bowfishing questions

[fishboy2]

hey all fellow bow fishers, i was wondering when the best time to start bow fishing for carp on the ut lake is. and where are some of the best and cheapest places in utah to get stuff like arrows and reels. any help would be greatly appreciated
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[icefool]

My son bow fished Willard for the carp. So I don't know about Utah Lake. He gets his arrows at Sportsmans and that is where he got his reel. The arrows usually run about 5 dollars apiece. I can't remember what the reel cost.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff][size 1]The carp start swarming into the shallows anytime from late April through June...depending on water temps and weather. You have to keep going down to look or have someone give you a call when they start.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]You also don't need to spend much money on solid fibreglass arrows, barbed points and reels. In the shallows around Utah Lake you can shoot the heck out of them with cheap field tip or target points, with no reel. On some of the big ones you might have to chase them and put a couple of arrows in them to stop them. It is rare that you will lose an arrow unless you shoot it into the mud at an angle and can't find it. Use bright fletchings.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]I got about a 30 pounder once that took 7 arrows to tranquilize. But, I got a lot of good exercise chasing it around and I was plenty wet and muddy (and bloody) by the time the game was over. YEE HAW.[/size][/#0000ff]
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[Kent]

If we should ever happen to have another year where the water floods the grassy areas around Utah Lake again, the carp are easy to find, and you do not want to fight an arrow attached to a reel. Use the cheapest arrows that you can find and go for it. We used to shoot carp from Easter on. You just need a warm and relatively wind-free day.
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[fishboy2]

i have heared about bow fishing for carp out of willard, where abouts would you go for that?
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[fishboy2]

wont the arrows just go through thee carp/ i heared that you need arrows that have "hooks" on them so they dont go through or pull out, or is that just for if you use a reel?
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[Kent]

I only used about a 30 pound bow, and had no problem with arrows going through the carp. The hooks on arrows that I am familiar with are meant to be used with a reel. I purchased a reel and used it in open water on Spring Lake. I had a problem with losing some of the fancy tips, and sometimes the nylon cord would become tangled and the arrow would snap off where it was attached to the cord. Trust me, if you use a reel for about 5 minutes, you will be ready to risk losing a few cheap arrows just to not have to use the reel.
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[fishboy2]

so a reel really is over rated or what? my question would be how would you get the fish if the first arrow does not kill it and it takes off into deeper waters? thanks for all the help and info.
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[fishboy2]

i had one more question, is there anything that you need to do to prepare you bow for the bow fishing. like, greasing, ect.
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[icehole69]

[] I own my own archery Company & we are currently woring on a web site for online orders. I can attempt to order some fiberglass fish arrows or carbon/wood shaft arrows for anyone that would want some, I can also attempt to get in some archery reels, but I need a market for them to get a good deal on the reels and arrows. I do currently have some carbons in different brands,in stock but to break them up into singles could cost me a fortune,I can also attin fishing tips relativly cheap, I am willing to help others in BFT if they want some arrows or if they want me to persue the reels. just show me a market and I will help out. [cool]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][blue][size 1]If you shoot carp around Utah Lake, you do not need a reel. And no, the arrows usually do not go clear through the fish...unless you shoot an 80 compound. I used to use a 30 or 45 pound recurve...and then got a 45 pound compound. I think the recurves might be better in a lot of cases because you don't need to make a full draw to stick a fish up close. Most of them will be close.[/size][/blue]

[#0000ff][size 1]Now, if you hunt Willard, you will likely find it different this year than most years. The last time I shot carp I was walking along the rocks and picking my shot as hundreds of fish came by rolling and splashing. At other times they will cruise a little deeper, and you will need a heavier bow...and a reel with line. In Willard, a big carp can swim well offshore with your arrow and you could lose it.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]This year, there will likely be many shallow areas around Willard that the carp will behave like they would at Utah Lake. Look for shallow bays where the sun warms the water sooner and you will find frisky carp. I had a couple of spots up in the northeast corner where they came in to warm up in the early part of the year, before the spawn. A small red jig bounced through them would get bit every time. It was like fishing for bonefish on the flats. I wore myself out and got a good sunburn playing with those buglemouths.[/size][/#0000ff]
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[fishboy2]

i was wondering what they would bite when they are in close and rolling around on the top water, a little red jig you say? i will have to try that this summer up at deer creek.i use a 45 pound compound i think, not really sure because i forgot. how many arrows should one carry while out there? just wonderign how many i should pick up.
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[Kent]

In Utah Lake, if the water is up, the arrow will get caught in the reeds and grass and the carp will not be able to swim very far with an arrow in it. The reason I did not like to use a reel is because it slowed me down, you have to wind the reel each time before you can shoot; however, if you are shooting near or in open water a reel will save you loosing some arrows.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][blue][size 1]If you go carpin' with cheap arrows, take a bunch. You can stand in one place and shoot several fish and then go around and retrieve your arrows. They don't move far. Also, you will have some trashed. Big fish will break them by jumping and flopping...or by forcing their way through places that catch the arrow. I used to save all of my old arrows and take off the broadheads...and replace them with field points. Over a year of regular shooting I accumulated a quiverful. You also find arrows sometimes when you are out and about...or con somebody out of their old ones...or pick up some good deals at garage sales. Don't worry if they are too long or not spined right. The carp don't care and they are too close to miss.[/size][/blue]

[#0000ff][size 1]Hey, FB2, you are a fly flinger. You should try those carp on flies. A red wooly worm...or yellow...or green...or chartreuse. All will work. Heck, one of the best flies for carp are good small stone nymphs. Again, just use up the chewed up ones you don't use for trout anymore. The key is to present it quietly, ahead of the fish. Let it settle and then just twitch it a teensy bit when the fish comes near. They will sometimes hit it like a largemouth.. Other timees you can't buy a hit on anything but vegetation or worm. But, when they are in skinny water they are every bit as tough to fool as a sneaky trout.[/size][/#0000ff]
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[fishboy2]

i have heared that they are a blast on a fly rod. i dont know that i have the "finesse" to sneak up without one of them spooking, but yet as the saying goes: "give em' five" i guess they always do come back. i will defintely try all these ideas this summer. heck last summer i could not buy a bite, with anything. mabye this year will be diferent since i have a bow.
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[cat_man]

The carp at Deer Creek are HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


A couple years ago in April I was fishing for some good sized Smallmouths off the bank at Deer Creek, and every once in awhile a group of 3-7 huge carp would swim by about 5 feet deep and 10 feet out from the bank. They looked like they weighed between 20 and 30 pounds! We couldn't buy a bite on worms, even if they were place perfectly in front of them well ahead of their arrival. They would swim right past it without even giving it a look. I'd love to catch that big of a fish, who cares if it's a carp![]
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[fishboy2]

i too have seen those huge carp. i see them in the shallows when they are spawning. huge. that is where the bow fishing questions are coming from.
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[icehole69]

If you shoot them in the deeper waters like Deer creek you will need a reel to retrieve your arrow and the fish or they will head for deeper waters until they persish, and they may or may not surface. The only catch to using a reel is you need to insure your bail is opend, or the spool is in freespool or you will snap the line, and bye, bye arrow, but if you do everything right you can have one hell of a fight from a bigger carp that you hit. and if you miss and the arrow is stuck underwater even in Utah lake you can still retrieve your arrow by either following the line to the end of the arrow or by just pulling it free. I prefer to use the solid fiberglass shafts with the twist type tip that locks and unlocks. but this is all personal prefereance. []
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[fishboy2]

i heared that zebco made a reel for bow fishing, do you know that this is true or not. what would a cheap reel set me back
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[kj]

If you want to get serious about carp shooting, you need to visit a website called "bowsite.org" and go to the bow fishing site. You can get all the info you want and it is a site similar to this one in that you can ask questions and post answers. It is world wide and you will get responses from anywhere.

Zebco does make a bow reel and a rod that will screw into your stabilizer insert. There is another brand out there also that I think works better. The cost of either used to be around $70. Low poundage bows are best. Recurves or long bows are better than compounds if you are shooting with a string attached to the arrow. Heavy arrows are best as the light ones skip off the water and will not penetrate into deep water well. Fiberglass or solid aluminum work best. Muzzy makes a good tip with barbs so you can shoot into the fish and retrieve it and the arrow. When using the Zebco setup, it is very similar to fishing with a rod and reel when you hit one. You can purchase an open faced line holder that you wind on by hand for an inexpensive price. A small nylon type cord is attached to the reel and the arrow. Usually there is about 15 yards of line. If you shoot too far the arrow will hit the end of the line and spring back. People have been killed by the arrow bouncing back at them. So, be careful and do not shoot farther than you have string. Shooting without a string attached means a lot of wading around and trying to retrieve your arrows. Most will end up in the mud and you cannot find them again. Rocks break up the arrows also and seem to be very plentiful, especially at res. and lakes. I used to only carry one arrow and would shoot all day. There are many ways to attach the string to the arrow, most will attach at the nock end. The best setup is an arrow with the string attached to a setup that attaches to the front and back of the arrow and the string attaches to this string which permits it to slide up and down along the arrow shaft.

Mid May thru June is the best carp time, June being the best. Later in the summer works well in the early morning or late evening. Floating around in a canoe is a great way to go as you can go in and out of the cat tails hunting them. Carp shooting can be a lot of fun, it just got boring for me as it really doesn't take any skill to hit one if you have any proficiency with bow and arrow. This is why "bare" bow can be so much fun as shooting without sites makes it a little bit of a challenge. Hope some of this info helps. Good luck in your pursuit.
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