Excellent bowfishing can be found after the spawn, by searching along the edge of the shore and gaps in weed beds. Carp will gather at the backs of coves, around fallen trees, graveled shallows between weed beds and the shore, and shallow peninsulas and points. You may not see the volume of fish you do in the late spring, but it is just as rewarding to sneak up on these wary late-season fish.
When daytime bowfishing, the mid-day hours when the sun is high in the sky and the glare is at a minimum are best. Carp have excellent eyesight and hearing and must be carefully stalked during the day.
In my experience, nighttime seems to quadruple the number of fish that you see, and the carp are more approachable than they would be during the day. However, you do not get to enjoy the sun’s rays and the bugs can be pretty brutal on a New York summer night.
Understanding Refraction and Aiming for Bowfishing
One of the most challenging aspects of bowfishing is accurately hitting a fish submerged beneath the water’s surface. Since most shots are taken quickly and without sights, being able to judge and adjust your aim without hesitation is essential. Fish often appear for brief moments, requiring you to react swiftly and make a shot without perfect alignment.
Refraction, or the bending of light as it passes through water, plays a significant role in how fish appear and complicates aiming. The distortion caused by refraction makes fish appear at different locations than where they actually are, depending on their depth. This phenomenon is crucial to understand for effective aim.
The deeper a fish lies, the more you’ll need to adjust your aim to account for this distortion. Because light bends as it passes from air to water, fish at greater depths will appear higher in the water column than they truly are. To correct for this, aim lower than the apparent position of the fish.
Aiming strategies vary among bowfishers, but general guidelines can improve your accuracy. Some suggest aiming at the fish’s belly, a technique that works well for certain depths but might not be reliable at all times due to the distortion caused by refraction. Others recommend aiming lower for deeper fish, as the refraction will make them appear higher than they are. This approach can help compensate for the visual shift caused by the water’s surface.
The “eye-level” approach—aiming directly at a fish’s eyes—only proves effective when the fish is directly below you. In this scenario, the light’s refraction is minimal, and the fish’s appearance aligns closely with its actual position, making it easier to target.
Ultimately, the only time you can aim directly at a fish is when it is directly beneath your position in the water. This alignment eliminates the need for refraction compensation, making the shot more accurate and allowing for a higher chance of success.
Techniques for Success
When it comes to bowfishing, success isn’t just about having the right gear; it’s about understanding how to read the water, judge fish behavior, and adapt on the fly. Over the years, you learn that every shot is a lesson, and every outing, no matter how successful or not, teaches you something new.
One of the first things you realize is the importance of leading your target. When fish are moving, especially fast-swimming species like carp or gar, it’s critical to aim ahead of their path. The key here is to anticipate where the fish is going and shoot just ahead of it, factoring in both its speed and the time it takes for your arrow to reach the target. This is something you learn through experience—waiting for the perfect shot often leads to missed opportunities, so shooting a little ahead becomes second nature.
Another technique that comes in handy is increasing the boat’s speed to move over the fish. It’s an effective way to get directly above your target quickly, but it’s not just about speed—it’s about control. If you can move smoothly over a fish and be in position for a quick shot, you’ll increase your chances of a successful strike. But you have to be able to react fast, because fish don’t hang around long, especially when they feel the boat’s presence.
And let’s not forget about practice. You learn more from a day spent on the water than from any book or article. The more you bowfish, the more you get to know the nuances of water clarity, fish behavior, and how to adapt your approach. Every time you head out, you get a little better at reading the water and anticipating where the fish will be.
When you’re bowfishing at night, things shift again. Fish tend to behave differently in low light, often becoming more active or moving in unpredictable ways. This makes having a good spotlight critical, as it helps you spot your target in the dark. But it also means you need to be quicker in your reactions and more adaptable, because you don’t have the same visual cues as you would during the day.
Original Article By Captain Bryant Abbuhl
About the Author
Bryant – Used to work for Mike Wade and Ran the company.
This article has been revised by Daniel O’Neill, an experienced angler and writer, to ensure its continued relevance and accuracy. As a result, it may no longer reflect the original author’s views or intentions.
This article has been revised by Daniel O’Neill, an experienced angler and writer, to ensure its continued relevance and accuracy. As a result, it may no longer reflect the original author’s views or intentions.
