Bowfishing
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Bowfishing is a method of fishing that utilizes specialized archery equipment to shoot and retrieve fish. Fish are shot with a barbed arrow that is attached with special line to a reel on the bow. Some freshwater species commonly bowfished for include common carp, grass carp, bighead carp, alligator gar, and paddlefish. In saltwater, rays and sharks are the species most regularly pursued.
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[edit] Bowfishing Equipment
[edit] Arrows
Bowfishing arrows are considerably heavier and stronger than arrows used in other types of archery and are most commonly constructed of five-sixteenth inch fiberglass, but solid aluminum, carbon fiber, and carbon fiber reinforced fiberglass are also used. Bowfishing arrows generally lack fletching, as it can cause the arrow to flair to one side or another underwater and they are not required at the relatively short ranges associated with bowfishing. Line is attached to the arrow by tying to a hole in the arrow shaft or through the use of a slide system.
[edit] Line
Bowfishing line is often made from braided nylon, dacron, or spectra. Commonly used line weights range from eighty to four-hundred pound test, with six-hundred being used when bowfishing for alligators.
[edit] Reels
Three types of reels are commonly used in bowfishing: Hand-wrap, spincast, and the retriever. Hand-wrap reels are the simplest reels; they consist of a circular spool that line is wrapped onto by hand and then secured in a line holding slot. When the arrow is shot the line comes free from the line holder and feeds off the spool. Fish are fought by pulling the line in hand over hand; hand-wrap reels are the least effective at fighting arrowed fish, but they can be used in conjunction with a float system to shoot and fight large trophy fish.
[edit] Bowfishing Boats
Although bowfishing can be done from the shore, bowfishers most often shoot from boats. Many of these boats are highly customized specifically for bowfishing, with raised shooting platforms, and generators to provide electrical power to multiple lights for bowfishing at night. Many also incorporate some type of fan propulsion for operating in very shallow waters. The fan and motor are generally mounted on a raised platform at the stern.
[edit] Targeted Species
Freshwater
- common carp
- bighead carp
- silver carp
- grass carp
- longnose gar
- shortnose gar
- alligator gar
- paddlefish
- bigmouth buffalo
- smallmouth buffalo
- freshwater drum
- catfish
- american alligator
Saltwater
