i fulfilled one of my long term goals on the weekend. i have always wanted to bowfish a big shark. i have put a few hours into getting my gear ready trying to foresee what will happen when you put an arrow in one. i have never wanted to just shoot one and run it onto a float....boring. so i knew i would need a system with a drag. i tried to make a handline with a drag system to use on the bow but i couldn't get it right so i thought, 'why don't i just run it onto a rod'? so that was my plan. i got myself a new rod and put a shimano TLD 15 reel on it and spooled it with 50# braid. i have made a custom bracket to hold a handline as the spool for the bow. i put 18m of 130# dacron trolling line on the bow to shoot with then the back end of this was tied to the rod. the plan was to shoot it let the fish take the line off the bow then give it some with the rod!
with my grand plans in place i set out on saturday to try and get a shark. i anchored up in a what i thought would be a good spot then over the side went my berley buckets. with the outgoing tide a nice berley trail was extending beyond the back of the boat. now the waiting game....
about 2 hours later i saw the 1st shark, quite small but it was a shark. then a bigger one came in. they wouldn't come close though, staying out of range. so i tied a big chunk of fish on to a length of rope and threw it out there. well come in spinner......i dragged it back and a big one followed it right to the boat. now i had to quickly get my gear ready to shoot. he was right on me when i was ready. i just drew..... then all i remember is the arrow hitting the water and him taking of with it!!
i stood there watching my plan unfold before me. the line was peeling of the bow and once i had him on the rod i reached over and pulled the slip knot i tied in the anchor rope and i was free to fight.
about 1/2 hour later i had a tiger shark beside the boat. i nocked him on the head and gaffed him in the tail so i could get a rope around his tail so i could tow him to a nearby island beach for a photo and dressing out.
a big goal behind me. what a day. it's great when a plan comes together. he turned out to be 8' long.
Topic: bowhunting + game fishing (Read 1810 times)
