Bow Fishing????
What is bow fishing? Bow fishing is a specialized method of fishing that utilizes archery equipment (bows and arrows) to shoot and retrieve fish. Fish are shot with a solid fiberglass arrow with a special "fish tip" that has special barbs to prevent the fish from coming loose from the arrow. A reel is mounted to the bow to aid in line and fish retrieval. While several different types of reels are available to accomplish this; we utilize AMS Retriever reels as we feel they are best suited for our style of fishing and our fishing environment. A very strong line is used in conjunction with the reel to retrieve the arrow.
The sport of bow fishing has grown exponentially in popularity in recent years. What was once a sport that consisted of stalking carp from a pond or river bank with a recurve bow has evolved into a sport of $50,000 customized boats, $1,000 compound bows, and 100 boat tourneys almost every weekend. At Lite the Nite we fall somewhere in the middle of those two. While we employ many high tech gadgets and methods; we also realize that none of those are necessary to be a successful bow fisherman. While most bow fishing in the U.S. is done in fresh water lakes and rivers; salt water bow fishing offers a unique experience and an unrivaled assortment of targets. Bow fishing can be done in the daytime but there's no arguing that night time shooting offers easier shots and a wider variety of targets; hence the reason we shoot at night.
There are three primary methods of propelling a bow fishing boat while shooting. Fans, kicker motors, and electric trolling motors. Fans are possibly the most popular on a national level. These fans are mounted on the stern of the boat and are powered by gas engines. While the fans allow for entry into super shallow water they are very loud and illegal on some of the bay systems we shoot on. Kicker motors are small outboards mounted on the stern of the boat along side the main outboard engine. While kicker motors allow for shooting at a very fast clip and enable the shooters to cover large amounts of ground in a short time; they require deeper water to operate and generally push the boat too fast for our shooters while not allowing for precise boat control we like. For those reasons, we use electric trolling motors to push our boats. While trolling motors move a boat slower than fans or kicker motors; they allow for shallow water shooting and precise boat control. The slower movement of the boat actually benefits our shooters ( who are often beginners) allowing them easier shots. In addition, they are silent.
Saltwater bow fishing is unique in the fact that our main targets, rays, are able to be shot, photographed, and released. This is very important because it allows us to shoot often without worry of over harvesting the species. While stingrays are prolific breeders and fast growing; they are still subject to over harvest just like any species. While some bow fisherman, including some guides, in our area take pride in filling the beach with dozens of dead rays at the end of a trip; we do not. We believe in catch and release and practice it whenever possible.
While we believe in catch and release; we will be glad to box a few rays for your group to keep and eat. Most of the other species we target are wonderful table fare and we're always more than happy to clean any fish you harvest.
At Lite the Nite Charters we love bow fishing. Whether you've never tried it before or shoot 200 nights a year we're confident that you'll be impressed with our patience, friendliness, and ability to find fish.
The sport of bow fishing has grown exponentially in popularity in recent years. What was once a sport that consisted of stalking carp from a pond or river bank with a recurve bow has evolved into a sport of $50,000 customized boats, $1,000 compound bows, and 100 boat tourneys almost every weekend. At Lite the Nite we fall somewhere in the middle of those two. While we employ many high tech gadgets and methods; we also realize that none of those are necessary to be a successful bow fisherman. While most bow fishing in the U.S. is done in fresh water lakes and rivers; salt water bow fishing offers a unique experience and an unrivaled assortment of targets. Bow fishing can be done in the daytime but there's no arguing that night time shooting offers easier shots and a wider variety of targets; hence the reason we shoot at night.
There are three primary methods of propelling a bow fishing boat while shooting. Fans, kicker motors, and electric trolling motors. Fans are possibly the most popular on a national level. These fans are mounted on the stern of the boat and are powered by gas engines. While the fans allow for entry into super shallow water they are very loud and illegal on some of the bay systems we shoot on. Kicker motors are small outboards mounted on the stern of the boat along side the main outboard engine. While kicker motors allow for shooting at a very fast clip and enable the shooters to cover large amounts of ground in a short time; they require deeper water to operate and generally push the boat too fast for our shooters while not allowing for precise boat control we like. For those reasons, we use electric trolling motors to push our boats. While trolling motors move a boat slower than fans or kicker motors; they allow for shallow water shooting and precise boat control. The slower movement of the boat actually benefits our shooters ( who are often beginners) allowing them easier shots. In addition, they are silent.
Saltwater bow fishing is unique in the fact that our main targets, rays, are able to be shot, photographed, and released. This is very important because it allows us to shoot often without worry of over harvesting the species. While stingrays are prolific breeders and fast growing; they are still subject to over harvest just like any species. While some bow fisherman, including some guides, in our area take pride in filling the beach with dozens of dead rays at the end of a trip; we do not. We believe in catch and release and practice it whenever possible.
While we believe in catch and release; we will be glad to box a few rays for your group to keep and eat. Most of the other species we target are wonderful table fare and we're always more than happy to clean any fish you harvest.
At Lite the Nite Charters we love bow fishing. Whether you've never tried it before or shoot 200 nights a year we're confident that you'll be impressed with our patience, friendliness, and ability to find fish.