow but you will get blood and slime on it.
You will need some kind of reel. I would not recommend a hand wrapped as they are slow and you will soon want to update to a spinner or retriever.
You will want at least arrows with slides. A set of polarized sunglasses for day shooting and oh, a good airboat.

http://www.huntingnet.com/articles/article_detail.aspx?articles_id=504

Will you be shooting the Carlyle Classic or the Billy Davis Memorial Tournament at Rend?

Bowfisher

Ron,
Bowfishing rigs are kind of like bowfishing bows.. Any bow that shoots an arrow can work and most any boat that floats can be turned into a bowfishing rig.
I've seen our members show up to shoots with everything from those little plastic one man doohickeys to 24' pontoon boats and everything in between.
You can see some pictures here; http://www.illinoisbowfishers.com/ClickGallery/public.asp

The most typical rig is some type of jon boat. A wider one is desirable as it's more stable on the water. If you're shooting below the spillway, a shallow drafting boat is not important, for most other bowfishing it is very important.

I started from shore. Moved up to shooting from a canoe (on the river). Then a 12' jon boat, then a 16' jon. Now it's a 18' pontoon boat.

A pontoon boat is great because you can get several people shooting off of it. The entire thing is deck so it's easy to walk around on in the dark. It can hold several barrels of fish and it still drafts less than a v-bottom boat.

The downside is a pontoon is usually much slower than a regular boat. (in tournaments this is bad, no hole shots)

If you're talking bowfishing reels, my recommendation for all beginning bowfishers is a retriever reel with good fiberglass arrows (don't get the ones with fletch on them) with safety slides. Always take at least two arrows with you.

The retriever is easy to learn, darn near indestructible and cheaper than the spincasts in the long run.
:)

Christine,
I remember seeing all the different set ups last year down at the Billy Davis Memorial. In fact I been looking for a med size jon to start out with.

Kinda been thinking if the economy keeps in the current situation, there will be quite a few for sale....

I got the bow set up that I put together year before last with a old pro-archer bow and a retreiver...and about 3 or 4 extra arrows. And it works pretty well.

I've been seeing some really cheap speed/pleasure boats but not too many really cheap jon boats. I think the high gas prices last summer combined with the iffy economy made a lot of folks rethink keeping the pleasure boats.

Apparently the duck hunters/fishermen with the jon boats are a little more recession proof. (or more stubborn. ;) )

The deals are definitely out there tho'.

Here's the bow I got last year, Browning Barracuda..Gonna try to make the Carlyle tournament.

http://www.siloutdoors.com/imagehosting/75349a49017ebe8f.jpg

here's my ugly bow....lol

http://www.siloutdoors.com/imagehosting/66647e6bcfacdd43.jpg

got more in the retreiver than the bow:D

Does the cord ever get tangled up and zing the arrow back at the shooter?

Nope not at all!

Never had a problem YET.

http://www.siloutdoors.com/imagehosting/57348d4473978a96.jpg

Man you are killing me! I can't wait for them to open the spillway up for year round bowfishing.

Does the cord ever get tangled up and zing the arrow back at the shooter?

It does happen. (called "snap-back")

That is why (with few exceptions) we recommend using safety slides on your arrows. They keep the line out in front of the bow where it can't wrap around the bowstring. (the cause of "snap-back")

Hope that helps.

Man you are killing me! I can't wait for them to open the spillway up for year round bowfishing.


At the moment they are letting alot of water out, it dont look nuttin like that right now.... from what I heard they are over summer pool.

Hope that makes ya feel better......lol

I'll be there. What is the rule on number of guys on a team?

I'll be there. What is the rule on number of guys on a team?

Maximum of three shooters per team/boat

May 16 Lake Carlyle Classic, Day shoot 10am to 6pm , Big 15 Format. Limit 5 carp, 5 buffalo, 5 gar to make your 15 heaviest fish. Launching out of Cole's Creek Access. BAA Sanctioned. Tournament participants can bowfish from a boat below the spillway after the tournament is over. (Special variance from the USACE)
Flyer coming soon.

Entry fees $30 for non-members of Illinois Bowfishers, $20 for Illinois Bowfishers members and juniots (17 and under) soot free with a paying adult

Optional Big Fish pot $10 per team

Hey Cody; a good tune up for the Carlyle Classic would be the Billy Davis Memorial Tournament at Rend April 18-19. A short one and a half hours from Collinsville to Rend.

Hope you make it

Dave Randolph
Illinois Bowfishers Tournament Director
BAA Il State Rep