2013 So Cal Bowfishing Season

[batastrophe]

Looking to hit 'em hard this season and looking for a partner(s) for trips to Elsinore, Cachuma and Big Bear (including the Carp Round-up tournament). Let me know if you're interested.

[Socal Bassman]

I've never bowfished before, but it sounds like fun. Now, if only I can get my bow back from Riverside Archery.

[batastrophe]

It's a blast. 2012 was my first season and can't wait for things to get going this year. If you like archery and fishing, you can't beat bowfishing IMO...

[bowler]

It's a blast. 2012 was my first season and can't wait for things to get going this year. If you like archery and fishing, you can't beat bowfishing IMO...

Ask skyler he does a lot of bow fishing. I'm going to big bear this weekend and I have my bow up in my parents cabin so I will take it out to see if any crap are around.

[Skyler]

I was up at big bear yesterday. Hit about 6 spots from shore. The water level is low, so a lot of the good cover in the east end is unfishable. Been averaging about 3 fish a day, and a lot of hail marys into deep water. I did, however, observe some spawning behavior in boulder bay yesterday. Things should pick up by the end of the month. As for a shooting partner, just hit me up.

[blackberg]

I don't get out as much as I should or want too, but hit me up as well. Sometimes all I need is a little push to get going.
I am also rigging my kayak with outriggers to stand on it and be balanced

-bb

[snapshot]

I'll be down to hit up Big Bear and Elsinore with you when I can. Cachuma though, is a bit far. LOL

[Socal Bassman]

It doesn't look like I'll be getting my bow back anytime soon. Anyone know how to rig a vintage Bear recurve for bowfishing?

[blackberg]

It doesn't look like I'll be getting my bow back anytime soon. Anyone know how to rig a vintage Bear recurve for bowfishing?


You just need to be able to mount a reel and line on it some how, even one of those simple hand wound reels will do
-bb

[snapshot]

It doesn't look like I'll be getting my bow back anytime soon. Anyone know how to rig a vintage Bear recurve for bowfishing?

just rig up something like this

http://www.3riversarchery.com/Traditional+Gadget+Adapter_i5045_baseitem.html

[d1LedHed]

Have a back up compound bow with old style bottle retriever for cheap. send PM if interested

[Socal Bassman]

just rig up something like this

http://www.3riversarchery.com/Traditional+Gadget+Adapter_i5045_baseitem.html

Thanks, I'll have to check that one out.

[Socal Bassman]

Have a back up compound bow with old style bottle retriever for cheap. send PM if interested

Thanks, but I'll have to pass. Already have three bows. Wife would kill me if I bought another. Lol.

[DirtyDave413]

It doesn't look like I'll be getting my bow back anytime soon. Anyone know how to rig a vintage Bear recurve for bowfishing?

You need this mount for your bow. I have one on my old bear long bow. Works for a quiver mount too for small game hunting
http://www.backwaterbowfishing.com/onlinestore/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=630

[buffhunter]

Hey guys new to the site but I live here in AZ and am headding to the San Diego area with the fam for vacation and would like to go shoot some fish!!!!! I will be there July 4th through the 8th if anybody would be willing to take me out in their rig I would appreciate it..... I would be more then willing to pay my part of the expenses and I have all my own equipment just don't wanna haul my boat for 1 day. Or a half of a nite... and I would also be more then willing to show the same courtesy if you would like to come to AZ to shoot some carp, buffalo fish, tilapia, or Catfish Here in 2014 when cats become legal..... Thanks in advance

Dominick

[blackberg]

I am scheduled to be out in BBL tomorrow morning looking to stick some carp.

I wil be wearing all gray with either a SC or Friends of NRA cap

-bb

[I*B*CATCHIN]

Not trying to knock on anyone but , IMO that's not fishing anyone can shoot a fish getting it to bite your hook / bait is another story....I'll stick to rod & reel

[angelsfan951]

Not trying to knock on anyone but , IMO that's not fishing anyone can shoot a fish getting it to bite your hook / bait is another story....I'll stick to rod & reel

oh man i think you just opened a can of worms.. lets see how this plays out. and i disagree not every1 can shot a fish i know i sure as hell cant lol

[I*B*CATCHIN]

oh man i think you just opened a can of worms.. lets see how this plays out. and i disagree not every1 can shot a fish i know i sure as hell cant lolI don't know about a can of worms , theres no sport in the bow hunt .....that's kind of like fishing with grenades .....I still stand by my rod & reel ....I'm a real sportsman CPR is the only way to go ....unless your in need of a meal

[buffhunter]

Its a lot harder then you think..... unless the fish are right on top of the water...... first you have to hunt the fish down then when you do find the fish you have to judge how deep they are and account for light refraction and then if you have all of that perfect you then need to make a perfect release cuz if that does not happen your arrow will enter the water on a slight angle and the arrow will plane one direction or the other causing you to miss the fish by quite a bit..... I know guys that are awesome archers but cannot hit a fish to save their lives.... As for rod and reel fishing I gave that up after fairly successful tournament fishing for 15years the first time I went bowfishing..... Dont knock it till you try it..

[I*B*CATCHIN]

Its a lot harder then you think..... unless the fish are right on top of the water...... first you have to hunt the fish down then when you do find the fish you have to judge how deep they are and account for light refraction and then if you have all of that perfect you then need to make a perfect release cuz if that does not happen your arrow will enter the water on a slight angle and the arrow will plane one direction or the other causing you to miss the fish by quite a bit..... I know guys that are awesome archers but cannot hit a fish to save their lives.... As for rod and reel fishing I gave that up after fairly successful tournament fishing for 15years the first time I went bowfishing..... Dont knock it till you try it..so you shoot the fish with the arrow then what it goes in the trash or do you have it for diner .....

[buffhunter]

so you shoot the fish with the arrow then what it goes in the trash or do you have it for diner .....

They go to local homeless shelters, game and fish, wildlife restoration homes, or local farmers use them for compost.... so they do not go to waste even though they are a invasive species. ....

[pasadenafishin]

I've been looking to get into bowfishing for a while now. Where do you guys get your gear in socal? / anyone looking to sell a rig?

-pf

[angelsfan951]

I've been looking to get into bowfishing for a while now. Where do you guys get your gear in socal? / anyone looking to sell a rig?

-pf

i dont own any but seen some at bass pro shops

[buffhunter]

I've been looking to get into bowfishing for a while now. Where do you guys get your gear in socal? / anyone looking to sell a rig?

-pf
The best place would be backwaterbowfishing.com that's where I order all my stuff... find a cheap bow on craigs list...

[I*B*CATCHIN]

They go to local homeless shelters, game and fish, wildlife restoration homes, or local farmers use them for compost.... so they do not go to waste even though they are a invasive species. ....

Anything other than consumption is a waste .....chicken , horse & cow poop is fertilizer not fish .....there natural not invasive .....people are invasive in the wilderness

[buffhunter]

Anything other than consumption is a waste .....chicken , horse & cow poop is fertilizer not fish .....there natural not invasive .....people are invasive in the wilderness
So I guess you clean your plate every time you eat??????? You never throw anything away???? Lol if you think they are natural you are very uneducated. ..... they were transplanted many years ago as a means for a fish easy to catch and eat well we see how that worked out...... fish are regularly used for fertilizer all over the world.....

[buffhunter]

Here u go

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_invasive_species_in_North_America

[I*B*CATCHIN]

So I guess you clean your plate every time you eat??????? You never throw anything away???? Lol if you think they are natural you are very uneducated. ..... they were transplanted many years ago as a means for a fish easy to catch and eat well we see how that worked out...... fish are regularly used for fertilizer all over the world.....
People were transplanted to ....your point being .....since fish are used for fertilizer use BASS there just fish right .....I Carp , Picture & Release ( CPR ).....education has nothing to do with what's right ....also I don't try to waste my food because I work hard making the money to buy it ...

[buffhunter]

People were transplanted to ....your point being .....since fish are used for fertilizer use BASS there just fish right .....I Carp , Picture & Release ( CPR ).....education has nothing to do with what's right ....also I don't try to waste my food because I work hard making the money to buy it ...

So your telling me you jam a hook in these poor defenceless little fish use a rod and reel to overpower them hurt them make them fight for their lives just to take a pic of them and then after you take them outta the water almost suffocate them to death you then put them back in the water hoping they live through all that pain suffering and mental anguish. ....... wow you must be proud!!!!!!!

[vdubbub86]

people were transplanted to ....your point being .....since fish are used for fertilizer use bass there just fish right .....i carp , picture & release ( cpr ).....education has nothing to do with what's right ....also i don't try to waste my food because i work hard making the money to buy it ...

amen brotha..

[bowler]

.....there natural not invasive .....

Carp are not native to the US. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carp

[DockRat]

.....I Carp , Picture & Release ( CPR ).....education has nothing to do with what's right ....
I* B* CATCHIN, We had a cabin at Boulder Bay in the 1960's. I started fishing young (born in 1960) up there and in the later 1960's I remember the Carp were a problem and the city paid people to kill them them. Used to hang out with some local boys up there and they had a rowboat. We started bowfishing.

A basic fiberglass straight bow, with 20' of string tied and taped to the arrow. No Reel.
We would shoot carp, cut off the tail, then toss them on shore for the racoons. WHY ?
50 cents at tail was paid in town. We made a couple bucks and thought we were rich. These Carp were a problem eating other fish eggs.

Carp were killing off the Bass, Panfish, Trout ect. One Carp could slurp up 100 fish eggs in no time.

You have been fishing at Harbor Park. Why no Bass, no Catfish ???
Too late now to save Harbor Park. Next step is to drain the lake to get it cleaned out then, reduce the carp population and restock it with other species.

Maybe the Carp killed them all ? You guys can only fish 25% of the lake, those carp might be thick in the reeds and swamp section.

This topic is not about CPR or doing the right thing it is about conservation.
By killing off Carp in a lake that is overpopulated with them YOU ARE SAVING FISH.
That is why BBL has a No Limit on Carp. CPR at LA City lakes is ok unless the lake is overpopulated with Carp.
DR

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab142/AimLowSchreiber/2010%20Bowfishing/Darrell_050210-2.jpg (http://media.photobucket.com/user/AimLowSchreiber/media/2010%20Bowfishing/Darrell_050210-2.jpg.html)
http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/rr156/thecritter1/005.jpg (http://media.photobucket.com/user/thecritter1/media/005.jpg.html)

[Stray Cat]

Cpr carp. Ha ha...kill em all ... I've seen lakes that carp have tAken over and destroyed. They are worthless i actually tried to eat one a while ago, friggin disgusting . It's about on par with eating a dog food fed stocker trout,lol

[DirtyDave413]

Not trying to knock on anyone but , IMO that's not fishing anyone can shoot a fish getting it to bite your hook / bait is another story....I'll stick to rod & reel

You cant open with "Not trying to knock on anyone", and then Knock 'em.
You need a fishing license, so it must be fishing. It's regulated by DFG just like rod and reel fishing.
By your logic, Sitting over a bait pile waiting for a deer is more sporting than hiking the hills and actively pursuing your game.

[DockRat]

How about the Duct ? Is it legal ?
Check this post.

http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/showthread.php?73727-Fishing-and-offroading

[DockRat]

Some Carp info below.
I do C&R the LA River Carp I catch in Long Beach since they are stuck in the river below Willow.

Carp are destructive, non-native fish. Carp are omnivorous (eating both plants and animals), their bottom feeding habits causing great destruction of aquatic resources. They compete heavily with diving ducks, such as canvasbacks, for submerged plants. Carp of all sizes compete with native fauna for aquatic food, and destroy the nests and eat the eggs of other spawning fish. They stir up silt and degrade the water quality resulting in loss of other more desirable fish and animals.

Juvenile carp do provide forage for game fish, but quickly grow too large for this purpose. Although carp provide good action when caught on rod and reel, they are not classified as a sport fish and are difficult to catch much of the year. Their bony structure and often muddy tasting flesh reduce their desirability as a food fish.
http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/FISH/Common1.htm

Asian Carp Invasion :Shocked:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc-e8EGkLMo

[DirtyDave413]

Big Bear is going off right now. Tourny should be pretty good!

[Skyler]

Big Bear is going off right now. Tourny should be pretty good!

I'll be up there tomorrow perforating some fish, before the roundup gets 'em all spooked. Can't do the tournament unfortunately. My wife's birthday party is saturday.

[blackberg]

I'll be up there tomorrow perforating some fish, before the roundup gets 'em all spooked. Can't do the tournament unfortunately. My wife's birthday party is saturday.

How did it go?

Thinking of going next week again,

Hopefully the tourney guys leave some there lol
I tried it last year from shore,

-bb

[Skyler]

I had my clutch cable fail so I didn't make it friday. Fixed it saturday and headed up on sunday. Only shot 4, but one was like 15 pounds.

[seal]

I had my clutch cable fail so I didn't make it friday. Fixed it saturday and headed up on sunday. Only shot 4, but one was like 15 pounds.

Seems like in bowfishing the prized fish would be the smaller ones as opposed to bigger ones like in fishing. Shooting a 1lbs. has got to be a helluva challenge!

[Skyler]

Seems like in bowfishing the prized fish would be the smaller ones as opposed to bigger ones like in fishing. Shooting a 1lbs. has got to be a helluva challenge!

Naw, the bigger ones are a prize, as they lay more eggs, lol. just because she was 15 pounds doesn't mean it was easy. The shot was almost 20 yards. Distance has as much to do with it as size. A 12" fish at 5 feet is still easier than a 20 pounder at 20 yards.

[blackberg]

Naw, the bigger ones are a prize, as they lay more eggs, lol. just because she was 15 pounds doesn't mean it was easy. The shot was almost 20 yards. Distance has as much to do with it as size. A 12" fish at 5 feet is still easier than a 20 pounder at 20 yards.

Not only that, you still need to get it out of the water. I went with double barbs, have not lost one since, but makes getting the arrows out harder.

I am going to try to go this Sunday or Monday. Not sure if I will make it.



-bb

[DMS]

I* B* CATCHIN, We had a cabin at Boulder Bay in the 1960's. I started fishing young (born in 1960) up there and in the later 1960's I remember the Carp were a problem and the city paid people to kill them them. Used to hang out with some local boys up there and they had a rowboat. We started bowfishing.

A basic fiberglass straight bow, with 20' of string tied and taped to the arrow. No Reel.
We would shoot carp, cut off the tail, then toss them on shore for the racoons. WHY ?
50 cents at tail was paid in town. We made a couple bucks and thought we were rich. These Carp were a problem eating other fish eggs.

Carp were killing off the Bass, Panfish, Trout ect. One Carp could slurp up 100 fish eggs in no time.

You have been fishing at Harbor Park. Why no Bass, no Catfish ???
Too late now to save Harbor Park. Next step is to drain the lake to get it cleaned out then, reduce the carp population and restock it with other species.

Maybe the Carp killed them all ? You guys can only fish 25% of the lake, those carp might be thick in the reeds and swamp section.

This topic is not about CPR or doing the right thing it is about conservation.
By killing off Carp in a lake that is overpopulated with them YOU ARE SAVING FISH.
That is why BBL has a No Limit on Carp. CPR at LA City lakes is ok unless the lake is overpopulated with Carp.
DR

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab142/AimLowSchreiber/2010%20Bowfishing/Darrell_050210-2.jpg (http://media.photobucket.com/user/AimLowSchreiber/media/2010%20Bowfishing/Darrell_050210-2.jpg.html)
http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/rr156/thecritter1/005.jpg (http://media.photobucket.com/user/thecritter1/media/005.jpg.html)

Hopefully you ate the paddlefish in that last photo as they are native and heavily impacted. They are legal to take generally in many places but a shame to waste. I caught them and enjoyed eating them in Tennessee in the 80's.

[Skyler]

Not only that, you still need to get it out of the water. I went with double barbs, have not lost one since, but makes getting the arrows out harder.

I am going to try to go this Sunday or Monday. Not sure if I will make it.



-bb

I was using a fixed double barb carp point when I first started. I had a lot of pull-offs. I switched to the Muzzy double barb where the barbs swing out about 45 degrees, even with the tip fully tightened, and have only lost a couple since. I'll be up there again this weekend. If you head up on Sunday, hit me up.

[blackberg]

Yup I use the Muzzy double as well.
Ill PM you

-bb

[DirtyDave413]

we did terrible in the BBL tourny. 5 fish saturday and 8 on sunday. Lots of activity, but they were in the weeds and it made for tough shooting. Spent more time pulling weeds off the arrow than anything else. My buddy went up there today and almost filled 2 barrels. Just shows you it changes Day to Day.

[DockRat]

Hopefully you ate the paddlefish in that last photo as they are native and heavily impacted. They are legal to take generally in many places but a shame to waste. I caught them and enjoyed eating them in Tennessee in the 80's.
Just some Photobucket pic I jacked.
DR

[RiverReaperS]

You guys want alot of fish come out to Blythe we average 20-30 a night......our largest number so far is 40......average carp size is about 10lbs....check out our facebook page for photos
facebook.com/RivReapers

[RiverReaperS]

use the AMS grapple, ive only lost a few and that was due to belly shots where the arrow just ripped out

[Skyler]

I was out in Blythe for dove opener and brought my bow. Unfortunately, the storms had turned the river into chocolate milk. Saw a few in the ditches I was hunting though. So who all is waxing up their strings and getting antsy?

[DirtyDave413]

You guys want alot of fish come out to Blythe we average 20-30 a night......our largest number so far is 40......average carp size is about 10lbs....check out our facebook page for photos
facebook.com/RivReapers

I've never shot blythe. I want to try it out before I move to TX in July though.
I need to talk my buddy into heading out there (He owns the boat haha)