The Hunt for Big Fish.......7/13/08 update!

[Guru]

It is a blast guys!  

This summer bowfishing with Timmy and Gary K. has really bridged the gap for my bowhunting passion between turkey season and the fall seasons. I look forward to it all week. I hope to do it again real soon.

I don't know of any Lampreys in this river, but Gary would know. He's fished/bowfished his whole life there. The thing is,it had the same thing but smaller on the other side. It also had(as seen in the pix)that green substance in it. It almost looked like an imbedded leaf,but it wasn't.

[Swamp Pygmy]

Thanks for the tip. That sounds really fun.

[Bowferd]

I haven't bowfished for probably 38 years and don't even own a rig for it, but you guys are having way too much fun and guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet and spend some money on new equipment.

[KentuckyTJ]

Nice going Guru, love that tailgate head on (or mouth on) shot.

[IndianaBowman]

Congrats Guru! Great fish. The invitation is still open for any night bowfishing from a boat. It is addicting. There are tons of eels in the river.

[Guru]

Terry, If I ever get two days in a row off,I'm up for it bud!

[Stone Knife]

Kurt not only do they sense vibration but they can see you moving, when Joe and I first started this year when we saw fish we would try to get on them quick. After awhile we noticed that they would dart off at any sudden movement, so we began to raise and draw our bows slowly and had much greater success.

[Guru]

Well yeah Jim, ya can't just rip your bow up and shoot.  Fish see very well,especially in smooth water. I'm convinced they'll feel ya way before they see ya though if you're stalking in the water.

  A fish that's distracted feeding, or in choppy water is way easier to sneak up on than a resting fish in slow water.

I wish Gary or Tim would get on this thread.        

[Tim Kosteczko]

hey curt just got my first chance to check this out, stayed down there fishin till almost ten at night sunday! talk about a long day of runnin whild in that river... lets get somethin clear... any time i am not around and there is a fish that is going to be the biggest of the day (and beat mine) i expect to see the entire fish hanging FREELY from that scale, how do i know you arent tuggin on that things tail huh? it looked like a 12.9 fish to me. jk lol        
so we had another one but my clumsyness took it away. and even after all that i pulled another one out of that same spot only a minute or two later.

[Guru]

Naa, we went back to the spot your dad said that we could have the rest of the river,if he could have just that spot. It's a great spot!!

 Talked to Shawn today....if you're good for Sunday, I think he is too....


 That was funny when you shot that first fish off the tree and you were having a heck of time trying to land it and you said....."I don't think I thought this one all the way through"    

But you got it done!

[KyleAllen]

looks like fun was had.

yall boys wouldn't know what to do with yourselves bowfishing down here in texas.

[Guru]

Kyle, We'd luv it!!  

[Charlie Lamb]

Curt... certainly sounds like you all are having a blast. Nuthin better than buds and bows.

Mostly I go at it alone these days. Not by choice, just the way it is.

Had a good day yesterday. Shot 5 gar, 1 carp, and a bullfrog.

Here's a little story... went down to my spot early only to find a guy already there, so I turned around and went scouting for another place.

Came back a half hour later and he was gone. So I started shooting fish.
Turns out he'd lost the only fish arrow he had and had gone home for another.
So he shows back up and takes up a position on the bridge with me. Nice enough guy and we were having a nice conversation.

His very first shot he hit a gar and it yanked his spinning reel off his bow... KERSPLOOOSH!!

Tried to drag it up for him with my arrow, but no luck.
He hung around and watched for about an hour. Imagine I'll see him down there again as long as it lasts.

[KyleAllen]

we sold our big bowfishing rig, so we are in the market for another at the moment. But last year we were boating about 50 fish a night between 2 of us....Did i mention they go up to 50 1bs? HEHE

[Guru]

That's too cool Charlie!!    

[larry]

Kyle, curious about your set up for fish that big. Do you have a reel attached to your bow? and do you reel them in, or do you pull them in hand over hand? I use a 30 year old bear disk (?)
you know, the kind you just wrap the line around by hand. And a 25-30 lbs fish has the potential to burn the snot out of your hands if you're not careful. I think I'd want leather gloves with a 50 lbs'er.

[joe skipp]

Nice Curt...cool thread. Brought back memories from 1984 when I was bowfishing the Trinity River in Texas with a fellow named Kenny Lumpkin.
We were after alligator gar and buffalo fish. I found this pic from that trip...notice there isn't any gray hair!!!

 

[Guru]

Sunday's update.....

 Sorry to say Tim didn't make this trip. It wasn't the same without ya bud     :(  

 But this was the first time all the stars aligned and Shawn could finally join us, so we went for it. So Gary, Shawn and I hit the river..... I have a great video of Shawn's first shot, but it's a tad too big to load in PB,so I can't get it on here.

But here's some pix.....

Shawn and I got separated from Gary for a while, but I told Shawn that "I guarantee Gary got one when we get back together"....

He didn't have one,he had THREE.....

 


Shawn and Gary....

 


Shawn and I had nothing but a few missed shots...we hit another spot.Gary off of Tim's perch...I got there just as Gary shot.....

 

 

 

 


Last week Tim had several shots off the tree,so after Gary landed his we figured what the heck,maybe one will come back......After one missed, quick exiting shot,I made good on the second one.......

 


Then we hit another spot and of course Gary showed us how to do it again with another big fish......

[Guru]

Gary weighing the big fish of the day.....

 

 


The day's "catch"....

 


 


Check out the "style"....

 

 
 So Gary's 14lb. 1oz. fish was the big fish of the day....

The quest for the 20#'r continues......

[Warden609]

I finally shot a paddlefish this year after a few attempts. I don't see many of these on the KY River so this was a real treat.