Bow fishing undergoes changes

Bow fishing has changed drastically since I was a kid in Watertown, South Dakota, where I was hanging over the bridge on Highway 212, taking shots at the rough fish.

Back then, I was using a cracked fiberglass bow that our neighbor had given me, repaired with a couple of rolls of dad’s electrical tape. A tuna can would act as my line holder, attached to a piece of wood and mounted to the bow limb with the rest of dad’s tape and a bow fishing fiberglass arrow.

Nowadays, it’s a whole different game, with the hard-core bow fishermen and women shooting from a bow fishing boat, on an elevated platform with numerous lights for shooting after dark.

Their set up includes high-capacity reels holding enough heavy line so that once the bow fisherman has stuck the fish, they can be retrieved.

The bows they use are not just any old bow, they’re set up specially, and bow fishing gear can be purchased, with everything needed to begin bow fishing.

Rough fish that can be taken with a bow and arrow include common carp, bighead carp, silver carp, grass carp, river carpsucker, long-nose gar, short-nose gar, threadfin shad, bigmouth buffalo, smallmouth buffalo, freshwater drum, but you better check out the state’s fishing regulations to be sure what species is legal to take with a bow and arrow.

Many of these rough fish, like the bighead carp, are plankton feeders, swimming with their huge mouths open, siphoning plankton that’s needed by young game fish, native mussels, larval fishes and paddlefish that feed on similar food sources (plankton).

The bighead carp is a large filter feeding fish that can weigh up to 110 pounds and grow to 4½ feet long.

Removing these species, many of which are invasive species, helps to take a few of these rough fish from the body of water.

In Nebraska, the rough fish season is open year round, with the game fish season opening July 1 and running through Dec. 31, sunrise to sunset, while game fish require an extra permit and may be shot only from sunrise to sunset June 15 through March 15.

In South Dakota, rough fish can be taken 24 hours a day, while game fish require an extra permit and can only be shot from sunrise to sunset June 15 through March 15.

If prepared properly, grass carp, when filled, makes for fine eating.

The sport of bow fishing has become so popular that somewhere across this great nation of ours, an event is being held every weekend.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approved fee increases for its state park entry permits at its meeting Aug. 4 in Valentine.