Shootin them Carp

[Carphunter]

Does anyone here ever do any bowfishing for carp? Those suckers have been over-running some of our lakes here, and I see more and more people doing it. Talked to the DNR guy the other day, and he said they need more people doing the bowfishing. He said, nobody fishes for them, and they don't have any enemies in the lakes here. He also told me to toss 'em up on the bank, and let the racoons, opossoms, and turkey vultures have a nice meal. He said whatever you do, don't eat them. I have a hard time tossing fish up on the bank, but something has to be done with this population explosion.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Re: Shootin them Carp

Used to alot. It is great sport, but like you I felt kinda guilty throwing them up on the bank all the time. My son still goes out for em once in a while. I used a bear bowfishing reel on an old recurve with fiberglass arrow. Mostly I would get out on bridge piers and wait for the carp to swim under me and then whammo let him have it. Also did some wadeing for them.

 

[jim phillips]

Re: Shootin them Carp

Just as much fun to fish for them. use a heavy rod and whole corn for bait. a can will give you all the fun you can handle.

 

[neumanns]

Re: Shootin them Carp

Bow fishing is a hoot however we dont have carp here but gotta love the suckers and redhorse and I gotta say smoked redhorse aint to bad... just as soon as I get my smoker made that I intended to have finished by june 1st another deadline missed...oh well.<br /><br />If you dont want to throw them on the bank perhaps you could give them to someone who would be glad to have them or use them to fertilize a garden. also has anyone read that article in outdoor life 2mos ago on them boys in michigan i believe that have that tournement ... something like 2000 lbs a day, thats a lot.

 

[Carphunter]

Re: Shootin them Carp

As you can tell by my screen name, I have done the bowfishing thing a lot. Just the other day, my brother and I shot about 30 of those carp. We probably could have got twice as many, but we started catching bass, and that was all she wrote. They were everywhere. There are places, where we used to fish for bass, that are so tore up with carp now, that you can't even fish for bass. <br />Oh well, bowfishing gets me tuned up for bowhunting, so I can't complain.

 

[flashback]

Re: Shootin them Carp

We have enough slant eyed folks in this area that like to eat them that they don't become a problem

 

[Fishbusters]

Re: Shootin them Carp

Used to be rigged up with a generator and lights to do it all night long. Got a lot of carp, gar and mudfish that way. I quit when it got hard to find any more targets. I still have the equipment and think about doing it from time to time but i no longer have the boat for it.

 

[ralphhotdog]

Re: Shootin them Carp

I've been wanting to try bowfishing but haven't done any so far.I Already have the setup and just bought a bass boat last month.I'm thinking the fishing deck of a bass boat should work pretty good. I'm sure if it's anything like bowhunting deer,I'll be hooked for life.<br /> Hey carphunter,do you use sights on your bowfishing setup? I shoot a sight pin for deerhunting but I think I'm going to try shooting instinctive for carp.<br /> Good shoot'n<br /> Ralph