If you are the type of person who doesn’t have the patience for conventional fishing – the kind of fishing where you throw your bait in the water at the end of a fishing line and then sit back and wait for a hungry fish to come along – you might want to take a different approach. Fishing with a hook and line is a mostly passive sport with little action. Bow fishing, however, allows you to take a very active role in the process, essentially transforming the pursuit of a fish dinner into a form of hunting. The bow and arrow has been used for fishing since it was first conceived by primitive people. It was only natural for them to turn their attention to the abundant game to be seen swimming beneath the surface of streams, lakes, and coastal waters.
Shooting underwater game with a bow and arrow is a little different than hunting on land. One primary difference is the distances involved. By necessity, fish must be taken at close range, since arrows will not travel long distances through the water, nor can targets usually be spotted from afar. The bow used for bow fishing can be the same one you use for any other hunting or for target practice. The arrows, though, must be specialized to be effective for taking fish underwater. The bow fisherman stalks his prey much like a heron or other fish-eating wading bird, by standing very still at the water’s edge or in a boat and waiting for a fish to swim within range nearby. Shooting down into the water requires a heavy arrow that will penetrate several feet of water without loosing its energy.
Modern bow fishing arrow shafts are usually made of solid fiberglass, which is quite heavy and strong enough not to break if a big fish is impaled and then proceeds to struggle and roll in an effort to get away.
Specialization of bow fishing arrows does not end with the solid fiberglass shaft. The tip is also purpose-made for taking fish, with folding barbs that lie back in line with the arrow when it is flying, but open back to prevent the arrow from pulling out when it hits a fish. The feathers on the other end, called “fletching” by archers, are also different from conventional arrows. Fishing arrows use smaller fletching, since arrows that travel such short distance don’t need as much guidance, and this fletching is made of waterproof plastic, rather than real feathers. The other modification to a fishing arrow is the hole drilled through the shaft just behind the fletching, at the “nock” or notch for the bowstring that allows the arrow to be secured to a long line.
Shooting a fish underwater would be a sure way to lose both the arrow and the fish without some sort of tether on the arrow, as fish rarely die instantly, but usually dart off for deep water when hit. The most practical and convenient way to keep up with the arrow is to install a bow fishing reel on the bow. This reel is simply a large spool designed to mount on the outward face of the bow, below the archer’s grip. It is loaded with 50 to 100 feet of strong line that is carefully wrapped around it, and the end of the line is tied through the hole in the arrow shaft. Bow fishing reels are designed to allow the string to pay out instantly and without tangling when the arrow is shot, so there is no interference with its flight. If you miss your target, simply retrieve the arrow by winding the string back in around the reel. If a fish is hit, it is then pulled in much the same way as a fish caught on a rod and reel.
Bow fishing is a fun and challenging way to try your luck at getting a fish dinner. The key is to find a place where the water is clear enough to allow you to see your targets, and then to wait patiently until a fish is close enough that you can’t miss. Before bow fishing for popular game fish species, check your local and state regulations to be sure it is legal to take the fish you seek with this method. In some areas only certain species can be taken with a bow and arrow.
