Archery fishing or bow fishing is a sport where a fisherman employs archery equipment to catch fish. Archery can be traced back at least 5,000 years to the ancient Egyptians who practiced it in hunting as well as in warfare. There is little evidence that ancient conventional archery was utilized for fishing purposes, almost certainly due to the efficiency of the fishing net. Although it is unclear exactly when this type of fishing was developed it has become one of the fastest growing archery sports in the nation.
When archery fishing the fish is shot with a barbed arrow which is attached to a reel on the bow via a line. Carp are a very popular fresh water quarry of fishermen as well as alligator gar and paddlefish. Rays and sharks are popular prey in salt water fishing.
When archery fishing you can shoot from the shore or wade slowly in the shallows but most people prefer to use a boat, any shallow flat bottom boat works very well.
Fishing Equipment
Bows
You can use a regular hunting bow by simply attaching a reel to the front of the bow grip.
Arrows
Archery fishing employs much heavier and stronger arrows than those used in other types of archery. arrows generally are not feathered because of the relatively short distances associated with this type of fishing.
Line
Line which is frequently made from braided nylon is attached to the arrow by connecting to a hole in the arrow shaft or through a slide system.
Reels
Hand-wrap reels are the simplest fishing reels, they comprise of a round spool that line is hand wrapped on to then fastened to a line holding slot. When the arrow is shot the line detaches from the holder and runs off the spool. The fish is then pulled in hand over hand. There is also a number of retriever type reels available.
Archery fishing is a fun and enjoyable sport, starting equipment can be brought for a very modest price and is easy to obtain, most states only require an ordinary fishing license although you should check your state laws and regulations.
