It's almost March which means the sucker run will start soon. Shortly after, the carp will run. Here it means it's time to resin the bow, check the equipment and refurbish the arrows. Next thing is to clean the smoker and prepare the wood supply. This year I am working on a new design for the arrow. I use a 55 pound recurve that is very effective but I want a little more arrow speed which will require less mass. This, unfortunately, cuts down penetration under water. I think I've got that figured out. It should be interesting. I can almost taste that smoked fish.
Or you could come up here where the Asian carp jump when they feel a motor humming. I'm not sure if bowfishing is legal here, though.
I'd have to go back and look, but I think bowfishing is legal in WV for non-game fish (carp, suckers, gar, bowfin, etc.) year-round. That said, carp are the easiest fish to shoot in the spring when they are in the shallows.
This is something I haven't tried. Is it difficult to learn, you think? Is it a lot different from dry land archery? I've done some of that, although it's not my preferred means of hunting.
It is a bit different but the angles are about the same as hunting from a deer stand. I don't fish the lakes. You can usually spear them in a lake. The carp sit up in the shallows with their backs out of the water. I prefer shooting them in the clear cold headwaters of the Kankakee river. The water is about 6 feet deep and you can see the bottom. The carp range in size from around 4 pounds to over 20. But the average is 5 to 6. In the Spring to and through the Summer, they are spawning and plentiful. Shots range anywhere from 6 to 20 yards. I use 65 pound test braided line, a 55 pound draw recurve bow, and self designed and made fiberglass arrows much lighter than the ones you can readily buy at an outfitter. I have to fletch the arrows to keep them travelling straight for the distances I shoot. It's not easy but it's a lot of fun. After I take one, since I am shooting from a bank that is ten feet above the waterline, the real fun begins. You have to climb down the steep bank holding on to anything you can grab, reach into the cold water and drag the fish in and try to struggle up the bank with it sometimes still fighting you. It's a real kick in the butt.
