Backwater Bowfishing
I know you can't read it from there, I have it in a PDF if anybody wants me to email it to them, tired of screwing with it to get it on here lol
HUNTSVILLE. The Thursday column on jumbo gar fish stirred reader comment, but some even bigger fish will be dragged to the scales in a bow-fishing event on Lake Guntersville at the end of this month.
Alabama has no true "river monsters" of the sort seen on cable TV, that is no critters likely to take a bite out of your swim trunks as you take a dip in our freshwater lakes and rivers, though the giant alligator gar found in the southern part of the state certainly looks like it could if so inclined. But the state does boast some very large fish, indeed.
The International Game Fish Association record bighead carp came from Guntersville in 2005--that lunker went 90 pounds even, and was caught by Jeff Rorex. Grass carp, AKA "white amur" often exceed 70 pounds here. And the buffalo--the fish, not the bison--sometimes exceed 50 pounds in our area, while common carp reach 40 pounds and more.
What makes all this pertinent just now is that on the night of April 30-May 1, the Muzzy Alabama Bowfishing Classic on Guntersville will give archers an opportunity to win some nice prizes for capturing some of these monsters, which are rarely seen or caught otherwise since most anglers don't intentionally fish for any of them.
The "rough fish" are generally not considered good eating in the U.S., though they are a common food in the Orient. All of the carp species are exotics, having escaped into the wilds of American waters years ago, and are now common across much of the southeast.
The Muzzy event will award a $3500 prize for the heaviest 20 fish of the event, of any species-mix of eligible rough fish.
"We have seen catches with weights over 650 pounds for 20 fish," said Muzzy spokesman Mark Land. "We had a 74-pound grass carp a few years back, a 62-pound buffalo last year, and a 42-pound common carp. Every year we get fish of that quality."
He said that the basic equipment for bowfishing--a bow reel, line and a set of solid fiberglass arrows with fish barbs--can be added to any compound or other bow for about $100.
"A good archer is not necessarily a good bowfisherman," said Land. "There's a period of adjustment because you have to realize that the fish in the water appear to be a lot shallower than they are--the tendency is to shoot over them until you learn about the refraction."
The tournament is held at night because that's the time when the giant fish move up into the shallows to feed and spawn. Bowfishers pursue them in all sorts of watercraft suited for operation in shallow, weedy water, Land said.
"You'll see everything from $50,000 airboats to $200 jonboats out there," said Land. "And they all bring in fish."
Land said that in addition to the $3500 for the top total catch, new bows and other archery gear will be awarded for the heaviest fish in each eligible species, with an added prize for the longest garfish. He said longnose gar to 60 inches have been taken in years past.
The event launches from Lurleen Wallace Pavilion in Guntersville at 7 p.m. April 30, and continues until 7 a.m. May 1.
"Entrants can leave from the park, or they can trailer to where ever they like on the lake," said Land.
He said most of the fish shot in a spring event like this one will be in shallow water because the water is murky due to runoff.
"The lights on the boat will let them see a fish about 2 to 3 feet down and no more than 15 yards away," said Land. "In summer when the water clears, they sometimes shoot fish that are 8 feet down, but not at this time of year."
He said most fish are found in sloughs and bays, as well as in the shallow grass beds that surround the main channel of the Tennessee River in its passage through Guntersville.
Land said that 70 to 80 teams usually compete. Entry is $150 for up to three anglers in a single boat. For details, visit www.muzzy.com.
:tu:
Alabama has no true "river monsters" of the sort seen on cable TV, that is no critters likely to take a bite out of your swim trunks as you take a dip in our freshwater lakes and rivers, though the giant alligator gar found in the southern part of the state certainly looks like it could if so inclined. But the state does boast some very large fish, indeed.
The International Game Fish Association record bighead carp came from Guntersville in 2005--that lunker went 90 pounds even, and was caught by Jeff Rorex. Grass carp, AKA "white amur" often exceed 70 pounds here. And the buffalo--the fish, not the bison--sometimes exceed 50 pounds in our area, while common carp reach 40 pounds and more.
What makes all this pertinent just now is that on the night of April 30-May 1, the Muzzy Alabama Bowfishing Classic on Guntersville will give archers an opportunity to win some nice prizes for capturing some of these monsters, which are rarely seen or caught otherwise since most anglers don't intentionally fish for any of them.
The "rough fish" are generally not considered good eating in the U.S., though they are a common food in the Orient. All of the carp species are exotics, having escaped into the wilds of American waters years ago, and are now common across much of the southeast.
The Muzzy event will award a $3500 prize for the heaviest 20 fish of the event, of any species-mix of eligible rough fish.
"We have seen catches with weights over 650 pounds for 20 fish," said Muzzy spokesman Mark Land. "We had a 74-pound grass carp a few years back, a 62-pound buffalo last year, and a 42-pound common carp. Every year we get fish of that quality."
He said that the basic equipment for bowfishing--a bow reel, line and a set of solid fiberglass arrows with fish barbs--can be added to any compound or other bow for about $100.
"A good archer is not necessarily a good bowfisherman," said Land. "There's a period of adjustment because you have to realize that the fish in the water appear to be a lot shallower than they are--the tendency is to shoot over them until you learn about the refraction."
The tournament is held at night because that's the time when the giant fish move up into the shallows to feed and spawn. Bowfishers pursue them in all sorts of watercraft suited for operation in shallow, weedy water, Land said.
"You'll see everything from $50,000 airboats to $200 jonboats out there," said Land. "And they all bring in fish."
Land said that in addition to the $3500 for the top total catch, new bows and other archery gear will be awarded for the heaviest fish in each eligible species, with an added prize for the longest garfish. He said longnose gar to 60 inches have been taken in years past.
The event launches from Lurleen Wallace Pavilion in Guntersville at 7 p.m. April 30, and continues until 7 a.m. May 1.
"Entrants can leave from the park, or they can trailer to where ever they like on the lake," said Land.
He said most of the fish shot in a spring event like this one will be in shallow water because the water is murky due to runoff.
"The lights on the boat will let them see a fish about 2 to 3 feet down and no more than 15 yards away," said Land. "In summer when the water clears, they sometimes shoot fish that are 8 feet down, but not at this time of year."
He said most fish are found in sloughs and bays, as well as in the shallow grass beds that surround the main channel of the Tennessee River in its passage through Guntersville.
Land said that 70 to 80 teams usually compete. Entry is $150 for up to three anglers in a single boat. For details, visit www.muzzy.com.
:tu:
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