Well I guess since ya'll can talk about bowfishing here in the negative it is ok that I make a post.
As far as your fears of showing off your catch for fear that us "harvesters" are goin to go to that exact spot and take all the fish there, that is just plain ludicrous. What you fail to understand is that we don't go to one spot we cover more water on any lake or waterbody in one night than you will in an entire year. If your area is on that particular waterbody than the chances are that eventually it is goin to be found, that just common sense. You bait an area we patrol an entire lake.
Now on another note you are right to promote your sport that secrets don't help, but EVERYONE has that spot that ain't goin to let out of the bag. MoCarp as far as your tourny event that you say was still successful in light of the tourny held by the bowfisherman on that waterbody, you can't sit there an say that the bowfishermen just shot all your fish. Any fisherman knows that there are countless reasons the fish ain't biting.
You know I find it so unfortunate that 2 differant groups have to fight over a fish as abundant as the carp. This whole I'm a bowfisher and I'm a carper rivalry [censored] has gotten so out of hand that you can't even post together on a forum without getting threats of being banned, placed in moderation, or bashed to the point that you just find more animosity towards the other group. I'm sorry this was so far off topic.

Like I said continue to promote your sport, show your records, be proud of your catch of a lifetime or your new waterbody record. That is what is goin to help your sport in the long run and in no way should be hidden from the public. But at the same time keep your honey holes to yourself, cause we all have to have that one spot that we go to fish and ponder our lives in private or with that lifelong fishing buddy.

Well put RNW!

Back when I was walleye fishing a lot on Stockton lake Missouri before the whole surge in walleye fishing I shared some of my "spots" and as interest sored, soon they didn't produce like they did,

carp are no different, the ones that ether "get smart or get dead" soon will the fish adapt move locations or won't eat there anymore.... its a survival instinct, once two or three generations of fish come and go all that was old is new again and old spots will produce again, with walleyes that's about 3-6 years...but with long lived carp that's 1-4 decades



Bull Shoals lake has more than 60,000 acres and with 1,000 miles of shoreline, I am confident that the guys that shot out that area would have never found it in a life time of Bfing that lake, funny thing is how many fish never made it to the dumpsters as I got reports that the turtles over ran that side of the lake that summer and the cat fisherman couldn't keep them off



1st they where not "my" fish I with a friend we found a spot that was great for numbers and size...I am an accomplished fisherman that has landed far more than my share of trophy fish of many species....a common carp over 25 pounds if very uncommon anywhere, I spent a great deal of time scoping out water in the 4 state area of Missouri/Arkansas/Kansas/Oklahoma and I can tell you the avg "good" fish is a low teen, the avg carp, about 7 pounds. The creel/shocking studies I was able to see backed that up, the fast growing carp is a myth

in the fishes of Missouri by William L Pflieger about Common Carp Growth Rates in Missouri have been studied
"Carp avg 6.5 " in length at the end of their 1st year of life and achieve lengths of 11", 14.2", 16.7", and 18 " in succeeding years. On the avg they weight 1 pound when 12", 5 pounds when 21.5" long and 12 pounds when 27" long.
which back up my catch experience, Missouri can grow monsters as witnessed by the state record common 50 lbs 6 oz Rothwell Park Lake caught by Russell Tarr ON 6/2/1996

I went to university to be a state fisheries biologist, assisted in research on white tail deer while in college For the Missouri Dept of Conservation, I look at things with a science eye and can tell you common carp ARE naturalized IN EVERY WAY OF THE TERM and if they have displaced any fishes its the native suckers that are shot as much as common carp.

Many of our favorite game fish can be invasive and are documented as such..

I will give you and example pheasants took over the ranges of prairie chickens, why? the environment changed unbroken prairie to farm fields, ring necks are far more equipped to dominate that environment, so if you go native and restore the habitat, you won't be eating corn flakes,

the modern freshwater landscape is forever changed never to go back, or who would want it back considering the recreation all of us enjoy? just the radical go native types,

truly big common carp are rare, and the mentality is changing, I would bet not many Bfers would suggest getting Muskie added to the shoot list as most consider a trophy muskie too valuable to use once, even though one rod and real caught is still dead,

its about mindset...we carpers see value in a large common carp....bfers don't...and we are constantly opposed to that
do I see a middle ground, yes I do

but as long as bfers see limits to the numbers of the biggest common carp is as an affront to their rights,

is no different than the guy who eats lots of trout being opposed to tighter limits on the bigger trout, to call us peta in an effort to gain support from other sportsmans groups is misguided.

I like many other carpers do not have issues with bfing, shoot all those bighead and silvers you can, they will never be a realistic angling quarry because of they way they feed precludes them from being caught on hook and line,

but to complain to not be able to shoot as many over 33 inches as you want in lbj lake is like the guy complaining why in Missouri he can't keep 50 crappie a day any size when the new regs say 15 and they must be 10 inches, you get looked at the same way by those who set the regs

you can still shoot any number of fish smaller in lbj, yet we get blaimed "we are taking away your rights", the problem is about moderation, too many carpers have had ther fav spots shot down avg catch weights cut in half its no wonder we have sought protection in those truly special trophy waters

I could go on and on but I with leave it at that

lol.. We're not worried you guys are going to hurt the Carp population (as there are so many small fish), that's not even the issue, it's hurting the "tiny" BIG FISH population that worries us to no end.. and that's where we'll never agree, as you guys want to kill the biggest fish possible (at least it seems that way). As Mo put it, imagine how the C&R Bass guys would feel if bowhunters target their fish and would shoot 10-15 lb Bass and have them all lined up on the ground with grins ear to ear and your bows at hand... I wouldn't think they would be very pleased, especially if they're not even used for FOOD... they have a passion for their fish just as we do ours, just ours don't get any respect. The Cat guys sure didn't like their fish being shot either.

I like to think you guys understand where we're coming from... with our way, everybody wins (Big Fish swim another day for the next C&R angler to enjoy), with your way, we're left out in the cold with even less Big Fish! We could get along (for the most part) if you would only harvest the small fish, but I don't think you guys have enough compassion to ever do that. I'm not talking just Carp here either, can't forget Buffalo, Gar, etc.. you know, NATIVE FISH. The bottom line is, we hate seeing BIG FISH disrespected... but you guys already know that.

I'm considering writing an article for a local publication on carp fishing with a fly rod. We use to be the dirty little secret of the fly fishing community and there are still those who think of all carp anglers with the same mentality as people who have a fetish of some type (you're strange and twisted indeed if you fish for carp when there are perfectly good bass or trout available). Rio fly fishing line has just introduced a new fly line specifically for carp. Companies like Orvis are now offering Carp specific patterns. There will be more pressure on our sport as more people realize that the resource is there and it is a grand time.

I like encouraging others to fish for carp and am very open to telling people where to go and what specific equipment and techniques to use. I don't post these things on an internet forum though and prefer private emails and talking to friends face to face. Yes, I will tell you many good places to go, but I don't tell everyone everything. I just don't think that is in my best interests.

Promote the hobby and get a kid involved. If people didn't know where to go their interest would soon wain if they didn't have any success, you just don't have to tell everyone your very best spot.

MoCarp and Big Buffalo I really appreciate your views and I do agree with what you have said to a point. I can truly understand where you are coming from when you worry about the big fish populations. I might be a bowfisherman, but at the same time I am a sportsman first and foremost. I can't sit here and tell you I agree with everything that the carp anglers do as well as I can't sit here and agree with all that the bowfishermen do. I will say that at first when I got into bowfishing I fell into the whole carpers are the enemy and so on and so forth but now I have differant views. I see that ya'll are just triing to do for your group of anglers what we are triing to do for ours and I can't see any problem with that. Sure I enjoy bowfishing, I enjoy the adrenaline rush of finally connecting after so many missed shots ( believe me, with me it's a bunch)but at the same time I enjoy goin out with my R&R and sittin in the boat with my friends, my father, my kids or whomever and just enjoying the battle on the other end of my line. I can see the value of restraint. Of course I can see the value the bowfisherman has to waterbodies too. I remember lakes like Mead that used to be so full of carp that people would feed em at the docks and you could walk across the top of them they were so thick, and the water goin from being so clear you could see the bottom in 20 foot of water to being an awful green color. The fish and game eventually took back that water with controlled measures and that water is back to being fairly clear again. So yes I do see the bowfisherman as a form of population control. At the same time I do see the overkill to be excessive in those means. Do I think that the bowfisherman would benefit from more self restraint, yes. Do I feel that our sport has a few bad apples, most definately. Yet at the same time we have those lookin to find ways to help the sport with the basis of restraint. Will all agree to it, of course not. Yet it is a step in the right direction. Now I didn't come here to feed ya'll a bunch of BS which I am sure more than one or two is thinking I am just giving MY views and what I have noticed others triing to accomplish to better the sport as a whole.
What is my ultimate goal in all of this one might ask. That is the simplest of answers but the hardest of achievements ( if it ever can be achieved) and that is for both groups to find a common foothole and to eventually work together when it comes times to fight the true enemy of sportsmen, that being anti groups, and uncalled for regulations. It seems like such a simple thing to do yet at the same time it seems to be an impossible feat. Maybe one day (hopefully soon) members of both groups will begin to move to the middle and form a new group that all will follow.

Right on RNW. Just like you fell into the 'carpers are the enemy' club when you started bowfishing, I fell into the 'bowfishers are the enemy' when I started carping. I have come to realize there are bad apples on both ends and sometimes it's hard to look past that but I've realized that almost all bowfishermen hate to see fish dumped, which was one of my issues. For the most part, bowfishermen are very responsible. Bowfishing is a hobby just like carp fishing and as long as you guys save me some bigguns, I got no problem with it.

good post.

i agree with disagreeing and disagree with agreeing and can and can't see both sides without knowing with knowledgeable knowingness of knowledgology and agreeism disagreeables

best post of the year.....though its earlyin 2009...

So let me get this straight, we can shoot all the small ones we want to and leave ya'll the big ones. LMFAO

nope in lbj just one "big one" each day, thats common carp that is

Isn't that limit on LBL - Lady Bird Lake? LBJ is up the road a ways.

woops sorry, I am a recent Texas transplant..to me its still towne

Actually, TownE is a small lake/pond in the Metroplex. Town, on the other hand....