more bowfishing fun 9/3 - NJFishing.com Your Best Online Source for Fishing Information in New Jersey

hammer4reel · #1 09-04-2012, 03:20 AM

Headed back out tonight with Capt Rich and Capt Mike of west wind outfitters, for another great nite of bowfishing for carp . even in the rain and with water clarity less than perfect Capt Mike put us on fish. And we shot a bunch.
we were looking to arrow a giant we saw last night , and believe we did get one quick look at him again tonight , but without enough time for a shot.

This is def an addictive hobby , and I cant wait till all these storms pass and we have clear water again,

http://westwindoutfitters.com/index.htm

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saxmatt · #2 09-04-2012, 04:03 AM

Took a quote from captain Mike's website and changed the species to stir the pot a bit: Most shots are within ten feet. The prime time is in May when the big largemouth are spawning, but good shooting is encountered throughout the Summer and Fall with bass ranging from 2 to 12 lbs. Bowfishing is a fun sport for the whole family and is a way to keep shooting throughout the spring, summer and fall.

I'm sure the bass fisherman don't like reading this. It would actually make more sense to bowfish for largemouth though. Carp are bigger, smarter, fight better and are more challenging to catch which is why they are one of the most popular sport fish in the world. Hitting a 30-40" target from less than 10' away isn't very difficult. It would be much harder to hit a bass, and they taste a lot better.

By the way, in your other post you said captain Mike gives all his carp to one guy and he smiles from ear to ear. I bet he's happy. He's getting hundreds of pounds of fish. He gets all the fish he can eat and is probably making a good chunk of change illegally selling the rest.

vanstaalin · #3 09-04-2012, 11:40 AM

booooo whooo so they shot a few carp legally and probably gave it to a homeless guy to help his family maybe that's why he is smiling. I am the current state record holder for rod and reel carp and I support bow fishing(not cry babies who change quotes)...awesome reports and photos. I would love to get involved with this

buzzbaiter · #4 09-04-2012, 11:40 AM

being a carp hater, i often thought of shooting them just to get rid of them. many potentially good ponds are infested with them and when they're stirring up the mud, they make fishing nearly impossible and when they get spooked, they scare everything away. a few times i tried grabbing them while they're spawning but they are too damn strong

beezer · #5 09-04-2012, 11:43 AM

Looks like lots of fun!

hammer4reel · #6 09-04-2012, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saxmatt

Took a quote from captain Mike's website and changed the species to stir the pot a bit: Most shots are within ten feet. The prime time is in May when the big largemouth are spawning, but good shooting is encountered throughout the Summer and Fall with bass ranging from 2 to 12 lbs. Bowfishing is a fun sport for the whole family and is a way to keep shooting throughout the spring, summer and fall.

I'm sure the bass fisherman don't like reading this. It would actually make more sense to bowfish for largemouth though. Carp are bigger, smarter, fight better and are more challenging to catch which is why they are one of the most popular sport fish in the world. Hitting a 30-40" target from less than 10' away isn't very difficult. It would be much harder to hit a bass, and they taste a lot better.

By the way, in your other post you said captain Mike gives all his carp to one guy and he smiles from ear to ear. I bet he's happy. He's getting hundreds of pounds of fish. He gets all the fish he can eat and is probably making a good chunk of change illegally selling the rest.

have seen your posts, and as a catch and release carp fisherman, im sure bowfishing for them isnt on your chosen list of favorites.
while they are def fun to catch , and I have done that since I was a small child, making strawberry corn etc and doe baits,in many waters its a resource that isnt utilized and has over run other types of fisheries.
so much that the state actually has requested as many be taken from local waters as possible.

many area off limits before to bow fishing have been pushed by F&G to open them so some type of control can be done .

while im sure there def is a possibility of the person taking the fish from the captain selling them, Im more inclined to believe he is giving them to other ethnic families as his own , and that they are being utilized as food instead of garden fertilizer.

shooting them if stationary can be easier if you can judge the refraction well , especially in deeper water. but getting a shot off at a fleeing carp , that gives you just an instant most other times, to draw and shoot, def puts the odds a little more in favor of the fish. we watch many slip back to the depths unharmed.

saxmatt · #7 09-04-2012, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vanstaalin

booooo whooo so they shot a few carp legally and probably gave it to a homeless guy to help his family maybe that's why he is smiling. I am the current state record holder for rod and reel carp and I support bow fishing(not cry babies who change quotes)...awesome reports and photos. I would love to get involved with this

Correction: you are the FORMER state record holder for carp.

AndyS · #8 09-04-2012, 05:37 PM

WOW ! That's some serious equipment there.

I never have a problem when no laws were broken. The age old debate will continue long after we are dead and gone............ bow vs rod and reel.
Both take skill, and I'm sure no fish were wasted.

vanstaalin · #9 09-04-2012, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saxmatt

Correction: you are the FORMER state record holder for carp.

Says who?? There you go making stuff up again hahahah. As long as my name is on the fish and game website I still hold the record in my opinion

saxmatt · #10 09-04-2012, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vanstaalin

Says who?? There you go making stuff up again hahahah. As long as my name is on the fish and game website I still hold the record in my opinion

Your record was broken back in February when Pawel Salamon caught a 50lb 13oz monster in NJ, and I broke Pawel's record in May with a 53lb 12oz fish. We are both tournament carp fisherman and accurately weighed each fish several times. I even weighed my fish on 2 scales to make sure, had 3 witnesses, and double checked each scale with weights when I got home. Neither one of us cares about seeing our name in the NJ fishing book, the health of the fish and the fishery is more important. 50 pound fish are extremely rare, only a handful of people in North America can say they are members of the 50 pound club. It is important to let those fish breed so their genetics are in the river for years to come, plus we want a shot at recapturing them when they weigh 60 pounds. Enjoy seeing your name in the book, I'd rather have the bragging rights and be featured in national and international carp magazines. Most serious carp anglers know the bar has been raised to 53.12, and they will release any new records...I can only hope people reading this would do the same. I don't lie about fish, and I have pics to prove it. If you compare these fish it's not even close. By the way, it looks like the mirror carp you caught had been dead for days. It's all dried out and the skin is peeling off. Sure you didn't find it on the bank?

47

50.13

53.12