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Bowfishing

Airboatcapt2

Well-known member
anahuacworlds3oq.jpg
 
American Airboats is adding an additional $500 Gift Certificate to the Big Fish Pot.

Going to be an awesome shoot!
 
Bowfishing sounds like incredible fun ! Somebody take a sec and fill me in on what kind of fish yall hunt for? What kind of areas are they found in etc? I see some sweet boats rigged for it. Sadly I know nothing about it but my interest is getting sparked.

Scotty
 
The anahauc shoot will get hundreds of Gar per boat. Should be about 50 boats. Winners in the past have shot near 1,000 fish in one night.
There are monster Gar there too. I would not be at all shocjed to hear of someone getting a 5 or 6 ft. Gator Gar.
 
nile perch, talapia, have no limit in florida. taste pretty good too.
 
To echo Whitebear,
Can some folks post all the details about bowfishing/gigging. I have too many gar in my canal and lake and it seems like it would be good practice too.
Which is better: bow, speargun, gig, harpoon?
What is the best idea for retrival: fishing reel on the bow or ?
What kinds of tips or Broadheads are available. Which are better?
Is a high power bow better or worse?
Where do you aim? at, above , below, How much?
What do you do with the nasty things afterward?
What are the bad things? Don't dooo's.

So many questions. Please enlighten us.
 
Jet I do know you can not have a spear gun in freshwater in the state of Florida I use a reel with a compound bow I aim just below the target we do not have the gars that they do in Texas are I say as big as they do there are some big one here but what I have seen come out of Texas are huge. I may come up this weekend for the meeting on Sat I will show you what I use.

Spearing is defined as “the catching or taking of a fish by bow hunting, gigging, spearfishing, or by any device used to capture a fish by piercing its body. Spearing does not include the catching or taking of a fish by a hook with hook and line gear or by snagging (snatch hooking

Spearfishing is defined as “the catching or taking of a fish through the instrumentality of a hand or mechanically propelled, single or multi-pronged spear or lance, barbed or barbless, operated by a person swimming at or below the surface of the water.�


You May NOT Spearfish (Excluding bowhunting and gigging):

Effective July 1, 2001, spearfishing of marine and freshwater species in freshwater is prohibited. Possession of a spear gun in or on freshwater is also prohibited.
Within 100 yards of a public swimming beach, any commercial or public fishing pier, or any part of a bridge from which public fishing is allowed.
Within 100 feet of any part of a jetty that is above the surface of the sea – except for the last 500 yards of a jetty that extends more than 1,500 yards from the shoreline.
In Collier County and in Monroe County from Long Key north to the Dade County line.
For any fish for which spearing is expressly prohibited by law (listed above).
In any body of water under the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection,Recreation and Parks. (Possession of spearfishing equipment is prohibited in these areas, unless it is unloaded and properly stored.)
Fishermen who catch and/or sell fish harvested by spearing are subject to the same rules and limitations that other anglers in the state are required to follow.
 
there are all kinds of equipment and set ups that it would take years to explain. I shoot an Oneida bow but for 12 years shot an old recurve. I also started with a spincast reel but for the guys that are starting and shooting for fun, not tourny's I tell them to spend the $ on the AMS retriever, and shoot the AMS slide system, to keep them safe. As far as points go, I have Muzzys with both the gar tip and the carp tip, Intterloc makes a great head for shooting larger fish but the diam of the point is LARGE. I have gone back to shooting a head that a guy in OK makes that is hardened and if you come across rocks, concrete, or anything hard it doesn't roll the tip. If you hunt of fish at all and you start this it will consume you. This is the first AIR BOAT I have built but the 5th boat I have rigged. As far as fish disposal, well in AR you can shoot any scaled rough fish and Catfish from Nov to MAy 31st. The only scaled rough fish that can not be dumped is buffalo. Depending on where we are we dump most back in the water at a point where it will not cause any problems, but just like Mon night at the boat ramp we put the boat in the water and turned to see about ten fish someone had dumped not 3 feet from the ramp. A decent web forum is Bowfishusa.com and a fun one is Texas bowfishers association.
 
Darkwader, Thanks for the info. I hope you can make it to the meeting on saturday, I'd like to see your bow and stuff and maybe you can 'splain how it all works.

Fowbish, thanks for the websites . COOL STUFF!!
I guess my deer hunting bow is a bit of overkill. Martin 70# compound. I do have an old 50# recurve, Bear Kodiak Magnuum. I don't know if it is still safe though. :lol:
I gotta kill some of these gar before they eat all the good fish.

Bob
 
Keep It Simple Stupid... a shoot a "plain jane" recurve (55# @ 28"s) set up with a Retriever spooled with 400# Fast Flite line. I've shot Onieda's, various other compound & prefer the recurve... no cables, cams, pulleys, etc. Bowfroggin' is a blast too. :D
 
There is nothing better then to take someone out giging gar in the river at night that has never done this before. We go out and have one person hold the light on the front deck and the other has the gig. And it is not a walmart gig. We make our owen out of lag screws and 1 1/4 wood rods. In 1 hour it is nothing to fill a 100 quart cooler with some big gar. If you want some real fun take one of the youn ones out. I have some pick of some we have gotten in my gallery. It will make there year. Plus the gar eat good!( tastes like gater.
 
Anybody have any idea what the statutes on bowfishing are in Florida? I've looked and I can't find any laws relating to it.
 
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