Bowfishing squid

[bigtime bowfishing]

would it be possible to take a squid with a bow and arrow i would love to shoot one for my next dvd bigtime-bowfishing vol 3. if somebody could get one close to the boat night or day it don't matter i have all the equipment and bowfishing knowledge. if you think we could make it happen let me know here are a few pics of my bowfishing trophies



6ft 10 in 175lb gator gar texas





300 fish febuary wisconsin





14 below zero





texas tilipa





i will be shooting sharks in california the first week in aug and got an alligator trip for a 12 ft or bigger lined up for 2010 a tuna trip in the works hopefully and a squid would round it out nicely

[bigtime bowfishing]

a few more pics





41 lb oklahoma paddlefish





kentucky snapping turtles





virginia stingrays





201 big shad

[bigtime bowfishing]

a couple more





4lb 1 oz 21 in shad wisconsin state record





world record needle fish





world record sting ray 143 lbs

[bigtime bowfishing]

the last of them





another on of the big sting ray





56lb bighead carp





big silver carp (aka flying carp)

[glen]

I am guessing you have a freezer full of fish! In Australia most people would not bother trying to eat a stingray but maybe the US ones are more tasty.



As for squid, I have speared them at night with a hand spear in shallow water using a spot light. <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':ink' /> They are pretty easy to catch.

[dsyko1]

Mate, mate, mate. This guy is a friggin disgrace to the human race!!!!! Maybe his next dvd can be about extinct animals. Are you sure he has'nt got a time machine and went back to when the dinosaurs WERE around. All i can say is WAT A LOSER.........

[bigtime bowfishing]

first off yes the southern sting ray is very good to eat



dsyko1 who are you to attack me if you don't like what i do fine but let me explain my actions to you since you seem to be of the uneducated type

first off carp are an invasive species much like the rabbits and mice that have become a major problem in your neck of the world. carp have all but destroyed many a lake and river system here in the us.



stingrays on the east cost have boomed in population due to shark populations all but being wiped out by people finning them. with out their naturl preditors the population has exploded. and they are reeking havoc on the clam, oyster, and crab populaitons.



by using a bow and arrow i can selectivly harvast the problem fish without hurting the others. if more people would take up bowfrishing maybe we could make a huge impact on the problem.



lastly i try to utilize all the fish and turtles i harvast

i eat turtle, stingray, paddlefish, gar and anything else that is ediable

the carp are given to crawfish trappers, turtle farmers, mink ranch, i smoke some of the carp and i make fish oils and bait for my trapline.



so you see dsyko1 it is you that is a disgrace being so uneducated that you would attack a person and a sport which you know nothing about that. i am proud to be a bowfisherman and and happy that what i do directly effects the ecosystem that has been put off balance by by other uneducated people in this world.



thanks for your time

sam wood

[glen]

hi there,



in relation to the picture "201 big shad" i have a question. i must admit i don't know anything about shad.



Are they similar to carp? i.e. doing damage to the environment etc?



cheers, glen

[bigtime bowfishing]

glen the shad are shot in a backwater of the mississippi river they get trapped in the fall and during the winter they are dying due to lack of oxygen there are also many bass bluegill and crappie trapped there that just die and go to waste. i go there every year and get a couple hundred shad for catfish bait and they also make great trapping bait for coons and mink they also work very well for making fish oil

[Steeny]

I did see the large collection of fish and get a little sad about the sheer number. But then i noticed that a lot appeared to be carp, which can only be a good thing to get out of the waterways. And if you tell me shad die every year as a natural consequence of where they live, then I can accept that too.



Too many fisheries have been destroyed by people taking ridiculous amounts of easy target fish, and I guess most people think the worst whenever they see a huge haul.



Good luck on the squid with a bowline. should be easy enough if you can attract some near the boat.

[glen]

I fyou want a real challenge you could try and get a humboldt squid but I am not sure how eager they are to come up the surface. i think it does happen. i have seen videos on youtube that showed this sort of thing happening.

[glen]

these ones here seem to be close to the surface:



[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whjac1aihpg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whjac1aihpg[/url]

[glen]

this conversation got me wondering whether bowfishing in victoria australia would be allowed.



i found this conversation which seems to say that you could do it in the ocean only



[url="http://www.bowhunters.org.au/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=913"]http://www.bowhunters.org.au/phpBB3/viewto...?f=12&t=913[/url]





also i found the definition of "spear gun" in the Victoria fishing regulations reads as follows (note the reference to "arrow"):

spear gun means a mechanical device or other

thing that is capable of imparting propulsive

energy to a spear or arrow;

though i wonder about how controlled weapons laws might also restrict who can use or carry or bow for fishing in victoria. i am guessing you would need a licence of something like that.



EDIT: As far as I can see, a bow could be considered either a "controlled weapon" (if it fell within the definition of "spear gun") or as a "dangerous article" under the Control of Weapons Regulations. So you could only carry and use such an article with lawful excuse. So provided that you were carrying the bow at sea then I guess you would be OK. But seems like all the good bow fishing is based around carp fishing so you would be fresh out luck. Maybe South Australia would have more easy going rules.

[flounderpirate]

Arrgh. I agree with Steeny, better a quick death with an arrow than a slow rotting in their own filth in puddles of water.



Besides he is using everything he takes and is trying to keep the balance of nature, I think that is what our role should be. We cull kangaroos for dog food here when they get too numerous rather than see them starve, so we do the same thing already.



After all is said and done, the damage he can do with a bow and arrow, or any of us with a spear or rod I might add, is a drop in the ocean (pardon the pun) to what a commercial beam trawler can do in 1 hour. These things work 24 hour shifts for days at sea and haul up tonnes of everything from the seafloor every copuple of hours. And there are hundreds of them operating all over the world!



They just go along raking and scooping up the seafloor, raping the life out of everything for about two hours then haul it all up on deck for sorting, by which time most things in there are dead already because they have been crushed from the sheer biomass in the net or the force of moving through the water.



The net holes which are meant to allow smaller fish to escape get blocked by larger fish being pressed against them and become water tight or close because of the massive force of that much weight being dragged through the water (think of a massive weight inside a keeper net). So even when something is thrown back, it is most likely dead or dying and is returned to a bare desert of sea floor. The amount of sheer incidental waste and destruction of in-edible species and habitat which is vital for the ecosystem is shocking.



I personally think it is awesome that there are such numerous fish large enough to hit with an arrow. I like the fact that the fish has a fighting chance to escape combined with the skill of the shooter, light, visibility etc. The built in miss factor makes things fair I think.



Why not I say, I think the more ways to get fish the better, as long as there is minimal damage done to the environment, go for it and enjoy!

[Steeny]

Glen,



I'm certain that you cant bowfish in any inland waters in victoria (or even be in possesion of a bow for the purpose of fishing whilst at or near the river). same as the spear rules. You might get away with it for floundering, or basically anywhere that a spear is allowed. (ie not within 30m of a river mouth, not from a jetty or wharf, etc, etc)



Whether you could use it from a boat i'm not sure. Depends whether they class it as a firearm as well. Its illegal to take any fish anywhere in victoria (including open ocean) with a firearm.



Certainly means no spearing huge carp up on the murray..



I think the water is just to murky (so to speak), and i wouldn't do it. Its murky enough about being able to use a handspear for floundering (if the ranger wants to be an asshole about it).



Maybe we should all move to wisconsin.

[bigtime bowfishing]

i don't know much about how australia is set up but i do know there is some diehard bowfisherman there and this is one tournament i am going to shoot in my lifetime



[url="http://www.nzbowhunters.co.nz/Carp%20Classic%20Page.html"]http://www.nzbowhunters.co.nz/Carp%20Classic%20Page.html[/url]



you guys may get more info on this site.



glen give me your address i would love to mail you some copies of my first dvd to help you and others understand more of what i do. heck we may even get to shoot a few squid together someday.



go to my website www.bigtime-bowfishing.com for a little taste of volume 2



thanks

sam

[bluewaterhunter]

Hi guys

great topic. I wont cast judgement because the laws and culture over here in Vic. /Aus is very different to parts of the U.S.



Here we do not allow the harvest of reptiles as a general rule. Nor do we allow spearfishing in inland waters. Bow hunting is also illegal just to make the point.



Do not try this if you want to fish illegally. We have bag limits...some are just as generous as the US.



In some ways, (the animal welfare people wont agree) but a dead fish is a dead fish. If it is for food, kill it quickly and humanely. If not, don't kill it at all or try to catch it in my book. Genuine bycatch is a different matter.



Regardless of your views...there may not be a right or wrong answer...i admire the skill involved.



Cheers





Blue water Hunter.

[glen]

wow i didn't realise there were so many carp in new zealand. hunting is huge in nz so i am not surprised they would allow bow fishing. <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



don't worry about sending me the dvd. but thanks very much for the offer though. i watched the preview on your website.

[glen]

I just noticed in the new fishing regulations for Victoria we have the following (will take effect on 2 March 2009):

Regulation 106 - Use of firearm or other weapon to take, destroy or injure fish prohibited

... the use of a firearm, crossbow or bow and arrow to take, attempt to take, destroy or injure fish is prohibited throughout Victoria.

And I also note the definition of a spear gun now expressly excludes a bow and arrow:

spear gun means a mechanical device or other thing that is capable of imparting propulsive energy to a spear or arrow, but does not include a crossbow or a bow and arrow;

[blinkings]

[quote name='bigtime bowfishing' post='13631' date='Feb 10 2009, 08:03 AM']the last of them





another on of the big sting ray





56lb bighead carp





big silver carp (aka flying carp)[/quote]

You sure are handy with that bow mate! OMG!