Bowfishing is a fun way to extract prey from the water. It works by using a gun with a very long sight and firing self-assembled arrows, [or] large [water] hunting spears called bolts, at fish. There are two types of bow fishing: traditional and modern.
In traditional bow fishing, a regular compound bow is used in conjunction with a reel spooled up with fishing wire to spearfish from shore or boats. Modern bows will use fiberglass arrows that have been dipped into rubber latex then allowed to cure.
These “bolts” can reach through the water much more efficiently than regular arrows/spears and because they do not need to be fletched they allow for greater accuracy even when shooting horizontally behind a moving boat.
The bolts are actually very large arrows measuring between two and four meters long, often sold in bundles of three. In some places, it is perfectly legal to shoot fish from boats or shore with bows and crossbows but even where allowed the use of muzzleloaders known as punt guns can result in an impromptu water safari for boaters traveling through areas frequented by wild hog populations.
What is A Slingbow
What Can They Be Used For?
There are many reasons to use a longbow. Hunting is probably the most common, but there has also been interesting in using them for fishing. Because they shoot arrows, it’s easy for people to adapt their own designs to meet their needs – whether that be hunting or fishing or both (some models can even accommodate both types of projectiles).
Setting Up To Fish With A Slingbow
The first thing you need to do before you go out and slingbow fish is set it up properly. It doesn’t matter if the bow is made of PVC or wood – take care of it! If your blaster’s string gets wet, dry it off as best as possible with a towel (don’t use anything that will cause more damage like paper towels).
Remember not to step on the string, because water can get trapped inside which will make it more likely to snap. When transporting your slingbow in a car, make sure nothing is pressing against the string; strings break simply because something was pressed up against them while driving (even though they were stored properly at an angle away from the fender well).
Shooting at moving targets is difficult. It takes practice and experience to learn how far away a fish has to be for an arrow with a line attached to reach them properly. If the fish are darting all over the place, then you’re probably better off just casting your bait into their general area instead of spending the extra time trying to pull off an accurate shot.
It’s tough to tell if the line is tight enough. Sometimes your arrow will get close to the fish, but it doesn’t drop into the water or land next to them. This can be frustrating because you have no way of knowing whether you’ve got a bite or not until you reel in your arrow and check for any damage on its tip (e.g., is there an indentation on it? is there some sort of sticky residue left behind?).
Advantages and Disadvantages of Bowfishing
The biggest advantage of bow fishing from a kayak is the stability it affords. A regular fishing kayak will often have enough room to carry most of what is needed for a successful outing so long as the boat itself does not have many projections that could puncture the hull or impede navigation.
Bowfishing from a kayak allows anglers to cover large areas quickly and without fear of falling out of their vessel, which can be a real problem in some types of craft with inflexible gunnels.
The one disadvantage to bow fishing from a kayak is that larger fish will usually still sink before they are retrieved. In this situation, the only option is to cut the line as close as possible and try again on another day with heavier gear.
The main way to work around this is to shoot the fish in the head, which will cause it to float and can be easily identified by sight or touch before it sinks out of reach. A heavier bolt such as those used for hunting large game could also be employed but these are not as accurate nor as easy to retrieve and would require a larger paddle and more skill on the part of the fisherman.
However, these problems only affect boaters without access to a boat ramp and cannot be avoided unless the fish are extremely large.
Bowfishing is more than just a hunting game on water; it’s about customizing your equipment to fit your needs and then enjoying it to its fullest extent.
Heavy bolt suitable for bowfishing large game such as sharks, alligators and boar. This would not be used in the same setup shown above due to its weight and length but might be attached to a more traditional kayak or boat made of fiberglass or metal with strong gunnels and room for extra equipment beside the seat.
With all that we hope you learned the basics of how can you bowfish from a kayak. Maybe try out your luck, it is a very rewarding experience when you get the hang out of it.
Adelaide Gentry, a seasoned kayaking enthusiast and expert, is the driving force behind KayakPaddling.net. With over a decade of experience navigating the world’s most challenging waterways, Adelaide combines her passion for adventure with a deep knowledge of kayaking to provide insightful and practical guidance for paddlers of all levels.
