I have been invited to go bowfishing with some good friends, for carp at night. Any pointers on how to aim for these critters?
Point the sharp end at the fish. Good luck!
Aim low. Then aim lower than that! Take extra arrows and use a bow that you don't mind getting dirty and maybe scratched up.
The deeper the fish the more you have to shoot low due to the light refraction in the water. After a few shots you'll get dialed in to the adjustment for depth instinctively. On a good night you'll come home covered in blood and scales! Good luck and post pics if you get 'em!
Copy Ishoot4thrills and wear headlamp extra light helps alot. Here fishy fishy.
Thanks. I sort of figured I'd have to aim really low. They tell me it is non stop action. Can't wait to whack some big carp!
If you're night fishing either with a trolling motor or fan, the best advice I can give you is to keep your eyes moving.
After an hour or two of staring at the bottom, it's very easy to get mesmerized. 90% of the action will be within 10 feet of the boat, so don't worry about having to spot anything a long way out. Just every few minutes, take a look off into the distance to give your eyes a rest.
Pick your shots. If the actionis good, you could have a shot every couple of minutes. If you start off shooting at everything you see (you will, believe me! :D ) by the end of the night, you'll be fit for nothing! In a four hour session, 100 shots is not unusual at all.
The 'Aim Low' thing can't be stressed enough! Seriously. To get your eye in before you go, throw a paper plate out on the lawn & shoot at it from 10-12 feet away (If you can stand on something 2-3' high, all the better) Don't try & hit the plate!!! Concentrate on the plate, but try & MISS it by about 16" low. It's a lot tougher than you think! It goes against everything you know about shooting instinctively! :D
It's also the one time you can pretty much lose your form. Short draw, don't anchor, bend your arms, you'll probably need to do them all at some point! It doesn't take a lot to poke an arrow through a carp.
An 8" length of broom handle in your pocket is really usefull (Minds out of the gutter guys ;) )
If you get your arrow stuck in the bottom, you can wrap the line around the stick to pull t free, rather than burning or cutting into your hands.
If I think of anything else, I'll post 'em up!
When carp fishing at night I aim right for the dorsal fin sticking out of the water!
The string will drag it low enough for a good hit from there.
Shots were seldom more than 5 to 7 yards.
Thanks for the good advice. i'll report back in a couple weeks after I go.