I was up at Big Bear Lake on a warm weekend mid April and saw lots of carp swimming along the shores spawning. I've seen people bowfishing before there and thought I'd like to give it a try.
I've only shot a bow and arrow on occasion in the past. I looked online and found a nice compound bow kit with all the bells and whistles. These new bows have sights and string releases with triggers so it takes away a lot of the finesse you needed to shoot an arrow. I took a few shots in my backyard to get it adjusted and sighted and took it up the following weekend.
Unfortunately it was 10 degrees cooler and the carp weren't as active but I did manage to find a few.
I got about 20 shots and got two. As expected, my side to side aim was right on but up and down was bad due to the refraction. The two I did get were 15 feet from shore and in about a foot of water. You have to shoot 4 inches lower for every 10 ft of distance and 3 inches for every foot depth. I shot 9 inches below and got them spot on.
I'm looking forward to trying again on a warmer weekend. In the meantime, I'll be practicing with pieces of submerged pool float noodles in my pool.
-Keith
