Bowfishing the flood waters

[BMN]

Took a trip on Saturday to check out one of my Missouri bowfishing spots that was hit hard by last weeks heavy rains and flooding. Even after a week of drying out the area is still in pretty bad shape. I used this gravel road to launch the boat.
 
This is my layout/marsh boat I use for waterfowl hunting. The boat fits in the bed of the pickup and is easily handled by one person. It's also very stable for its size. Works great for shallow water areas.
 
I didn't find many carp but the area had good numbers of small gar most between 12-24 inches long. They make for small targets but I was able to connect enough to keep me happy for a few hours.
 

Bowfishing is definitely my favorite archery summer time activity. I can spend all day in 100 degree heat shooting fish but would only last 20 minutes on the target range. It's just fun!

Bill

[hormoan]

Looks like a good time!    And a super boat, just kind of hard to take a buddy. BUDDY  :D  

                           Brent

[Deadsmple]

Nice set up! When you say stable do you mean you can stand in that thing? I'm really trying to find a set up that can easily be handled by one person and I can stand in. Currently I don't have a trailer for a jon boat or anything but that thing looks like I can easily throw it on top of my jeep.

[OzarkRamblr]

Looks like a great day Bill.

I'm as curious about that boat as Deadsmple, I'd like to have something like that to throw on top of my Cherokee as well. Where could we pick one of those up?

[JEFF B]

wow!! that looks like a load of fun right there i hope i get to try some of that when i come over.    wolfman jeff

[BMN]

Deadsmple/OzarkRablr,

These boats are very stable and yes I stand up to shoot out of it. It's hard to see from the picture but the boat is almost 4 feet wide and 12 feet long. When I first got the boat I checked the stability by standing on the side of the boat outside the cockpit and could not flip it over. They are made for waterfowl hunting in very shallow marshes. I've had it loaded down pretty good in waterfowl season and could still float it in about 4 inches of water. I would NOT feel comfortable in the boat on a large deep body of water. Waves or any kind of chop on the water can swamp it easily. I only use it in shallow water. Putting the boat on top of a vehicle would be a chore for one person in my opinion. It's not very heavy but alot more cumbersome to lift than say a canoe. If you do a web search for marsh boats or layout boats you can find several different manufacturers of this type of boat. My boat is a MoMarsh Fat Boy. Another good choice is the Four Rivers Layout boat. Both of these boats were designed and built by Missouri waterfowl hunters. Here is a link to their sites.

 http://www.momarsh.com/fatboy.html

 http://www.fourriverslayoutboats.com/

There is a lot of good information on the sites with different models to choose from. If you have any questions just let me know.

Bill