TPW is up to vote again on BowHUNTING for catfish. The catfish is the #2 gamefish in Texas and is being allowed to be shot with bow and arrow because of a small well organized group of bow hunters in Texas and one Phillip Montgomery and a very naive group of TPWD Commissioners.

Please go to http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/fee...proposals.phtml
and vote against bowHUNTING for catfish, if for no other reason that it is against every single conservation principle that the TPWD stands for.

If we allow this to continue, what's next, bowHUNTING for bass, crappie, redfish you name it? It is time for Texas anglers to make a stand and really let the TPWD commission know how we feel about this.

This is not about catfish, it is about protecting GAME FISH in Texas from being killed and left rotting on the banks with the gar, carp and other rough fish that these anglers shoot worth no regard for conservation (maybe someone could post the photos of the bulldozer and huge hole full of carp from the tournament).

www.txcatfishguide.com
www.whiskerkitty.com

Oh yeah, and people will actually eat their kills if they were cats!!!!!!!

Spoken from someone who obviously knows nothing about bowfishing and who makes a living from taking catfish from the waters of Texas. I wonder how many more catfish would be alive if we got rid of catfish guides? I would bet 1 catfish guide causes the death of more catfish than any 1 bowfisherman. Come on, lets hear how many catfish died on your boat in 2007. I had 12 catfish die on my bowfishing boat in 2007. I would bet your numbers would be staggering. Please post the numbers of those under 10 pound catfish that are not released so we can all see who is detrimental to catfish in Texas.

Why all the argument?

Trying to bring someone over to your way of thinking isn't going to happen either way, and probably will result in this post getting locked, so in this case all you have to do is go to the link and vote?

Just trying to educate people about a subject that many know nothing about.

I agree with Lawmann. I know that more fish are killed by guides and their clients than any other single group of fisherman on the lake. Who cares if a few bowfisherman take some catfish. How many bowfisherman do you see each time you are on the water? I guess this comes from a guide that is not working much and has too much time on his hands so he can sit in front of his computer instead of on his boat.

So let me get this straight...it's unlawful to leave edible fish or bait fish taken from the public waters of the state to die without the intent to retain the fish for consumption or bait if you use conventional fishing methods but it's okay to do so if taken by bow? Doesn't seem right to me. It ought to apply universally. Just my humble opinion.

Hey, don't get nasty anyone. Personal attacks aren't needed...

If everyone responded with a calm and logical side of the argument we wouldn't need to watch these threads. The better you present your argument to the audience than your opponent, the more likely you are to win people over. Basic manners (and persuasive writing techniques!) are being violated here!

I agree with Jimbo, this thread is shaping up to be locked if people respond so hatefully....

I am both an avid catfisherman and bowfisher. We use carp for bait and try not to shoot too many gar, because we dont use them, however we love it when we happen upon cats and tilapia, because yes we do save and eat them. I'm with lawmann you do way more to hurt the fish pop than bowfishers ever will, all for a profit. I have nothing against guides, most are good folks just trying to make ends meet but that is bs.

matt

Quote:

Catfish is the second most preferred group of fish among licensed Texas anglers . . . � http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/blc/

I voted

Guys

It's not about numbers, it about simple facts. Bowfishermen cannot ACCURATELY determine length or species until AFTER the fish has been speared.

The ONLY way I would support bow fishing to be extended to game fish is if the bowfishermen was REQUIRED to keep 100% of the fish speared, AND held accountable for undersized fish speared. With fines doubling or trippling for returning undersize speared fish to the waters or disposing of them on shore.

I realize that there are a limited number of bow fishermen, and I realize the difficulty of actually catching fish like this. I've tried it a few times myself and never got the knack. I doubt that all the bow fishermen in Dallas combined could do the damage of a single poacher but at the same time, game fish are tagged game fish and have limits on them for legitimate conservation reasons.

Allowing those the killing of a game fish undersized undermines the rules that are in place for conservation. The ONLY reason I would expect the fines to be double or tripple is because once that arrow spears that fish it's done, there is no releasing it for a chance to survive. When an undersize fish is caught on a hook, it has a good chance at survival when released. The higher fines and requirements I would home would cause the bow fisherman to think twice before letting go of that arrow on something that could remotely be illegal.

So are you admitting that you are already breaking the law by taking catfish by bow, and then criticizing a guide for doing something that is LEGAL?

I have never bowfished but like bowhunting for whitetail there is no way you could impact the numbers on cats, I guide part time for sandies and stripers and im on the lake alot and have never even seen a bowfisherman on tawakoni.