Bow fishing

[ChuckC]

Guys, I used to bow fish a LOT, when I was younger.  Been getting ready to get back into it for years now but one thing seems to hold me back.  What the heck do I do with all them carp and stuff ?   Now, I have eaten my fair share of carp fillets as a younger guy, but to my taste, there are probably 100 OTHER fish I would rather eat.    ANy ideas ?   Anyone know what happens to the fish caught in bowfishing tourneys ?
ChuckC

[recurver]

Find a trapper or bear hunter if it is aloud to bait in Wis. I have a trapper friend who will take all I can give him. He puts it in barrels and lets is get nasty over the summer, and uses it in the fall. Another Idea is find a Jewish family. When I was a kid we would spear fish for suckers in a small stream where i grew up. I had a Jewish science teacher who would pay me .5 cents a pound for everyone. He would kosher can it.

Bryan

[JStark]

Salt 'em, dry 'em, or smoke 'em.  Make sure they are in clean water and the fish will taste better.  They were imported to the US as a replacement for the decimated fisheries in the Great Lakes region, but the rivers they inhabited at the time were so horribly polluted (and these fish take on the conditions of the river in a big way!) that folks didn't want to eat them.

However, with some searching you can probably find a good, clear river with healthy carp.

Or, you can always use them as fertilizer, and grow some tasty veggies with them!

[wifishkiller]

I shot my share of tourney most wish go in a dumpster then they are taken to a farm for fertilizer.  Its about the only way to do it when guys bring in a few hundred fish a boat.

[TexMex]

Use 'em in the compose pile.

[TRB]

I was in a bowfishing tournament last spring.A guy that owned a turtle farm,took all of the fish. It was a nine hour tournament,some of the fish were smelling really bad at the end of the day.Didnt look to good either. Turtles will eat anything.

[dorris]

there are plenty to replace the ones we shoot and use  for fertilizer if all species of fish would reproduce as fast as carp  we would have a bountiful amout of them .

[Bpaul]

Roses especially love to have a carp buried underneath them, really love it.

[ChuckC]

One problem with burying them is when you have more than just a few.  My neighbors probably wouldn't like it much.  It is not legal in Wisconsin to use fish as bear bait.  It is also not allowed to just throw them up on the bank.  

Seems that the DNR wants them out of the lakes and rivers but doesn't give us a lot of options of what to do with then unless you own (or know someone who does) a chunk of property to bury them upon.

Might need to talk to some local land owner who makes large gardens.  Chopped carp might be a good thing for their garden.
ChuckC

[Bpaul]

Fur farms in your area?  I'm sure mink would eat em right up, or fox.

come to think of it, pig farms too maybe.

[John P]

It's like a catch 22 here in wisconsin the D.N.R has so many regulations on the books I dont think anyone know them all.Also it seem they have the power to loosely interpret them as they see fit.ex:you catch a fish here and keep it (live well,fish basket....)its yours and cant be let go at a later time however they allow fishing tournments.The whole thing makes me nervous to even try bowfishing in fear of loosing my hunting and fishing privileges to some over zealous warden on how he or she feels that day.Well sorry for preaching. John

[ChuckC]

Brandon...there was a very large fur industry here in days gone by...don't think so any more.  Not as much call for fur and trouble with anti's.
John...I hear ya buddy
ChuckC

[wifishkiller]

You cant shoot fish in WI and let them go but you can dump them