When can you fish with a bow? BOWFISHING in Russia. Bowfishing Kits

Modern society is developing at a rapid pace, innovations are appearing everywhere in various spheres of human life. Sometimes existing, classical activities and hobbies cannot satisfy the needs of a person who, obeying a natural impulse, strives to find something new, exciting and extraordinary.

A similar tendency is observed in various spheres of human life - to come up with something new, extraordinary, to combine several different activities into one whole. Just recently a new trend in fishing has emerged. The question may arise, what new things need to be invented to make such a measured activity as fishing more extreme? The decision was quite extraordinary; a group of activists made an attempt to combine fishing and hunting. The resulting hybrid quickly began to gain popularity among outdoor enthusiasts. This hobby is called bowfishing.

Bowfishing

What is bowfishing?

The word “bowfishing” consists of two parts: bow – bow and fishing – fishing. The literal translation of this word can be as follows: fishing with a bow or shooting at fish. The self-name of the increasingly popular hobby implies the combination of two activities - hunting and fishing. A fisherman or hunter must pick up a bow or crossbow and hit a fish in the water with a well-aimed shot. The question arises - why is this necessary? The beauty is in the emotions that a person receives while waiting for an opportunity to make a successful shot.

Legality of bowfishing

Bowfishing Can only on special reservoirs. Each individual fishery has the right to independently make decisions regarding permission to use one or another method of fishing in a reservoir.

In many countries around the world, this type of fishing is permitted and is not punishable by fines or criminal prosecution. Currently, bowfishing is gaining popularity in our country, thereby creating a legal precedent that will be resolved at the legislative level. At this time, it is necessary to be guided by existing laws.

The legislation provides for restrictions on certain types of special equipment that can be used during fishing. Clause 16 of the Law “On Fisheries” says: “ Users of aquatic biological resources do not have the right to extract (catch) aquatic biological resources using piercing fishing gear, with the exception of amateur and sport fishing carried out using special pistols and shotguns (hereinafter referred to as underwater hunting).”

Of course, bowfishing with a bow is not mentioned in this law, but based on the internal meaning of the act, we can conclude that an arrow or crossbow bolt is a piercing weapon, which is classified as a prohibited means.

Consequently, there is a legal ban on the use of bows as a means of fishing. Therefore, at the moment, bowfishing is no different from poaching and is being pursued by law enforcement agencies.

Bowfishing equipment

A new type of fishing requires the use of special equipment:

• bow or crossbow– when hunting fish, the most convenient tool is used;
• bowfishing harpoon– has a special arrow shaft, its mass is increased to ensure faster penetration into the water, the length of the shaft is slightly longer than that of a regular arrow. The arrow fletching must have high ballistic properties, because you will have to shoot with the accuracy of a sniper at close range;
• tips harpoon type;
• – the harpoon is equipped with a line, which prevents the arrow from getting lost if it misses and helps to retrieve the shot fish from the bottom of the pond. A reel typically holds about 100 feet of line that can withstand 80 to 450 pounds of tension.

Bowfishing arrows

There is a gradation of the difficulty of hunting fish according to the tools used according to the hierarchy of complexity and the effort that must be made:

• bowfishing with a crossbow;
• fishing with a bow equipped with a block system;
• regular (traditional) bow.

The difficulty lies in the correct assessment of the hunting object through the refracted light, the effort applied to tension the bowstring, stabilizing the hands and weapon at the moment of the shot.

Basic principles

A beginner in bowfishing immediately faces various organizational and technical issues. Let's look at the most frequently asked questions.

Who to hunt?

You can hunt any fish that is found in fresh water bodies. The easiest targets are medium-sized fish that swim in shallow water or rise close to the surface of the water.

Where can you hunt?

Fish hunting is carried out in ponds or quarries filled with water, which are privately or municipally owned. The Law “On Fisheries” clearly regulates the places where this type of fishing can be carried out

Shooting technique

Proper shooting technique ensures a 100% hit rate, but honing your bow skills can take years. It is advisable for a novice hunter to use a crossbow.

Archery in bowfishing is no different from regular shooting at clay targets. A beginner must be patient because it is necessary to acquire certain skills for accurate shooting. Having the right tools and equipment will help simplify this task. Today, there are a huge number of different equipment options, but an inexperienced angler should avoid buying retail equipment; it is better to buy a ready-made bowfishing kit. Depending on the tension of the bow or crossbow, the penetrating ability of the arrow and further destruction of the target are determined. It is important to remember that bowfishing arrows are slightly larger than regular arrows.

The accuracy of the shot is determined by the correct placement of the fingers when the bowstring and arrow come into contact. It is necessary to fix the tip of the arrow on the bowstring, and then hold it between the index and middle fingers; the bowstring is pulled back with three fingers; the little finger and thumb are not involved in this process.

Refraction of light due to water is the main enemy of an accurate shot. If the fish has risen close enough to the surface of the water, then it is quite easy to hit, but in clear water the fish can be seen even at a considerable depth. In this case, you need to remember that the object underwater is further away than it may seem. The fish will be slightly shifted towards the direction of the sun's rays. Factors must be taken into account for an accurate shot.

05/22/2013 | BOWFISHING in Russia: What you need for bowfishing or bowfishing

Andrey Shalygin: However, today bowfishing, or, in other words, “bow hunting for fish,” is an activity that is mostly unknown to Russian fishermen and hunters. although we are already writing about it (yes, and not only us), - not for the first year. And if anyone remembers his childhood films about Indians with Gojko Mitic, he will probably remember what it looks like. However, a lot has changed since then (watch the video).

Although, in many countries of the world, including America, this activity has become very, very popular recently. Well, firstly, archery-fishing for America was initially quite a traditional activity, and even women have enjoyed it at all times. We no longer remember anything from the times of our Slavic ancestors; the Soviet Union has vigorously erased this memory from us. But the Americans remember the Indians very well, because not even 200 years have passed. Accordingly, Native Americans still engage in this activity as usual, but among whites it has become very popular just now.

And so much so that it has long become a very profitable independent form of pastime and outfit. However, in America this became possible primarily due to the fact that the introduced species, namely the “jumping carp,” multiplied beyond measure in the river delta of the southeastern United States. The peculiarity of the behavior of the jumping carp, for which it is called jumping, played into the hands of the country, where almost every adult hunter has owned a bow since childhood, turning it into a very fashionable entertainment.

The carp, hearing the noise of the engine, disturbed by fast-passing boats, jumps up behind the transom, where archers fly in and hit it. At night, with glowing lights, the whole action takes on a special charm. Thanks to its simplicity, “archery fishing” has long become a fashionable entertainment , in which girls in bikinis play an important role .

Of course, bowfishing happens not only on jumping carp, but even on a crocodile, although formally this is already hunting (but if we abstract from the legislation, then where is the border between hunting and phishing, you won’t be able to tell right away until the head of that same crocodile gets into the sight instead of the back of a carp or pike).

However, bowfishing is such a universal activity that with bowfishing devices you can very successfully and productively hunt beaver, nutria, muskrat, and even waterfowl in general. The consumption of arrows is minimal, and the process of getting the prey is very simple even without a dog. Therefore, there is no need to limit boyfishing only to bow hunting for fish.

In Russia, bowfishing quite often becomes a poaching method of catching fish, since many people prefer to engage in it precisely when, for example, pike or carp climb into the shallows during the spawning period (so you yourself understand the seasonality of such “bowfishing” is often also peculiar). However, bowfishing during spawning is a relatively harmless activity compared to catching carp in Erikas with tractors, which is widely practiced by the local population of the Astrakhan region.

However, in the Volga Delta such entertainment is very justified, since you can do it there throughout the summer-autumn period. The water is clear, the size of the trophy is large, and the depths are shallow. The same can be said about shooting pike in the reeds, about hunting for catfish at night and in the shallows. Similarly, all this applies to small rivers and streams. The pleasure differs from spearfishing only in the specifics of the hobby.

The evening feeding of fish is also a very effective time in the summer, so at sunset, a bow and arrow with luminous tips can become a very spectacular setting for an exclusive holiday in the company of spectacular archers. Almost a Hollywood plot. That's why it's popular.

In order to turn an ordinary bow into a bowfishing weapon, you need to either purchase all the necessary parts separately, or immediately buy a complete “kit”, that is, a set of equipment. Accordingly, from the general distributor of equipment in Russia - INTERLOPER - you can buy either a kit or harpoons, reels, cable, accessories and other components at retail.

Bowfishing harpoon resembles a mixture of a speargun harpoon and a standard arrow. The tip is like a speargun, but much smaller, a carbon arrow and a clamp for fastening the line.

Bowfishing reel is a storage unit for tench, as well as a device for selecting harpooned fish, since in addition to the quick-unwinding system it is equipped with a standard winch reeling.

Bowfishing in Russia is officially prohibited by all Fishing Rules, including federal ones. However, if the reservoir is artificial (that is, the coastline does not fall under the law on free access of citizens to natural resources), and the fish in it are bred by service providers (fish breeding complex, stocking with fish, etc.), then the owner of the facility has the right to provide paid services for harvesting of fish resources belonging to him by right of ownership - at his own discretion, including with bows of fishing permitted in Russia.

Bow fishing in Russia has become increasingly popular lately. At its core, bowfishing is more like hunting for river fish, because the point of bowfishing is to find fish in a body of water and hit it with a bow shot. Hunting for fish with a bow is similar to real hunting and explains the fact that there are a lot of hunters among bowfishing enthusiasts.

Bow fishing

Bow fishing will require some physical preparation and effort from you. Are you ready to be in one position, holding the bowstring taut for a long time, tracking down a suitable trophy fish? In terms of complexity and excitement of the process, bow fishing is not inferior to either rifle hunting or bow hunting, and, in some cases, even surpasses them. Even after tracking a fish in the water, you still need to try to accurately aim at the fast-swimming prey and hit it. Another difficulty in hunting fish with a bow is the special targeting conditions, because the aquatic environment refracts light rays. Keep this in mind before archery. To shoot, it is necessary to take into account the law of light refraction at the interface between media with different refractive indices. When a hunter sees a target in the water, it is not there, but below. Accordingly, you need to shoot at the fish. Moreover, the sharper the angle at which the hunter looks at the fish, the deeper it is relative to its visual projection. A very good training tool is plastic bottles sunk at some depth. The bottle is tied with a rope to a stone and thrown to the bottom. If you have waited for your trophy, know that it is recommended to shoot the fish in the near-head part of the body with a bow. If you shoot in the stomach, the fish may break loose, and if you shoot in the tail, it can damage the gallbladder.

What do you need for bow fishing?

In bow fishing, the balance of several main components is important, the constants of which are the availability of bowfishing equipment and a suitable reservoir with fish:

1. Reservoir for bowfishing

The main condition for fishing with a bow is the transparency of the water in a river, lake or some other body of water, since searching for fish in reservoirs with dirty or turbid water is not possible. Mountain or northern clear rivers are ideal for bowfishing; in central Russia, a clear lake with large carp is also suitable for bow fishing. Another interrelated factor for successful bow fishing is the presence of large-sized fish in the reservoir. An experienced archer will have no problem hitting small fish, but why hit small fish? For those who still want to try shooting small fish with a bow, let us immediately inform you that a harpoon-type tip will simply tear a small fish into pieces. And there is no benefit to you and the fish will die just like that.

2. Bowfishing equipment

Bowfishing involves the use of special equipment for bowfishing:

• bow for fishing, compound bow for fishing - for fishing with a bow you can use almost any throwing weapon, including a crossbow;
• special arrows for fishing, characterized by increased mass; in addition, they are devoid of feathers and are equipped with a harpoon-type tip, which prevents the fish from falling off; feathering on arrows is not used for fishing, since shooting is usually carried out at a short distance, and the splash from the feathering can scare off the fish, and besides, the feathering greatly changes the ballistic properties of the arrow under water;
• bowfishing reel - after shooting at a fish, the arrow flies, unwinding the reel; in order to pull out the caught fish (or just an arrow), the bowfisher winds the fishing line onto the reel manually; Also, a bowfishing reel contains a brightly colored line or strong fishing line that can withstand a tension force of 80 to 400 pounds (1 pound = 456 grams);

Buy a bow for fishing

If you are planning to get into bowfishing, you need to start by choosing a bow or crossbow for bowfishing. Buying a bow for fishing is quite simple, you just need to go to a special store. For fishing, you can use a classic bow or a hunting bow, or you can use a special bow for hunting fish. In principle, the best option for fishing would be a compound bow, which is much more convenient to hold in a tense state. So, if you already have a throwing weapon, don’t worry about where to buy a bow for fishing. In the store you will simply find a suitable bowfishing reel, harpoons and bowfishing tips. You can buy a ready-made set of equipment for bow fishing.

Bowfishing Kits

Bow fishing kits usually include all the necessary equipment. You just need to decide on the choice and price.

Exterme Duty Spincast Bowfishing Kit will cost you 11,500 rubles. The kit includes: Bowfishing reel, 30-meter cable with a tensile strength of up to 90 kg, arrow shelf, harpoon with Carp Point tip.

Retreiver Pro Bow Fishing Set costs about 10,000 rubles. Includes: Retreiver Pro mechanical bowfishing reel, 2 harpoons with tips and instructional DVD. Available with Piranha and Penetrator tips.

Don’t let the prices scare you, the sets include all the best, but there are also budget options, so bow fishing is accessible to everyone. For example, Bowfishing kit will cost only 800 rubles. The bowfishing kit includes: Fiberglass weighted arrow with harpoon tip; bowfishing reel; a thread; bolt for fastening a bowfishing reel.

Bowfishing reel

Reliable bowfishing reels are approximately in the same price category: 6000 - 7500 rubles. It is worth paying attention to the following equipment for Bowfishing:

Big Game Retreiver Pro reel - RUB 7,500.
Mechanical reel for bowfishing BigGame series. It features a reinforced cable that can withstand tension up to 270 kg. Also equipped with a harpoon shako. AMS baitfishing reels feature high build quality, a convenient cable container and a squeezing system that squeezes water out of the cable as it reels in. The mounting system allows you to attach a bowfishing reel to almost all models of bows and crossbows.

Retreiver Pro reel - 6500 rub.
Mechanical reel for bowfishing. The maximum tensile strength of the cable is 90 kg. Equipped with a shako for a harpoon. Manufacturer: AMS, which means this bowfishing reel is suitable for almost all models of bows and crossbows. The Pro prefix speaks for itself and allows you to determine the level.

Original Retreiver reel - 6000 rub.
A simpler and slightly cheaper version of a mechanical bowfishing reel from the same manufacturer. The maximum tensile strength of the cable is 90 kg.

Bowfishing harpoon

Choosing a harpoon for bow fishing will not be easy due to the variety of offers. The cheapest harpoon will cost 800 rubles. It's carbon bowfishing harpoon Long Barb Piranha Point with Tip. A Shure Shot Penetrator Carp fiberglass bowfishing harpoon with a tip also costs 800 rubles. The most expensive was a carbon harpoon for the Gator Getter Point crossbow with a tip for 2,600 rubles. There is a wide range of harpoons in the price range from 1000 to 1400 rubles from the manufacturer AMS. Harpoons for bowfishing under the Muzzy brand are produced, as a rule, without tips and cost: carbon for a crossbow - 1800 rubles, aluminum - 1500 rubles. Harpoon tips from Muzzy will cost from 650 to 750 rubles.

Additionally

Among the additional equipment, bow fishing may require the purchase of a bowfishing cable for 140 rubles, a roller shelf for bowfishing for 200 rubles. Those who plan to fish with a crossbow may find it useful to use a bracket for installing a fightfishing reel on a Sleek-X crossbow from the AMS brand at a price of 3,000 rubles. A bracket for installing a bowfishing reel on a Bracket crossbow from Muzzy costs RUB 1,500. It is very important to get special glasses that protect your eyes from the glare that appears on the surface of the water in sunny weather.

If we classify the level of difficulty of fishing with a bow from various throwing weapons, then the hierarchy of difficulty according to the level of effort and result is as follows.

• Fishing Bowfishing with a crossbow
• FishingBowfishingwith compound bow
• FishingBowfishingwith traditional bow

Fishing Bowfishing with bow in Russia

Bowfishing in Russia can hardly be called fishing in the literal sense of the word, because the bow is not one of the permitted fishing gear, so where to go bowfishing is a big question. Let’s say right away that bow fishing is definitely not worth it in public reservoirs. But you can try to come to an agreement with hunting and fishing farms, where they can conduct experimental hunting for fish with a bow. Or we will advise you to contact private organizers of bow fishing on your own reservoirs. For example, the family farm “Crystal Lake” provides bowfishing services. Rental of equipment for bowfishing (fish hunting with a compound bow) - 1000 rubles. at one o'clock. (including accompanying instructor and caught fish, rent of a gazebo and barbecue with firewood for preparing a trophy).

Alexey Chernikin, photo Emil Minlibaev

Some previous articles on the topic of hunting with a bow and crossbow:

01/12/2010 | Fishing with a bow

Bow fishing" is a bit of a misnomer. “Fish hunting” is much better suited, which reflects the essence of what is happening: tracking down prey and defeating it with a well-aimed shot. Actually, that’s why most bow anglers came to this activity from hunting.

Since such hunting is carried out “sightedly”, an indispensable condition is the transparency of the water of the reservoir. The second condition is the presence of fairly large fish; you can only get into small ones by accident. Therefore, ideal fishing grounds are crystal clear mountain streams with trout, as well as our northern rivers. However, in the absence of these, lakes near Moscow with large carp are also suitable. That's where we went.

A lot of spears, if not arrows, have been broken around bowhunting in Russia. Theoretically, it is prohibited in our country. But this does not mean that any archery hunting automatically falls into the category of poaching. Many hunting grounds organize so-called experimental hunts, the purpose of which is precisely to study the experience of using a bow in hunting. It is in such farms that specialized companies, in particular Ecosafari, organize hunting.

Equipment

Theoretically, you can shoot fish from any bow with any arrows. Just like you can catch fish simply with a coil of fishing line and a fishing hook. But since this is not a trade, but a hobby, it is best to use specialized equipment, especially since it can already be bought from us.

The fewest requirements for the bow itself - any hunting model will do. Nevertheless, a compound bow is more convenient for aiming, as it weakens the tension of the string at the extreme points and allows you to keep the bow taut longer. But you won't be able to use regular arrows.

Fishing arrows are made of durable aluminum or carbon fiber that can withstand the jerks of large fish. Since the firing range is not important here, such arrows are usually heavier than regular ones. Fishing arrows do not have feathers either, since they spend fractions of a second in the air, and in water the feathers only get in the way. The next difference is a special harpoon tip that prevents the fish from falling off. By the way, it resembles harpoon tips for spearguns. The simplest arrows have a hole in the tip for attaching a line. But most are equipped with a special slider for this purpose, which during production is located at the tip and does not interfere with the descent of the arrow, and then moves to the tail.

The next device is a reel, or a container for tench, which can be either a strong fishing line designed for large fish, or, more often, a strong 15-30-meter nylon cord of bright coloring. You can also use regular spinning fishing reels as reels. But most hunter-anglers use simple plastic containers that resemble yogurt bottles, with a fairly simple but effective line winding system. Personally, we used just such a system, released by Muzzy. It is attached to standard places for a sight, but the sight itself can be mounted on the reel itself. However, most fish hunters shoot without scopes - for short distances they are unnecessary.

And the last thing you need to get is yellow contrast glasses with polarized lenses that remove glare on the water, which you will have to look at for hours. Well, everything is ready, let's go!

Experimental hunting

They say that if you try bow fishing at least once, you are doomed - there is little that can compare with it in terms of excitement and accessibility. In the Moscow region it is quite easy to negotiate such a hunt - it is best with private fisheries that specialize in fishing

Moscow - Petushki

Our guide on our adventure was Sergei Beshentsev, head of the Ecosafari company, which specializes in organizing bow hunts. An hour's journey along the Gorky Highway, and we are in the legendary Petushki, where we transfer from our minibus to a huge Nissan Navara pickup truck and move towards the treasured lake. For a long time, many forests around Petushki were forbidden zones in which Moscow’s missile defense launchers, that same legendary missile defense system, were hidden. Our pickup truck makes its way with difficulty along a clearing that we can’t even name, and on the sides from time to time we come across sites of former launching positions. However, as the old-timers say, the positions are not real, but false. For almost a couple of decades, army trucks regularly carried tin mock-ups of anti-missile missiles between them (sorry for the tautology).

And here it is, our lake. We slowly unload the equipment, take aim and move towards the walkway. Traditional fishermen readily give way to us - it’s a very exotic sight. A hunting archer resembles a heron: it moves slowly along the shore or stands on a boat, intensely peering into the depths.

Despite the short distance - two meters in the air and the same amount under water - shooting at fish is not inferior to classic archery hunting in either the excitement or complexity. Shooting is complicated by both the small size of the target and the refraction of light rays at the boundary of water and air. Therefore, without training - nowhere. You can use special underwater synthetic target fish, but it is much easier to use the proven American experience - half-empty plastic bottles tied to a heavy object (stone or piece of iron), sunk at the required depth. After half an hour of shooting, you begin to put arrows into the bottle quite closely. Now you can go real fishing.

But the best fishing safari, of course, is in our North, with its crystal clear rivers and lakes with huge fish. By the way, it is believed that bow hunting causes less harm to the fish population, since archers only kill old and large specimens without touching the young ones. In addition, their productivity is lower than that of fishermen

Fish day

Fish does not smell, so which direction the wind blows during the hunt is not important. That's a plus. The downside is that she perfectly sees movement above the water. And standing with a bow in a frozen position, oh, how difficult it turns out. But then the first potential prey appears under the bridge - alas, too small. There is no point in shooting at such things - the arrow will simply tear the fish apart. Moreover, you need to try to hit even a large trophy closer to the head, which makes the task even more difficult. Getting into the tail area threatens to rupture the gallbladder. When wounded in the stomach, the fish can simply tear it apart and swim away. So we stand and wait. And finally, a carp of the right size! The first arrow misses! But how impressive! The fluorescent yellow cord behind the arrow resembles a laser flash, straight out of some kind of Star Wars. We press the stopper that resembles a trigger, wind the line back into the plastic bottle and freeze again. Another ten minutes, another shot, and here is our first catch! We provided ourselves with fish soup. The carp is pierced through with an arrow, and the likelihood that it will jump off a hook is zero. To the joyful cries of the spectators, we take the first trophy out of the water.

Most of our compatriots learned about bow fishing from the latest Rambo film. In the film, Sylvester Stallone used a classic bow with a spinning reel and a line tied to the tip

Fishing arrowheads are a bizarre hybrid of classic hunting arrowheads and spearfishing harpoons. Regardless of the design, they all hold the fish quite reliably

Not a fishery

We realized that bow hunting is not a trade, but a sport, after two hours of hunting fish: our hands can no longer pull the bowstring, and the trophies are... let’s say, not many. It’s good that we were insured by traditional fishermen with fishing rods, so the fish soup turned out great. But we had more adrenaline. In addition, we became one of the very first bow hunters in Russia. At least sellers of specialized fish hunting equipment claim that we are in the top ten.

Alexander the Greek