Tips For Bow Fishing
Sunday, May 1, 2011
By Owen Jones
Archery fishing is also known as bow fishing and it is as old as the bow and arrow themselves. We in the West tend to think that only poorer tribesmen in Third World countries go bow fishing, but that is not entirely true.
These days the hunting of mammals is stringently controlled and so some people who like to hunt with a bow will turn to bow fishing if the animals that they like to pursue, say deer, are out of season. Some other people, who would not hunt a deer or bear are very happy to hunt fish in this fashion.
Bow fishing is a skilled sport, but the paraphernalia need not of necessity be hi-tech. The fact is that you can use whatever bow you have or you can just make one. It does not have to be powerful, because the quarry is seldom more than ten feet away. You categorically do not have to have a 100 lbf longbow to kill a trout.
Having said that, any bow used for fishing will have to be modified slightly - you will have to affix a reel to it, but it does not have to be anything special. There are three main types of reel for use in bow fishing: hand-wrap, spincast and retriever and the line is usually braided nylon of approximately eighty pounds although you may need six hundred pound breaking strain line for alligators or sharks.
It is worth checking out the laws with regard to bow fishing in your country or state, because sometimes bow fishermen have to be licensed and sometimes getting that license involves having been on a safety course.
Some places will even have by-laws concerning the kind of equipment you can use in bow fishing and of course, some fish have seasonal restrictions.
Bow fishing is a mixture of fishing and hunting, so you could have to learn some new skills like tying knots for example. You will need to be able to tie the line to the reel and the arrow and those knots will need to be able to put up with the tremendous acceleration that an arrow leaving a bow goes through without failing.
The bow may not be different much from a normal bow, but the arrows certainly do. Arrows for bow fishing are usually a lot more substantial that air-flight arrows. They also have barbed points to prevent the fish escaping or just dropping off when you reel it in. The arrows do not have flights either because flights tend to deflect the true course of the arrow in water - the opposite of in the air.
There are three main techniques used in bow fishing: 1] you can put down ground bait and lie in wait. - an over hanging tree or high rock is good for this; 2] you can float down stream in a dinghy while sitting or standing in the prow; 3] you can walk into the river like a salmon fisherman.
Compensating for the refraction of the water is the most difficult ability to learn and that means knowing the water well as well.
These days the hunting of mammals is stringently controlled and so some people who like to hunt with a bow will turn to bow fishing if the animals that they like to pursue, say deer, are out of season. Some other people, who would not hunt a deer or bear are very happy to hunt fish in this fashion.
Bow fishing is a skilled sport, but the paraphernalia need not of necessity be hi-tech. The fact is that you can use whatever bow you have or you can just make one. It does not have to be powerful, because the quarry is seldom more than ten feet away. You categorically do not have to have a 100 lbf longbow to kill a trout.
Having said that, any bow used for fishing will have to be modified slightly - you will have to affix a reel to it, but it does not have to be anything special. There are three main types of reel for use in bow fishing: hand-wrap, spincast and retriever and the line is usually braided nylon of approximately eighty pounds although you may need six hundred pound breaking strain line for alligators or sharks.
It is worth checking out the laws with regard to bow fishing in your country or state, because sometimes bow fishermen have to be licensed and sometimes getting that license involves having been on a safety course.
Some places will even have by-laws concerning the kind of equipment you can use in bow fishing and of course, some fish have seasonal restrictions.
Bow fishing is a mixture of fishing and hunting, so you could have to learn some new skills like tying knots for example. You will need to be able to tie the line to the reel and the arrow and those knots will need to be able to put up with the tremendous acceleration that an arrow leaving a bow goes through without failing.
The bow may not be different much from a normal bow, but the arrows certainly do. Arrows for bow fishing are usually a lot more substantial that air-flight arrows. They also have barbed points to prevent the fish escaping or just dropping off when you reel it in. The arrows do not have flights either because flights tend to deflect the true course of the arrow in water - the opposite of in the air.
There are three main techniques used in bow fishing: 1] you can put down ground bait and lie in wait. - an over hanging tree or high rock is good for this; 2] you can float down stream in a dinghy while sitting or standing in the prow; 3] you can walk into the river like a salmon fisherman.
Compensating for the refraction of the water is the most difficult ability to learn and that means knowing the water well as well.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on several subjects, but is presently involved with archery recurve bows. If you would like to know more or for special deals, please go to our website at Kids Archery Set.
Posted byBertie at 2:49 AM
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