Montana Woods N Water July 2016 Print Edition | Page 7

ARCHERY TALK

Carp, The New Bacon!
By Mike Maxwell
Well that might be a stretch but the idea is the same as hog huntin’. Eliminate as many as
possible and have some fun doing it! Not all of us are lucky enough to have the time to fly
across the country to help fight the good fight, exterminating hogs! As much fun as hog
hunting looks like, I need action closer to home preferably.
Luckily we have carp here in Montana! Well, unlucky really. Like hogs, Carp are an invasive
species and extremely prolific. A large adult female often weighs 15-20 pounds or more and
may have 200,000 eggs or more! Carp are mostly bottom feeders that vacuum up about
anything that fits in their mouth, like bass and walleye eggs. Obviously keeping carp in check
helps the more desirable fish thrive.
How do we keep Carp in check you ask? Fishing of course- with a bow! It’s the perfect off
season sport for any fisherman or hunter; especially for you bow hunters. You’re out on a
boat, it’s sunny and warm, having fun and keeping those instincts and muscles in shape for
fall. As if you needed one more reason to take the boat out…
Fishing with a bow? How?
I use an old bow I bought at a pawn shop for 20 bucks. Bows get beat up and wet in the excitement of landing 15-25 pound fish all day.
That’s no way to treat a bow that costs as much as a new rifle! My advice is use a bow you can afford to break and a draw weight you can
shoot for hours on end. Bowfishing is a close range sport so the top of the line bows are overkill unless you are in deep water. Use a
mechanical release! Your fingers will thank you. I keep a fish bopper on board for the big'uns when I'm trying to get my arrow back (http://
newlifecarving.com/t/fish-bopper ).
Hint: Because water bends light, (refraction) fish appear closer to you
than they really are. When you are first learning to estimate range and
point of aim, aim low, then aim lower. Overshooting is 99% of the
misses you will make.
AMS makes the Retriever Reel (http://www.amsbowfishing.com/bowsreels/ams-retriever-reels/ams-retrieverr-pro.html). In my experience it
is the fastest way to get the arrow back on the bow after a shot. Other
reels are available ranging from a simple spool to baitcasting type reels.
I like the Retriever because it is simple, rugged and quick between
shots. When you have 20 or 30 fish cornered in a pond, every second
counts.
I like the brass wheel type rest because it is tough. I’ve broken several
other rests before installing the brass wheel rest. It out-lived one bow
and is on bow # 2 now for about the 12th season. I fish with a couple
friends who use the whisker biscuit bowfishing rest and love it. The
bowfishing rest is designed to support the heavier fishing arrows.
Arrows come in a few types. Fiber glass, heavy aluminum, and
fiberglass inside aluminum-assembled or blank shafts. I prefer to buy
fiberglass shafts and install my own tips. The shafts are cheap and
tough and I hate the typical tip found in almost all stores that carry
bowfishing gear. After several years of lost fish and tip parts, I found
the Garpoon tip.
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