What about a bowfishing forum? Separate it from the haters and let this legal sport have a voice.

Bowfishing topics are welcome in the general freshwater and saltwater forums.

since bowfishing is not really fishing why not start your own bowfishing forum with likeminded folks .

All ready in place - http://bowfishingforum.com also http://www.texasbowfishingassociation.com/

WHY KILL JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT.AND LEAVE AT THE BOAT RAMP TO ROT?

Answer to the original question is "NO".

Hmm interesting statment. Wonder why you have to have a fishing license for it then. There are other fishing forums on the web too, so I guess we should just shut this one down and use them.

I don't see a reason you couldn't have a forum for bowfishing, as you said it is a legal means of taking non-game fish. You'll usually get endless comments about how terrible bowfishing is on this forum. I've never done any bowfishing, and while I think it would be fun(I love to bowhunt), I don't eat carp and therefore will not kill them just for fun, so that's why I've never shot one with my bow. Pisses me off every time I pull up to a lake and see mounds of decaying carp that have obviously been shot by a bowfisherman. If you're going to use them in some way or at least dispose of them properly, it's legal so I say go for it. If you're going to pile them up dead on the bank or shoot them and drop them back in the water, that's where I have an issue with bowfishing. It should be illegal to throw them on the bank in my opinion. If you were to go shoot an exotic, say an Axis down by San Antonio where there are some free roaming, and you dump it in a ditch the game warden will be looking for you even though they aren't regulated by tpwd, just like non-game fish. I agree something must be done about the carp numbers in many lakes in Texas, but piling them up on the bank isn't the answer.

I don't think it is a an issue of maturity, but I would swear some folks on this forum must have had pet gar or carp when they were kids. Any attempt to discuss your sport will be met with soap box speeches and generally a bad attitude

It's not maturity it's just the way of the world these days. If someone doesn't do something themselves, then they think no one else should. And then feel it's completely appropriate and necessary to voice that opinion; usually in a hateful manner.
I don't bowfish but I hear it's fun. Start your thread and ignore the haters. They will start to look like idiots eventually.

+1

Agreed on this. Maturity isn't the problem. The main problem is the perception - true or not - that bowfishermen as a group are extremely wasteful with the public resource by shooting large numbers of fish and discarding them rather than putting them to use. There's also a growing number of anglers who recognize that alligator gar in particular need greater conservation efforts - they are a native Texas fish after all, and grow to impressive size if given the chance.



It's been illegal to do this for quite some time now.

I agree

Bowfishing and discarding fish at a boat ramp to me is no different ethically than people keeping undersized fish which I see at fishing docks and off the bank. Some people believe that if it's big enough to get on the hook it's big enough to go in the pot.
I have no problem with bow fishing other than that. It's a great way to fertilize a garden with rough fish.
Just don't waste what you take.

You also have to have an archery stamp so is it hunting or fishing?

I am not mature enough to have this, or any other real conversation. I have proven that over and over again.

Maturity is for suckas

im for a bowfishing section.

Heck, lets go all the way and have commercial fishing too.....


One of my fishing boats with some trammel nets. Note, one is monofilament and the other is braided. Also note the condition of the rich people neighborhood lake water.....

Plus they ain't got none of the proper kinda weeds the giverment makes developers have when they gots a lake.

Them danged ole carrups ate 'em all and stirred the lake all up.

We catched a buncha of 'em, too-grass carps and commons as well as a few suckers, some buffaloes, a lotta gizzard shad, an' some catfishes, all of which needa go!

Depending on how you look at it, them nets is either sporting or not so much. I do know its a lot of cold, hard, stanky, slimy, dangerous, an' sometimes interesting work.

Whether you do it with a cane pole, a bow, a gig, a shocker or a net, its still fishing.

Now, nearly (but not) all my work is in private waters and the fish we catch are used to the highest and best use possible, which depends on a lot of things. But you can bet none of us is eatin' no gars that grew up in the rich people neighborhood with chemical plants for yards an' a big septic tank for a lake. In this case, we turned most of the gars back as they are actually conducive to our ultimate goals for this water body. But (all) the carp, (some) catfish, buffalo, suckers, gizzards, tilapia and other fish that stir, muck, dig, feed near, or otherwise interact with the bottom substrate and/or shorelines are removed. Gar, bass, crappie, sunfish, yellow cat, blue cat, bowfin, and some others are returned if in relatively good shape.

My daughters Beta died the other day, does anybody want to eat it? I'd hate to be charged with wanton waste...

False statement. Per Tpwd website no other stamp or endorsement needed other than a fishing liscense. So I still say fishing. Hunting liscense and endorsement needed to take frogs or turtles.

Actually this post was here before the other one.

Since when?


"A freshwater, saltwater, or all-water license package is required to bow fish in Texas public waters. No additional stamp or license is required"

Oops! I was a little late with my post!