Tips For Archery Fishing
Archery fishing is also called bow fishing and it is as ancient as the bow and arrow themselves. We in the West tend to think that only poorer tribesmen in Third World countries go bow fishing, but that is not quite true.
These days the hunting of mammals is strictly controlled and so some people who like to hunt with a bow will switch to bow fishing if the animals that they like to pursue, say deer, are out of season. Some other people, who would not hunt a deer or bear are quite happy to hunt fish in this fashion.
Bow fishing is a skillful sport, but the equipment need not necessarily be hi-tech. The fact is that you can use whatever bow you have or you can just make one. It does not have to be strong, because the quarry is seldom more than ten feet away. You categorically do not need a 100 lbf longbow to kill a trout.
Having said that, any bow used for fishing will have to be adapted a little – you will have to attach a reel to it, but it does not have to be anything fancy. There are three principal types of reel for use in bow fishing: hand-wrap, spincast and retriever and the line is normally braided nylon of approximately eighty pounds although you might need six hundred pound breaking strain line for alligators or sharks.
It is worth checking out the regulations with regard to bow fishing in your country or state, because occasionally bow fishermen have to be licensed and sometimes getting that license involves having attended a safety course.
Some regions will even have regulations concerning the kind of gear you can use in bow fishing and of course, some fish have seasonal limitations.
Bow fishing is a mixture of fishing and hunting, so you could have to learn some new skills like tying knots for example. You will need to be able to tie the line to the reel and the arrow and those knots will need to be able to put up with the tremendous acceleration that an arrow leaving a bow goes through without failing.
The bow may not differ much from a standard bow, but the arrows definitely do. Arrows for bow fishing are normally a lot more substantial that air-flight arrows. They also have barbed points to stop the fish escaping or just dropping off when you reel it in. The arrows do not have fletching either because flights tend to avert the true course of the arrow in water – the opposite of in the air.
There are three principal techniques used in bow fishing: 1] you can put down ground bait and lie in wait. – an over hanging branch or high rock is good for this; 2] you can float down stream in a boat while sitting or standing in the prow; 3] you can walk into the stream like a salmon fisherman.
Compensating for the refraction of the water is the most difficult ability to learn and that means knowing the water well as well.
Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on various subjects, but is currently involved with archery recurve bows. If you would like to know more or for special deals, please go to our website at Kids Archery Set.