Do you actually know anybody that goes out and shoots 50 cats per day, I haven't even met a person who has shot more than a few fish in a day let a lone 50 catfish.

Sometimes wonder what somebody uses to smoke his fish......... 10-4???

  I love young groundhog in spaghetti sauce. gOT one livin' under the birthin' room at camp in Linesville but it was sprayed by a skunk 
 
BT,
Keep rubbin't in.... If u are up Linesville launch & need a nap or ice cold lemon aide before your drive home stop in I'll give u a gift bag ov fishin' stuff.  When is the big Carp shoot at Pym.? Think they make pet food & fertilizer with 'em.
 
crappy

Divemaster
I've seen piles of dead bullheads on the bank before, same goes with suckers, carp, sunfish, and crappie. Just the bucket biologists thinking they know more than the limnologists working to preserve the waters.

ummm, pretty sure that even the best shots aren't going to waste time on bullheads, sunfish and crappie.  
 
pretty sure any of us who have spent much time fishing have seen plenty of examples of wanton waste.  can't say as i've ever seen a pile of fish with arrow holes through 'em though.  

rsquared

Divemaster
I've seen piles of dead bullheads on the bank before, same goes with suckers, carp, sunfish, and crappie. Just the bucket biologists thinking they know more than the limnologists working to preserve the waters.

ummm, pretty sure that even the best shots aren't going to waste time on bullheads, sunfish and crappie.   pretty sure any of us who have spent much time fishing have seen plenty of examples of wanton waste.  can't say as i've ever seen a pile of fish with arrow holes through 'em though.  

Where does he say they were bow killed? I think he was just saying he's seen it. Not blaming the bow "fishers".

Esox_Hunter

Divemaster

kill3ducks1deer
Do you actually know anybody that goes out and shoots 50 cats per day, I haven't even met a person who has shot more than a few fish in a day let a lone 50 catfish.

I've seen piles of dead bullheads on the bank before, same goes with suckers, carp, sunfish, and crappie. Just the bucket biologists thinking they know more than the limnologists working to preserve the waters.

Were these piles of fish you found shot by a bowfisher?  And I'm not sure how much you know about bowfishing, but the habits of catfish don't exactly make them a very vulnerable target.  For the bowfisherman I know, shooting a catfish is a rarity.  Can the limnologists (aka aquatic biologists) provide any factual data or evidence to support your claims of how damaging this sport is to our fisheries?        One last thing regarding the disposition of the fish shot, which is that the law only requires that the fisherman make a reasonable effort to lawfully dispose of the fish.  The fish do not need to be consumed or used for any specific purpose.       

I'd say least half of them were, most of the suckers and Carp were from bowfishermen, the others like sunfish and crappie and sadly in some cases Pike were just from sadistic conventional fishermen. Maybe not during the day, but shallow prowling catfish are an easy target for bowfishermen at night. Yes, there have been various studies stating the damage that excessive bow fishing and harvest by regular anglers can destroy fisheries. I've also witnessed it first hand at creek mouths on local rivers during the sucker runs when bowfishermen will kill a large chunk of the adult fish ready to spawn. It's disgusting to see that people would actually shoot a native species during its spawning season. You're just making my point with that last statement, it's like the state doesn't even care about why some of these guys are killing them, they just want them gone. I'm not saying all bowfishermen are like this, but I've encountered many who are.

Crappie fisher, I probably ate more chucks than you. The younger ones are good,parboil,onion and little vinegar. Then bread and fry. I've made a mean ground hog cacciatore. I've eaten plenty of sucker fish cakes my grandmother made,and have even eaten smoked  carp.  I just fred three fox squirrels and made.gravy with rice yesterday. I'll make one trip a year to the spillway just to fish for carp. I know a Asian family that will gladly take a 100 Qt cooler full. In return the women gives me many tasty treats. Well got go fillet a few crappie and gills  from today not a pile but 13 decent fish,enough for Friday fish fry.

Esox_Hunter

Divemaster
Yes, there have been various studies stating the damage that excessive bow fishing and harvest by regular anglers can destroy fisheries.

  Have any links to credible studies showing the damage bowfisherman are causing in PA? 

DivemasterIt's disgusting to see that people would actually shoot a native species during its spawning season. 

First, the primary target for most bowfisherman are carp, which are an invasive species.  They are most certainly not a native species to North America.  Secondly, you do realize that you are posting on a site that only exists because of anglers who take advantage of the spawning habits of a fish to catch and often kill them, right?   

Once again, I'm not claiming that all bowfishermen are destroying our waters, it's everyone who doesn't know the basics of conservation of species. What I'm saying is that of all the bowfishermen I've encountered in my personal experience, most shot many more fish that they needed or could even use. I've seen many conventional fishermen do this as well, but proportionally not as many of them have done this, again, in my experience. Overfishing for any species through any type of harvest is bad whether it's conventional fishing, fly fishing, bowfishing, netting, trawling, etc. This is especially true in both small and large bodies of water. In small bodies, the populations are much smaller so it's easier to decimate a population by keeping a much smaller amount of fish. In larger bodies, the populations are obviously larger but often commercial fishing is involved and I don't think I need to explain to anyone how it r**** our aquatic environments. I also realize many bowfishermen target Common Carp, which are an invasive species. But I've also seen many of them shoot dozens of Smallmouth and Bigmouth Buffalo which are native keystone species. By the way, if the concern of bowfishermen is to shoot invasive species then why ignore striped and largemouth bass in California, pacific salmon and steelhead in the Great Lakes, and all the other examples of when humans are purposely introducing non-native species to a new environment because they can all be just as harmful to native species as common carp are?

I hope you all see what I'm getting at here, I'm obviously not saying to go out and kill steelhead and salmon or largemouth and stripers, I'm simply saying that Carp, at least commons, in most cases do not pose anymore of a threat to native species as introduced gamefish do. If humans and sportsmen were truly that concerned with being rid of an invasive species then the best course of action would be to begin a large scale program that could remove mass numbers of them in order to make a significant difference in the ecosystem rather than just killing a carp here or there and hoping that it makes a long term impact. Shooting a common carp in the Allegheny River is almost the equivalent of not putting back a round goby that you keep in Erie, that one fish truly does not make much of a difference.

About that second point you made above, I would hope that most of the people here are conservation minded enough to release most spawning fish. Will I fish for Redhorse on their spawning runs and Brookies on their redds in the fall? Sure! And although I tend to release everything I catch year round anyway, I take extra caution during spawning periods to not excessively harm fish by either using barbless hooks or hooks with crimped barbs, all of which are single Js. I also keep the fish out of the water for as little time as possible and play them as quickly as I can in order to prevent stressing it to death from lactic acid buildup. I'm not saying that everyone here should release all fish year round, even I like to keep a walleye or two in the summer on Lake Erie, but at least try to be more conscientious when targeting fish on the spawn.

I apologize for rambling, I just have strong viewpoints about these things, but you're all entitled to your own thoughts as well, of course.

D-nymph
I'd like to see someone shoot a limit of 8" stocked trout with a bow instead of tank carp in 16" or water.  That would take some skill.

Always done good at the"cage" on the yough outflow. Piled them up, used a traditional longbow too like the indianz butt, yinzers leave offers of lit jars of blu powrbate for the free bounty of boney pellethead flesh.

Ask a simple questions about a legal form of fishing...immediately get bombarded with criticism and nay-saying without getting your original question answered...
 
WELCOME TO THE FISHUSA FORUMS lol

Thanks for the tips sent my way. I will be out there in May and June looking to put a dent into those pesky invasive species that I target. 

Yeah, and those boats with those lights are way illegal to operate in pa.

Divemaster

FishinGuy
What do you do with the fish after you kill them? Bow fishing seems horribly wasteful.

That's what I've seen so far. Shooting and tossing Redhorse and Buffalo is an ethical crime in itself, although somehow still legal. What's more appalling is when I see people in PIB shooting Northern Pike and endangered Spotted Gar, neither of which, especially the latter, is legal to shoot. I can possibly see if you wanted to shoot A carp or TWO to eat for dinner, but to kill the massive quantities that I've seen take place is simply, as you stated, wasteful.

Just for the record. Even though I do not care for the overharvest involved in bowfishing mainly the large fish over and over this guy seems to only be taking a few anyhow and actually uses them from the sounds of it. With that said the above post is one thing that is insanely disregarded in PA. If you look up species on the endangered list both smallmouth and largemouth buffalo are native species to PA and on that list. Anyone bowfishing should not shoot them and if they do expect a very large fine if caught. 

BTDT, your post states: permanently mounted, so my Q. is: may you use a handheld spotlite to navigate in fog or on a dark, moonless nite? also, if nite fishing for crappie, may you use a lantern or other lite to see? assuming, of course, you have proper boat lites lit, as per regs.

wirenut45
BTDT, your post states: permanently mounted, so my Q. is: may you use a handheld spotlite to navigate in fog or on a dark, moonless nite? also, if nite fishing for crappie, may you use a lantern or other lite to see? assuming, of course, you have proper boat lites lit, as per regs.

 
Helloooo Wirenut,
 
Hope as is well buddy and the the lines have been tight.
 
The info regarding lights was taken directly from the PFBC as printed under Boating Laws.  I question the same thing as you do and I wish there was a good answer.  I know of nobody ever being fined for the use of additional lights at night for the purpose of fishing and until I purchased the GoBee Bow light, have used handheld lights for the purpose of navigating at night and never been stopped.
 
I'll guarantee, calling the PFBC and asking our question will result in hearing what is written in the book as you see in my post and, we will still be left wondering, on some dark unlit night, if and when we will see the dreaded red and blue strobes coming at us.
 
Displaying a white light that can be seen 360 degrees while at anchor is required so I can't see why a lantern wouldn't be legal when stationary (so have an anchor handy (he hee)) but that light shall be at the stern end of the boat.
 
 
PS.  Know anybody looking for a remote controlled bow light?  It goes up, down and, all around! LOL
 
Don't be a stranger and let us know what's happening out your way, I've been thinking about Piney this summer and I need some "spot burns" 10-4!!
 
Have a great Easter and tight lines.