Alabama Bowfishing Association Newsletter
Alabama Bowfishing Club Volume 2, Issue 2 2/19/2015
Alabama Bowfishing Association We would like to welcome everyone to the second year of the Alabama Bowfishing Association (Alabama Scale Blazers), official bowfishing club for the state of Alabama. Our goal is the promotion and protection for the sport of bowfishing in Alabama. In 2014, a group of dedicated bowfishermen in the state of Alabama decided to create a group to help support the sport in our state. We wanted to make this club free for everyone and provide some great benefits to members. We also wanted to have a collective voice for the sport. We believe a collective voice for the sport is crucial for its protection. We now have one of the largest bowfishing organizations in the United States. For 2015, we have changed the name to “Alabama Bowfishing Association (Alabama Scale Blazers)� for a more official
Inside this issue: Our website
2
Bowfishing Tournaments
2
Member Benefits
2
Bowfishing Records
3
News
4
Upcoming Events
5
New Products
6
title.
Coming soon! Alabama Bowfishing Association Apparel!
Threat to Bowfishing in Alabama Late in 2014, an issue came to the attention of the leadership of the Alabama Bowfishing Association. A group of homeowners at Guntersville Lake has taken issue to the noise and lights created by nighttime bowfishing. This group has tried unsuccessfully through different avenues to disrupt bowfishing on the lake. Although they have been unsuccessful so far, they are continuing to try to find a way to ban bowfishing. READ MORE INSIDE...
Alabama Bowfishing Association Newsletter
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Our Website - www.bowfishingalabama.org Have you checked out our our website! Website features:
Join the club
Read about the club’s mission and officers
Read the latest club news
Check out what species are legal for bowfishing in Alabama
View the latest bowfishing records
Submit bowfishing records
See our sanctioned tournament schedule Learn how our points system works for Alabama Bowfisherman of Year, Bowfisherwoman of the Year, and team of the year
Submit your entries for the trophy fish club
View your instagram pictures on our brag board #alscaleblazers
Visit our club sponsors
Read over our bowfishing ethics policy
Contact club officials
View our members photo gallery
Apparel coming soon!
Volume 2, Issue 2
Bowfishing Tournaments Here’s a list of our ABA sanctioned tournaments for 2015. Sanctioned tournaments allow you to accrue team and individual points towards Alabama Bowfishing Team of the Year, Bowfisherman of the Year, and Bowfisherwoman of the Year. Check out our website for more details. Backwater Outdoors All Out Carp Out Presented by Muzzy – Mar 20-22 (Guntersville AL) (Individual Points Only) www.backwateroutdoors.com Muzzy Classic – Apr 25 (Guntersville AL) www.muzzy.com Kowaliga Carpocalypse – May 2 (Lake Martin, AL) Aaron Schaffner 334.399.9921 Bloody Boat Adventures Eufaula Bowfishing Tournament – TBD (Lake Eufaula, AL) Andy, Bloody Boat Adventures on Facebook Copperhead/Backwater Outdoors Breast Cancer Charity Shoot – August 1 (Register at Copperhead’s Outdoors or Backwater Outdoors) www.copperheadsoutdoors.com Backwater Big Fish Challenge (ABA Championship) – Aug 16 (Register at Backwater Outdoors, trailer to any public water) www.backwateroutdoors.com Don’t forget the Backwater Outdoors and Copperheads Outdoors monthly tournament series as well. New for 2015 is the largest bowfishing event ever held in the south, the Backwater Outdoors All Out Carp Out! With over $50,000 guaranteed cash and prizes, participants from all over the U.S. and a unique format where everyone has a chance to win regardless of time, money and experience, this is an event you will want to make! More info at: Www.backwateroutdoors.com
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Alabama Bowfishing Association Newsletter
Member Benefits Join ABA today! Membership is open to all United States residents, officers and directors must be from the state of Alabama Members will receive the following: Membership to Alabama’s official bowfishing club and a voice in the promotion and protection for the sport of bowfishing in Alabama Participation in ABA points systems for ABA sanctioned tournaments and individual awards (through team points for ABA Team of the Year and individual points for ABA Bowfisherman of the Year) Participation in ABA’s Alabama Bowfishing Records for state bowfishing records keeping. This allows members to submit fish for state records. Participation in the ABA Big Fish Club for members to submit qualifying fish to receive a recognition certificate, individual points, and featured on the ABA website and Facebook page Semi-Annual Email Newsletter with everything going on in the world of bowfishing in Alabama More benefits will be added for the future as well
Send us your pictures and stories... We are always looking for interesting bowfishing pictures and stories from our state for our newsletter and website. If you have an interesting bowfishing adventure and would like to share it with us, email it to contact@bowfishingalabama.org You might see it featured here or on our website!
Volume 2, Issue 2
Threat to Bowfishing in Alabama Late in 2014, an issue came to the attention of the leadership of the Alabama Bowfishing Association. A group of homeowners at Guntersville Lake has taken issue to the noise and lights created by nighttime bowfishing. This group has tried unsuccessfully through different avenues to disrupt bowfishing on the lake. Although they have been unsuccessful so far, they are continuing to try to find a way to ban bowfishing. Threats like these are the very reason we need a bowfishing organization in the state of Alabama. Tournaments, records, points and other events are fun things for our members, but our main goal is the protection and promotion of the sport of bowfishing Alabama. As president, I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure our sport is here to stay in Alabama. For issues like this, we need strength in numbers, so I encourage you to get as many people to sign up as possible. With membership being free and only taking a a couple of minutes to join online, there’s no reason we shouldn’t have thousands of members. I’m very proud of the growth of the organization so far and I know we will continue to grow quickly. As Bowfishing Association of America representative for Alabama, I have been in close contact with the BAA officers about this current issue. We have their full support and they will continue to work with us as things progress. I also have close contact with the many of our state officials I’m working with as well. My initial feeling is that nothing will come of this threat to bowfishing, but we will be fully prepared if anything does. Our efforts to eliminate conflicts, work with local and state officials and show the positive effects of bowfishing on the environment and local economies, have definitely helped our cause. In conclusion, we need to continue to police ourselves and use common sense when on the water. Avoid populated areas and have respect for homeowners. If we do, we hope they will show the same respect back to the sport we love. As bowfishing continues to grow, this becomes even more important! Join us at our spring ABA meeting at 3 PM on Febuary 28th at Backwater Outdoors for more information.
-Bryan Hughes, ABA President
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Alabama Bowfishing Association Newsletter
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Alabama State Bowfishing Records The Alabama Bowfishing Association has begun an Alabama bowfishing records keeping system for the state of Alabama. All you need to do is email a clear picture of your fish and a clear picture of your fish on the scales with the weight visible, and the body of water it was taken on and complete the record application form and scan and email it in. The scales do not need to be certified. Fish must be taken in Alabama waters. Email your pic and form to records@bowfishingalabama.org for submission. You must be an Alabama Bowfishing Association member to submit for a record. You can join after submitting your entry.
How to submit a record
You must be a member of the Alabama Bowfishing Association Email a signed, scanned copy of the form to records@bowfishingalabama.org along with a good photo of you and your fish, and the fish on the scales with the weigh clearly shown. Or you can fill out the form and take a picture of it and email it, along with your fish photos. Or fill out, sign and mail the record form to the ABA at the address listed on the form. SAVE/SCAN A COPY OF THIS BEFORE MAILING. Record form available on our website. Once we receive and verify your submission, your record will be posted on the ABA website. Here are a few of our records (most current records on our website)
Longnose Gar – 23.8 lbs (59) Scott Jennings
Blue Catfish – 71.4 lbs Blake Helton/Dakota Garner
Receive your certificate for records!
Bowfin – 4.9 lbs Hunter Lister
Large Mouth Buffalo – 68.1 lbs Robby Elliott
Volume 2, Issue 2
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Carpsucker/Quillback -4.29 lbs Cole Coultas
Hogsucker -1.49 lbs Cole Coultas
Spotted Sucker – .88 lbs Cole Coultas
Common Carp - 37.19 lbs Evan Shaver
White Amur (Grass Carp) – 62.8 lbs Scott Jennings/Coy Arrowwood
Goldfish – 2.14 lbs Ken Lister
Koi Carp – 11.14 lbs Max Anderson
Freshwater Drum – 12.8 lbs Madison Browning
Alabama Bowfishing Club
Congrats to our 2014 Points Winners!
Alabama Bowfishing Association 6239 Hwy 72 E Gurley, AL 36749 contact@bowfishingalabama.org Www.bowfishingalabama.org
Protecting and promoting the sport of bowfishing in Alabama
ABA Bowfisherman of the Year: Jake Jones/Jeremy Bryant (tie)
ABA Bowfisherwoman of the Year: Jordan Phillips
Alabama Bowfishing Association Newsletter
ABA Team of the Year: Team Night Addicition
New Bowfishing Products 2015
Thanks to everybody that participated this year! We had over 80 members and 49 teams compete in our points championship this year!
2015 is going to be a very exciting year for bowfishing! There are many new bowfishing products ! First we have the new Muzzy Pro XD Bowfishing Reel Built in reel seat 1/4 lb lighter than traditional reel seat set up Extended cap for easier line flow Pre-spooled with 150# Muzzy Line No more button to push, just an easy lever to flip Also the new Muzzy Alcatraz 3 barb point is sure to be a hit!
Smaller and ligther than traditional 3 Barb points for better flight and penetration You don’t have to take the tip off to reverse barbs, 1/2 turn completely reverses the barbs
New from Fin Finder is the Hydro-Glide Pro Rest and Poseidon Bowfishing Bow!
And new from Backwater Outdoors is their Scale Burner edition Oneida Osprey Bow!