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Volume 1
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August 2011
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Bowfishing
Editorial
Volume 1
Fall Is In The Air
The
Association
August 2011
Editorial Staff Editor in Chief Jeff Sagehorn
Managing Editor Mike McCombie
contributing Editors Joe Nichols Jason Greer Amanda Nichols Justin Harris Richard Vance
Josh Watson Mark Lee Robert Rice Bob Beneteau Brady Miller
contributing Companies Bowfishingcountry.com American Eagle Bows Gulf Coast Archery 5150 Bows CarpBusters.com
BAA Board Members Mark Lee President Alan Yedor Vice President Lisa Dunkle Sec/Treasurer Charles Kupfer Marketing Dir. Jason Greer State Rep Mgr Amanda Nichols Points Chairman Jeff Sagehorn Editor in chief Aaron Senn Record Keeper
Cover Photo by Maglite
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The morning air is a little cooler and the fog rolls in a little earlier, yes fall is in the air (finally after a long hot summer some) and the we find ourselves drifting from thoughts of Bowfishing to Bowhunting and duck hunting. For many of us the BAA World Championship marks the end of the tournament season, and means we can start focusing on food plots, clearing shooting lanes, checking trail cameras and hanging treestands. For some of us that donʼt fish tournaments, this weekend is just another weekend on the water. For some the best bowfishing (other than the spawn) is just beginning. While many are sitting in treestands or blinds waiting for the sun to come up, others will be just getting back to the ramp after a long night of bowfishing. Whatever your addiction happens to be, Iʼd like to remind everyone out there enjoying your favorite sport that someone is sitting at home waiting for you to come home safe! If your Bowfishing this time of year the warm water conditions and cool evenings mean fog, and lots of it! Donʼt drive beyond your limits and be sure to return home to your loved ones safe and sound! If your a hunter and preparing for the upcoming season, be careful using heavy equipment when preparing food plots and cutting stand locations. If your a treestand hunter, please....please wear a safety harness when climbing into stands, setting your stands and while hunting. Every year we hear about one of our friends falling from a trestand. Some get seriously hurt and some even pay the ultimate price and for what the cost of a harness? The first time you slip from your stand youʼll quickly realize it is money very well spent! We all have people that care about us, whether they be a spouse, kids, parents, relatives or just friends on BFC and itʼs those people that end up suffering in the end. So be safe out there this season and may your arrows fly straight and true.
The
Bowfishing Association
Volume 1
05 11 17 19 21 33 40 41 53 55
June 2011
s n m Colu
s e r u t a e F
Letter From The President By Mark Lee
Lever Addiction By Justin Harris
Hot Products By Jeff Sagehorn
State Rep Profiles By Jason Greer
BAA News By Mike McCombie
29 37 51 61
Bowfishing w/Rackmasters By Tim Jackson
Worlds 2011 By Mark Lee
Alligator Research By Dan Bennet
West Virginia Report By Derek Stiefel
Pro Shop By Bob Beneteau “BowBob”
Recipes By Bowfishingcountry
BAA Photo Story By D-ray
Members Boats
By Bowfishingcountry
Hawg Lite Review By Josh Watson
Photo by Holly Jackson
Cover Photo Contest To submit photos for cover photo contest send your photos to : jeffs@bowcountry.com by submitting photos you authorize the BAA to reproduce these photos
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Letter From The Pres By Mark Lee
Well, another World Championship has passed, and a successful one at that! We had a total of 32 teams compete with 2 teams that could not make it from pre-‐registration, and the amount of fish harvested in both the Numbers and Big 20 were phenomenal! Both broke records! Overall, everyone who attended had a great time, and the guys and gals who went for sheepshead and redfish got their freezers stocked as well! I look forward for every event held in that part of the country, even though it’s a nine hour drive for me, but the fishing and water conditions are worth the trip! I do appreciate everyone who made the journey and braved the economy and fuel prices to make it. We are starting to see some World bids filtering in now this month to be presented for the members to see in September. So far, we have Mississippi and Wisconsin as two of the bids placed, and we ask that the bids be placed by August 15th, but will take them up to the last week of August, with enough time for me to get them listed for the members to start viewing September 1st. Both bids I believe are on a river system, and I also believe that they are both on the Mississippi, one a “little” higher than the other, so I am sure that trailering from one of them to the other will most likely be out of the question. I hope that everyone had a great season fishing this year! I know that I did not get out near as often as I would have liked, but I have had more issues this year than I have had for a long time it seems. Either the tornado’s blew everything apart around us, or the floods washed out all the places to even consider here in Arkansas. As things started calming down, the belt broke on the belt box of my airboat, and of course that took months to finally get around to fixing. Monty did however harvest some new species for his bowfishing career! He shot a 3 foot white amur the day before he had to leave my house from his summer break! He also
Letter From the President Bowfishingassociation.com
got a quillback, and a drum. He is starting to get more and more species, with his new bow that he got from gargod! He is in love with his new fish hawk!
www.southernstylebowfishing.com
Well, hopefully everyone will finish out the year with a great bowfishing season, and hunting season will be as productive for them! I know that I can not wait for the weather to cool some, and labor day to arrive for the first flight of the volley of doves to be sped up to the next person down the line! ( we always end up bowfishing that weekend also!) Have a safe and fun time out these next few months, and we will keep you informed as to the progress of the Worlds for next year!
Letter From the President Bowfishingassociation.com
Bowfishingassociation.com
On Saturday June 25th. 2011 the Seventh Annual Youth World Bowfishing Championship will be held at Toppers Boat Ramp just outside Wagoner, Oklahoma. Ages 1 thru 18 allowed for this event however kids that were 18 years of age on Jan. 1st 2011 will be allowed to shoot this tournament so you can be 19 and shoot this tournament. We have 3D targets for the youth just to small to bowfish but remember its a bowfishing championship so if a division lets say 4 thru 6 a youth takes a fish but no others in that division takes a fish the youth that took a fish is first place the other places will come off the 3D range. Our age groups are 1 thru 3 , 4 thru 6, 7 thru 9, 10 thru 12, 13 thru 15, 16 thru 18 years of age. Then we have divisions champs with all the girls together then division champs with all the boys together, We also have 4 species of big fish with 3 places in each for Gar, Drum, Carp and Buffalo. Then we have the big part overall World Champs this is all the youth shooters together we give away 1st thru 5th. places. Time is from 7:00 am till 4:00 pm then shooter have till 4:30 pm to check-in. Last year we had 8 states shoot this tournament with 379 shooters we fed over 1200 people. The cost is FREE!!!!!!!! Thats right it cost nothing to enter and nothing to eat come on down this year and join the largest youth bowfishing tournament in the nation.
For better outdoors take a kid hunting & fishing it's our future. Randy
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Braggin’ Board Submission Send photos to: jeffs@bowcountry.com Mike@bowcountry.com
Bowfishing Association
By: Justin “Anonym” Harris, AREA 5150 Staff elcome back to our “Lever Addiction”! LeverW style bows have been on the market since the late 1970’s, and with so many of them still in use, we often get questions as to what the differences are in the various models and what would be the “best” for a certain application. In this installment of Lever Addiction, we’re going to be introduced to the various models of the lever bow and get a brief overview of their features up through the turn of the century. This introduction will make an excellent reference for many of you to identify what bow you have or what to look for to get the features you need out of your next bow. We will continue with our overview of lever bow models (2000present) in our next article as well as look at the individual models more closely in our following articles. Mohawk Laser (1976-unknown): In 1976, as compound bows were emerging on the scene in a sport dominated by longbows and recurves, an innovative design mutated the classic lines of a traditional bow with the performance of a wheeled compound. These are very rare bows with only a handful still in circulation. Although the design is distant form of what developed afterward, the Mohawk Laser is a valuable piece of the history of lever-action bows not to be forgotten!
Justin Teaching the next generation
Oneida H-500 (1982-1989): Oneida LABs, Inc. introduced the H-500 bow back in 1982 and was in production through 1989. This bow used a cast magnesium riser with a straight shelf arrangement. The outboard limb tips were reinforced, but rated for Dacron string materials only. The cams were initially nylon, but machined aluminum cams replaced the nylon versions in later models. The cam systems were good for 50% letoff and each bow was draw length specific within a 1inch range, such as 28/29 or 29/30. Weight ranges were similar to current offerings with limbs offering weights as low as 35-pounds and as high as 80-pounds. Serial numbers are located under the rubber grip. Due to the low let-off, light overall weights and longer overall lengths, these bows are still common among bow fishermen, but not as popular for hunters due to vane clearance issues. Bows were factory finished in both camouflage and “target” colors. Oneida H-250 (1984-1989): In 1984 and carrying on through the same production years as the H-500, Oneida introduced a cheaper “little brother” to the H-500 and called it the H-250. The H-250 was identical in every
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way to the H-500 with the exception of a plastic-tipped outboard limb. Due to this, and a more limited variety of draw weights and lengths, the H-250 was the more economical alternative to the H-500. Oneida Screaming Eagle (1987-1989): Built off of the same cast magnesium riser as the H-series bows, Oneida introduced the Screaming Eagle in 1987. This bow sported an outboard limb rated for use with fast flight string materials and also introduced a new alloy cam system dubbed the “I-cam”. These improvements made the “Screamer” one of the fastest bows in archery and helped usher in the speed craze that continues today. Up until 1989, the Screamer was available in the same 50% let-off, draw length, and draw weight options as the H-500 bow. In 1989, the Screaming Eagle’s I-cam was improved to allow a let-off of 65%, which is noted in the designator “SE689” at the start of the serial number, which is still located under the rubber grip. Due to the shared riser design with the H-series bows, the Screaming Eagle is not favored as much as a hunting bow, but it is another model sought after by bow fishermen. Oneida Strike Eagle (1990-1991): The Oneida Strike
Eagle was the first bow produced by Oneida LABs, Inc. that offered a deep-cut shelf needed for proper vane
clearance for hunting arrows. The new riser design used a shorter pylon and was considerably heavier than the previous model. The Strike Eagle maintained fast flight string compatibility and the I-cam profile of the Screaming Eagle, but improvements were made to the Icam to accept modules, allowing for three inches of draw length adjustability as well as the option to have 50% or 65% let-off. A new outboard limb shape eliminated “string slap” by lessening the curvature of the limb, but added considerable length to the bow. This bow is considered the longest but quietest Oneida bow produced “out of the box”. Bow specifications, including the serial number, were now recorded on a sticker adhered to the bow’s power limb. Oneida Phantom I (1990-1992): The Phantom I was the next evolution of the H-series bow. It shares all of the features of the Screaming Eagle, but utilized the upgraded I-cam for the draw length and let-off adjustability of the Strike Eagle. Around 1992, the Phantom’s riser received a shallow “scoop” in the shelf area to provide slightly more vane clearance compared to the previous models. Oneida Tomcat I (1991-1992): The Tomcat I was the more cost effective option to the Phantom I. The only difference was the Tomcat I shared the same plastic limb tip design that was offered on the H-250 bow. Oneida Aeroforce (1992-2000): 1992 marked one of
the most notable years in Oneida LABs history! A new cam profile, named the “K-cam,” was introduced to the world. The K-cam allowed 3inches of draw length adjustability similar to the I-cam, but created a draw force curve that became the standard for smoothness. To introduce this new cam system, Oneida introduced the Aeroforce. The Aeroforce shared a riser design similar to the Strike Eagle with only minor changes. One change was a
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threaded boss designed to accept the 1-piece Tuscarora quiver. The outboard limbs reverted back to the Screaming Eagle design which gave an increase in speeds. Early in the production of the Aeroforce, a change in module design for the K-cam allowed the Aeroforce to be one of the first production bows to offer 80% let-off! To promote this feature, the Aeroforce was given the “X80” designator. Earlier Aeroforces without this designator could still achieve 80% let-off with the new modules available. Until the Black Eagle surpassed it in 2008, the Aeroforce was the longest-produced Oneida model. It is noted for its durability, stability, and inherent accuracy. The Aeroforce continues to be a favorite of hunters and target shooters, and although it is popular among bow fishermen, its additional weight tends to deter most. For a short period prior to 1997, Oneida LABs offered a machined riser variant of the Aeroforce marketed as the MR80 (indicating it was a “Machined Riser” and was capable of 80% let-off with the K-cam). This was the first machined aluminum bow offered by Oneida and was sold in very few numbers. A “Lite” version was also offered that reduced the overall weight with additional cut-outs and fluting in the riser. These bows are considered by most to be the “Holy Grails” of Oneida collections.
“II” title to indicate this improvement. All other features remained the same as the previous models. During these production years, an “EXP” version was sold of the Tomcat line that included additional cables and limbs to permit the bow to “grow” with a young shooter, giving the owner the full range of draw lengths and poundages available in one bow. Oneida Tomcat III (1997): The Tomcat III marked the end of the H-series style bow for Oneida LABs. The Phantom line was dropped, but the fast flight compatible limbs were added to the popular Tomcat line and marketed for 1997 as the “III”. Oneida Lite Force/Lite Force Magnum (1997-1999):
Oneida Phantom II/Tomcat II (1992-1996): Oneida was quick to update their Phantom and Tomcat line-up with the popular K-cam. These bows were given the In 1997, a shorter version of the Aeroforce (or more accurately the MR80) was introduced. The Lite Force was a 44-inch tip-to-tip, machined aluminum bow with a fairly shallow shelf cut-out. Its drive train was the proven K-cam, and it also sported a shorter, fast flight compatible limb labeled as the “LF” limb. The Lite Force was quickly replaced with a full, deepcut shelf version labeled the Lite Force Magnum (or “LFM”). The shorter, lighter weight of these models proved to be a success and have achieved an almost cultlike following among Oneida shooters. They are sought
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after by hunters and bow fishermen alike and seem to maintain a very high resale value on the used market. Oneida Stealth Eagle (1998-1999): Considered by many to be the demise of Oneida LABs, Inc., the Stealth Eagle introduced the lever bow world to many innovative features. The Stealth was the first Oneida “split cam” design, which eliminated the trade-mark pylons of all previous models. A new cable configuration, along with a more aggressive Stealth cam, generated the fastest Oneida produced that was also able to achieve extreme let-off. With all of this innovation, the Stealth broke from the traditional lever bow design and was misunderstood by many. Unfamiliarity with the design, as well as lackluster tolerances to the construction, led to many of these bows “locking up” or “blowing up”. An unconditional repair/replace policy by Oneida placed a tremendous financial burden on the company on top of a huge black eye that the Stealth was creating. This eventually led to the bankruptcy and sale of Oneida
LABs, Inc. A resurgence of these bows, using aftermarket components to make up for their design flaws, has brought the Stealth Eagle back into the hands of many hunters today. Oneida Discovery (1998-1999): At the same time the Stealth Eagle was introduced, Oneida used similar technology to release their first “camless” lever bow called the Discovery. The Discovery took advantage of the lever-lever design of the Stealth to generate high
speeds at high let-off. But without cams, the Discovery was able to be constructed in a very short tip-to-tip length. These bows suffered from uneven loading due to the cable design which greatly affected performance at hunting level draw weights. They also were guilty of several issues that plagued the Stealth Eagle and contributed to the downfall of Oneida LABs, Inc. Oneida Discoveries can be found in both machined aluminum risers as well as cast aluminum risers. The Discovery, although not considered suitable for most hunters, are highly desired on the bowfishing scene due to their simplicity, size, weight, and performance at lower poundages often used in bowfishing. Summary: We hope you have enjoyed the overview of lever-action bows from 1977-1999. Join us again in our next episode as we continue to explore the various makes and models of lever bows from 2000 to current models! Stay tuned as we work our way through the sale and rebuilding of Oneida as well as the other companies and models that contribute to the past, present, and future of the fantastic lever-action bow.
http://youtu.be/yL8NFxECsrw
Photo By Cpl.Ryan Carpenter
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The fourth annual Jarrod Ashmore kids bowfishing tournament,JUNE THE 19 BARKLEY DAM PAVILLION,LAKECITY KY. This tournament is totally free to all kids under the age of 18,this is not a target shooting event this is a fish shooting event!!!!!!We try to hold this shoot at the best possible time to take advantage of the asian carp,every year these young men and ladies shoot several thousands of pounds of fish,and gain memories for a lifetime!!!!! We break this shoot up into age groups *** - 8 9-12 13-17....... All children who attend this tournament walk away winners! I would like to thank all the sponsors of this tournament without them there is noway we could host this tournament,and the men and women who step up and help us out, thank you........The Bowfishing association of America is a major sponsor of this tournament. Any qustions please contact.......Andy Cardwell 270-836-8550
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InnerLoc Grapple Points When you need “EXTREME” holding power you need an InnerLoc Grapple Point. These points work very well on large and soft body fish. • Extreme holding power • 2 and 3 barb heads
Lumatek Digital Ballast
Lumatek Digital Ballast stand above the competition by providing our customers with high quality products, exceptional services and unparalleled customer support. Our focus is to provide digital lighting products for a wide range of applications.
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27w LED Specifications:1. Size: 128x110x41mm 2. 9pcsx3W high intensity LEDs 3.10~30V input, compatible for both 12V and 24V cars 4. current draw 1.14A@12V, 0.61A@24V 5. Light Patten: wide flood beam pattern 6. Diecast aluminum housing 7. Waterproof: IP67 Advantages: 1. LED work Light for tractor, Truck, farming, mining, forklift, off-road, ATV, Excavator, Heavy duty equipment 2. Reasonable design for heat elimination 3. High perfomance of waterproof(IP=67), dustproof, quakeproof, anti-explosion 4. High impact nylon housing, borosilicate hardened glass lens. 5. Material: Dia Cast Aluminum Housing 5. Super bright: 27W 1800LM 6. Vibration free mount: stainless steel bracket mounting with rubber cushion 7. Easy install 8. Exemely long life time, up to 30,000hours service life time 9. CE certiciate
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Protecting the rights of Bowfishermen since 1990
BAA
Bowfishing Association of America
State Rep Bio’s BAA Georgia State Rep Mark Land
As I am sure many of you know me but for those that don’t, I have been involved with the BAA since 1990 and a state rep for the last few years for the North GA area. I have enjoyed a wonderful time and experience during my BAA involvement and have watched this club grow and change as well. I am 46 y/o, married for almost 20 years to my wife Ginger and have a 19 y/o daughter, Ashley who is finishing up her 1st year of college at Valdosta State. Man how time flies!!!! We live in Cartersville, GA where I have been working for Muzzy Products since 1998 as their technical support specialist, prostaff director and bowfishing promotions. My job has definitely been a very interesting ride and has exposed me to many unique opportunities and the ability to meet a lot of people and see and experience many different places. During my life I have had the opportunity to hunt or fish in 16 different states and Canada and pursue just about all types of game and fish. As much as I love to bowfish, bowhunting is my true passion and since 1992 I have been hunting exclusively with a recurve bow. Although I do most of my bowfishing with a compound, mostly a Oneida, I do enjoy shooting fish with the recurve from time to time and pursue all my big game bowfishing species with the recurve, like alligator, shark, gator gar, etc. I spent many years chasing bowfishing tournaments all across the country, typically shooting at least 12-‐14 major shoots during the year. In the last few years I have cut back on my tournament shooting and started to specialize more in the promotional side and do more TV shows, seminars, special events, videos, etc., to promote bowfishing more to the public. I really enjoy getting out and sharing my love of bowfishing and educating new people to our sport. I also thoroughly enjoy the opportunity my job gives me to meet and talk with so many people across the country and share experiences and advice with them. I am always available and willing to help with any situations that might arise and can reached just about any time here at Muzzy. Thanks for reading and good luck to all this season!
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BAA
Bowfishing Association of America
State Rep Bio’s BAA Michigan State Rep Rick Russell My Name is: Rick Russell screen name Carpshooter1 on BFC and Southernairboat.com. I have been influenced by bowfishing for the last 23 years, in that time I have introduced many men, women and children to the sport of bowfishing. Also I'm one of eight founding fathers and life time member of the BAM (Bowfishing association of Michigan) We believe that the sport should be supported and enhanced in the state of Michigan though club members and sportsman as well as our DNR (department of natural resources ). Some of our accomplishments are: 20 year continuous participant of the GLBC ( Great lakes bowfishing challenge) We have place many times in the top 20 places awarded as well as taking 1st place in year 2009 and 2010 We have traveled to Mississippi for a BAA world tournament many years ago hosted by lance sullentrop . We have traveled to the Jerald Ashmore memorial kids tournament in 2010 and plan on returning in the years to come. As well as bring many teams with us. I'm a firm believer that if we don't involve the youth the sport of bowfishing will disappear in the near future. I'm sure with the support of the BAA we can make Michigan one of the most sought after bowfishing areas. We are having our yearly club meeting on February 5th 2011 and would like to present information to other club members to become a BAA member and what the BAA has to offer. I maybe contacted anytime on BFC or by email (Carpshooter1@charter.net). I look forward in hearing from you soon Thank you Rick Russell
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This year has brought many new and exciting changes to the BAA. The Board reconfiguration, the new E-Journal, new website, and new relationships with many dealers and manufacturers.........What? What do you mean relationships with manufacturers? I hear this statement from more and more bowfishermen and it still amazes me to think there are bowfishermen out there(some BAA members) that donʼt realize that BAA Members receive discounts on bowfishing.......and hunting gear through various dealers and manufacturers. In many cases bowfishermen could more than pay for their annual BAA Membership with just one or two purchases. To answer a question commonly heard from many bowfishermen: “why should I join the BAA” “Whatʼs in it for me” Let me give you a quick answer to that question. As a BAA member you get to be a part of a group of bowfishermen dedicated to helping educate and preserve your rights to bowfish( yes itʼs a right) and there is strength in numbers! You also receive Discounts from these fine Dealers and manufacturers ;-) East Texas Archery: 10% discount of all Bowfishing and Bowhunting related gear(except bows) including there world famous Gardgod Strings http://www.easttexasarchery.com Hawglite Products: 10% discount on al hawglite products http://www.hawglite.com/ American Airboats: 10% discount on parts and accessories. http://www.americanairboats.com/ Redneck Airboats: 10% discount on hulls, trailers, and custom aluminum work. 7% discount to regular members. http://www.redneckairboats.com/ Muzzy Products: 10% when ordering directly from Muzzy Products www.muzzy.com Gulf Coast Archery: 10% off on bow builds and film dips. http://www.5150bows.com/ American Eagle bows: 5% discount http://www.oneidabows.net Gar Guys: 10% off all DVDʼs http://www.garguys.com/ And the list is constantly growing :-) I would to personally thank all the great sponsors for there generosity and support. You make this sport great!
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The Bids for the 2012 BAA Worlds are due now!!! If you or your club is planning on placing a bid for the 2012 worlds you need to submit your bid to the President of the BAA (Mark Lee) immediately!!!! Every year I see posts on BFC about how the world championship is never held up north. Here is your chance! Get with your club officials, local sporting goods store etc and get your bid in ASAP!! Submit all bids to Mark Lee at <mwl5025@yahoo.com> Please get your bids in now If you始d like to see the World Championship come to your favorite lake or river system!!
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Upcoming events 2011 BAA Sanctioned Events
March 26—Down River Bowfishing Association (DRBA) 4th Annual Tough Man Patoka Lake, IN April 9—Randy Morder Memorial Tournament April 9th Georgia State Shoot April 16—Possum Kingdom Shootout April 16—Illinois Bowfishers Billy Davis Memorial Tournament Rend Lake, IL April 30-May 1st 12 Annual Muzzy Classic April 30—Illinois Bowfishers Carlyle Lake Tournament May 14—Down River Bowfishing Association (DRBA) Lakes/Tailwaters Tournament May 21—Down River Bowfishing Association (DRBA) 1st Annual Chic Shoot Lakes/ Tailwaters May 21—Illinois Bowfishers Carlyle Lake Tournament June 4—Illinois Bowfishers Wolf Creek Access Tournament June 19th—4th Jarrod Ashmore Kids Tournament Barkley Dam Pavillion, Lake City KY June 25—7th Annual Youth Bowfishing Championship Wagoner Oklahoma July 9—Down River Bowfishing Association (DRBA) Hovey Lake Tournament August 13-14 AMS Big 30 August 27-- Down River Bowfishing Association (DRBA) Lakes Only Tournament
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For more information or for a retail location near you, please call 1-888-Maui Jim (1-888-628-4546) or visit us at mauijim.com
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UNDER TH 2012 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BIDS 2012 Bid Mark, Vicksburg, Mississippi Hosted at Chotard Tavern and Resort Trailering Allowed Numbers & Big 20 14 hours (6 pm - 8am) 100 fish limit for silver carp in numbers 10 fish limit for big 20 no limit on shad. Bowfisherman can expect to find numerous amounts of gar, bowfin, buffalo, common carp, and plenty of silver carp. Our area will present a different kind of challenge for bowfisherman, such as navigating through tight timber and narrow canals of the Mississippi River oxbow lakes. Competitors in both divisions will have to work equally hard to come up with the winning fish. I propose the date for July 21, but I am open to move the date if any of the more experienced guys have better suggestions. Let me know if you need more info regarding this, or if I need to do something else to place a more official bid. Thanks, Bert Turcotte
UNDER THE LIGHTS Bowfishingassociation.com
E LIGHTS 2012 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BIDS BAA Update/ WI Not much to report so far this year. Like most areas, the weather has been tough on the shooting this year. A few others and myself have put on some bowfishing seminars at various sports shows. I will even be doing a couple at the local Cabela始s at the end of this month, and I始ll once again have some BAA brochures & fliers out for the people. I am still currently working on legalizing the use of crossbows for bowfishing here as well. Welcome to the world of politics! Also, the WBA would like to put in a bid to host the 2012 BAA World Championship. This event would be as last year始s bid, to be held on the Mississippi River in SE Wisconsin. And not that my opinion means much to most, but I wanted to say that I am very happy with the direction the BAA has turned, and I applaud everyone who has worked so hard to do so! The E-Journal looks awesome too! Tell Jr. that he needs a better picture on the Internet, he is starting to look older than Mark Lee or myself! Best of luck to everyone at the World Championship! Chris Cass BAA WI State Rep.
U N D E R T H E L I G H T Bowfishingassociation.com S
By Tim Jackson
y and my wife took with RACKMASTERS "RMO" OUTDOORS in North Carolina. It all started when RMO had a contest on their website for members. The contest was to see who get the most people to sign up on the website and make a referral thread stating who referred you. I ended up getting close to 60 members joined and somewhere around 37yu that did the referral thread and everything correctly. I was notified of me winning the contest by Donnie "D-RAY" so we began planning. We booked flights for thursday June 9th and come home on sunday june 12th. well as you know when you go a trip the time DRUG by slowly.......but finally wednesday evening was here and I was off work!! I met my wife at the office and Ft.Worth and we headed to DFW airport to get our hotel room and get ready for the 6am flight! The morning came fast and we were hitting the ground running and ready to get to NORTH CAROLINA! We
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arrived in North Carolina at 11:30 am after having a layover in memphis tennessee. We met Donnis at the airport and headed off. 45 minutes later we were at Donnies house where we met up with Josh "Crafty" and we unloaded our stuff and got to talking about the trip and the days to come. We ended up deciding to head to the river for catfish.We loaded up and headed that way. We met up Rob "CarbonN-Copper" to get our bows from him since he drove them down from OKC for us so we didnt have to fly with them! (He also is our catfish fillet transport back to Texas), We got the boats in the water and headed off for a evening and night fish slaying! It took a litttle bit to get used to the clarity of the water and figuring out the depth of the water ( at least thats my excuse for missing so much) but once we figured it out we were on fire! There was one spot in the river that we fished that the edge of the river bank was the end of the runway for an Airforce Base and as we fished
we had F-15's taking off not 40ft above our heads and Ill tell ya what Id hate to be on the other side of them things headed my way! It was awesome to see and made ya feel proud as they took off and landed.
Anyway as the night proceeded we were getting into the fish everywhere.My wife was a fish killin fool and I shot several species of fish out of the river too. I ended up shooting Blue Cat, Channel cat, flathead, Needle nose, spotted gar, small perch, carp, and missed a bowfin and lost a big grass carp that pulled off. We ended the first night with 50 fish but should have shot 200+ LOL. We got in at 3am and showered and hit the sack. We got up 3hrs later at 6am and headed to the coast for STINGRAYS!!! We go the coast about 9am and headed out. We dodged crab pots and bowie for 10 minutes and we arrived on a HUGE FLAT. Me and my wife got our
bows in our hands and I was asking what all we were looking for to find the rays when i looked down and they were right beside the boat! I shot and wham! First ray in the boat and the wife had one also so we started the day off with a DOUBLE (the first of many on this trip)! We fished till about 3am then we hit the shore for a break and some lunch. We forgot to bring the grill so we improvised and dug a hole in the sand and filled with charcoal and we found an old Crab Pot that we cut the bottom out of used as a grill. It was perfect. We ate brats and rested a few minutes and headed back out to finish off a GREAT DAY! We ended up shooting 95 rays and set a new record for the RMO OUTDOORS daily ray record!! Well we headed home and got in about midnight. We woke up and
decided to have a fish fry so we invited some friends over and had a fish fry and some MOONSHINE and got ready to hit the river for the last night! We loaded up and got into the water about 9pm and it was thundering and lightning all around and we didnt know what to expect. We started fishing and the first fish of the night I connected on a 40.2lb grass carp. Man what a way to start a trip! as the night went on there were fish filling up the boat! Holly (my wife) shot a beautiful 20lb blue cat soon after I shot the grassie and At one point we shot a catfish inside a car tire and he fought the arrow pulled out. Well when it pulled out Josh jumped in and went after the fish. He ran his hands inside the tire and pulled up ma 22lb FLATHEAD!! It was awesome and he said there was another fish in the tire too. Donnie jumped in and he ran his hands into the tire and he pulled out a 20lb flathead!! Talk about crazy who know 42lbs of fish could fit in a 16" car tire lol. As the night went on my wife was sticking catfish like crazy we had to go to the ramp and unload fish due to weight in the boat!. We finally called it a night at 5:30am and we unloaded fish and did a count and we set another Rackmaster Outdoors
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daily river record with 97 fish! 76 catfish and 21 trash fish!! Man what a night. We had the best and most amazing time in North Carolina fishing with the RMO CREW and Donnie and his wife were extremely accommodating and let us stay in their house and man can Donnies wife COOK!!!!!! AMAZING! We arrived home from the trip at 7am and had to shower and pack and head to the airport. We got to the airport and checked in and boarded our flights headed home. We were up a total of 38hrs straight when we walked in the door at the house! I want to thank RACKMASTERS OUTDOORS www.wildcountryarchery.com for the contest and to D-Ray and Crafty for their help and their hospitality and their ability to make this a weekend that me or the wife will ever FORGET. We are already planning a trip back!!! We ended up with close to 300lbs of catfish fillets maybe more!! Man I cant wait for Rob to get home with the bows and filets. Thanks again to D-Ray and Crafty and Rob from RMO Outdoors you guys are a blast to hang out with and are definitely BOWFISHING JUNKIES!!! Cant wait to do it again!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Cam's Part 2 by Bob Beneteau
Cams Part 2 In the Cams Part 1 we looked at some basics is the world of cams and their different design and configurations. I wanted to go into each manufacturers offerings but to be fair it be better to look at their total bow offerings in separate issues as opposed to just talking about one part of the bows they produce. We will still look at the cams systems available and what each brings to the table for bow fishing. Force Draw Curves. Used to chart the way a cam/limb system stores energy, and graphical way to tell how a bow should feel for draw also. Using the X/Y lines system it places pull weight at points on the drawn power stroke of the bow. Example at 2 inches into the draw 4 pounds of draw weight is achieved, at 4 inches into the draw 8 pounds is achieved. This does not take into consideration the preload of the bow before draw which also has a major effect on performance and draw feel. Low pre-load gives you a wet noodle feel and does not retain the original speed from release of the string. To much pre-load and it is like trying to roll a dump truck over your shoulder.
What Force Draw are we Looking for?
In a nut shell if you can tie a string to some part of any bow, your fishing with it. Along comes competition and the need for fast effective durable systems. Two things become very clear for how a bow fishing system should generate power. First would be snap shooting, power becomes needed at only 50% of the draw cycle or better. Second would be BIG grain weight arrows that need a fast sum of energy to get them going through the system.
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The longer a peak weight value is retained the more energy stored in the system that is usable. A fast rise to peak weight does not give the fastest speeds or the best use of energy. It also does not give stability at release of the arrow. Fast rise also makes for very hard draws. In bow fishing we are looking for a system that gets drawn a lot more times in 15 minutes of good fishing than most hunting archers pull their bows in one season, a shame but true. Pulling a fast rise cam system would zap your energy quick and cause issues to muscular/skeletal components on the operator. So a more gradual rise to peak would be preferred. Most of the peak weights used range between 35 to 60 pounds on average. From talking with a lot of bow fishers high let-offs are not a high priority because of the fast shooting and low full draw holding times. But it is a growing factor in bow purchase and it does have it's place in the sport. Because of the heavy arrows used higher let-offs do not get up to speed as quick and they zap a lot of energy getting out of the valley. Again we need kinetic energy to go through three mediums, air, water then fish. Who is the Fastest? The formula for fast bows is not in the middle part of the draw. The object is to derive the fastest takeoff and the control that power though the cycle and not waste it to energy eating variables. Two Cams are faster than Solo's. Given the technology today it is a close race but my money is on the two cams every time. Solo's have to do the work for both energy systems at the top and bottom, more cable contact and more of a timing resistance. Cam and a halves are in essence two track idler solo's that just add more cable contact. They do give you the ability to time the system to lessen the resistance. Years ago the two cam systems had two issues that caused grief and a lack of ultimate speed control. Uneven power storage systems, or called unmatched power limbs. We now have better systems and ways to make and match limbs. Precession ground, and tested for deflection and matched up in pairs. The second issue was string materials that do not creep or or creep as little as possible. Correct timing on two cams must be maintained. The new blends of string materials do this and they are now built to a higher degree of quality and durability. Who gets my Vote? When I look at all the variables between two cams and solo's, I believe the balance goes toward solo cams for
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bow fishing. My reasons are based on draw feel, ability to direct stored energy to a high percentage. Tuning issues are low, so maintenance in minimal. The rise to peak is more forgiving than a two cam that creates similar speed and energy values. There are a few manufactures who offer different cams on their bow fishing lines, some only offer one style of cam. The first solo cams had a real issue with nock travel, the vertical movement of the arrow nock point on the string. Over the years this has been reduced to a minimum and has been designed to be at the back of the draw cycle, anchor point. It takes less than 3 inches into the draw cycle and level travel is achieved to a high degree for a stability release of the arrow. Again this lends to accuracy and dependability of the system and why some manufacturers use them exclusively. My issue with two cams is not the performance, the issues to me would be the size of the cams needed for good energy output comparable to solo cams and the environment they are used in. Big cams can be derailed easily and are impact points on solid, unmovable objects in boats. Fast half draws are not user friendly to these systems and unstable draws and releases do not help with the derail issues. As I stated if you can tie and arrow and a sting to it, your bow fishing. Today as the sport only gets bigger and as competition demands better faster bow systems become the new reality, traditional systems will not meet the benchmark. All cam systems have a place, solo cams in my view are better adapted to fit then needs of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bow fisher.
Bowbob
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Worlds 2011 LaFitte, Louisiana By Mark Lee
LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER!
Let the good times roll! This was the theme this year for the 2011 BAA World Championship on July 23, 2011 in LaFitte, Louisiana on the Barataria Waterways. As with all great tournaments, mother nature decided to throw her two cents worth in for the conditions, as with the drought they had been under for the last few months down there, rain moved in starting the Sunday one week before worlds was to begin, and it stayed for the entire week! We did not have a single day down there the week before that it did not rain at some point. As I was pulling out after the tournament to head back to Arkansas, it was of course raining! If you have ever fished a tournament, and I mean any tournament, then you know the two solid answers you will get when you ask about the fishing conditions and the amount of fish available within the area. I did ask all week, and all I heard was how muddy the water was down there, BUT, how clear it was till it started raining the Sunday before, and also how the fish are scattered out with no chance of there being any real numbers coming in to speak of. As far as on the Big 20 side, the muddy conditions were making it difficult to see any real size or numbers, but of course before the rains started, the water was perfect! On Saturday, July
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23, I was doing boat inspection before the start of the tournament, and I was asking if people had found fish, and FINALLY, I had one team look at me and go…..yep we do, and have had fish…I started laughing as well as the others around me for the fact that it is so common for EVERY team there to lie about what they have been seeing, and what they have lined out, that someone actually telling the truth is just unheard of! Their next comment was ….so does everyone else, only problem is they just can’t say it out loud! He was
exactly right! And I told him so…..Our team had spent the day telling everyone we were hanging out close to the launch site and was fishing where we had seen 2 other teams scouting ( the place we shot in 2008 worlds), and that there would be at least 4 boats there, with us included. When our number was called for take off, we jumped straight into the truck and took off on a trailering expedition to where we were really going to fish! We had seen no other bowfishing boats there all week, but of course on the night of the tournament, there was one…..close….we never did find out who it was, but we got within 500 yds of them at one point. We figured that if we had no other boats within the area, we could at least take our time and pick up as many at our leisure as we wanted. We never felt that we had enough to take Worlds in the numbers division, but we felt that we could beat our record of 392 fish in a single night. We also had the luxury of clear water nearby with some fish that would go well in the big 20 division if we so chose to go that route. We never had clear water, and we never had a great concentration of fish because they were all scattered. (sound familiar?) By 8:00 pm of the tournament, the time when it’s still light enough to see, but dark enough for the lights to kinda cut into the waters to see also, we had already picked up close to 20 weed gar in waters less than 2 foot deep. As the darkness took over the tournament, more and more gar were appearing within our light field. When we had scouted the area, the gar were not very shallow, but on tournament
night, they had moved into the shallows and we spent a great deal of the night going from 2 foot of water to less than 6 inches back and forth picking up gar as little as 8 inches long. Jumping Back to 6:00 pm tournament night, there had been the daily storm move through with of course high winds and heavy rain a few hours back, and there were more cells encompassing the area which threatened a wet and eventful night of thunderstorms and winds every few hours. When we were driving to our destination, we would go through some cells of heavy rain, then nothing, knowing the night was only going to stay the same, rain, quiet, rain, quiet….back to 8:00 as we were picking up our weed gar, we noticed the clouds looked promising for rain any minute, but of course we were busy and did not have time to worry about that stuff. By around 9:30 pm ( was already tired from drawing back at the dinks (small gar ) and started looking up towards the sky only to notice it was clear and only covered with stars. The night ended up with no rain or real wind to speak of, and was a perfect night of bowfishing! Within the last few hours of darkness in the area we were fishing, we had about exhausted our shallow waters due to being muddied up by us, and we moved out to the deeper water. As we did, there were quite a few large silvers and buffalo with
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carp and gator gar mixed . As we connected with one, it would take quite a while to get one in compared to the time it took with the dinks in shallow water, and with all the moss we had to remove after each fish, we decided to move back to shallower water to find more dinks for two reasons….1. because they were quicker to get in and get off the arrow, and 2. It was way less work per fish! By this time of the night, we were about worn out with all the shooting and missing, oh and some hitting, but a lot of missing was involved. Good thing about fishing in shallow waters, the gar when missed would not go far, and some of them took at least 4 shots to connect! Some would run out of the light field, only to come back in after making a circle and stop broadside for another chance at them, while others would run outside the light field to be picked up after trolling over closer to where they ran. I shoot back up for the most part, which means I stand behind the driver and the guy who is front right corner of the boat, and float back and forth from side to side behind them taking shots at the ones on the edge of the light field, the ones missed on the first shot, or pick up the ones sitting next to the one that the other
guy in front got already. By the 4th hour into our shooting, those padded seats up top looked pretty comfortable since my two other partners were shooting quite well, and all I was doing was getting slapped by fish they were trying to get off, and picking up an occasional ma bell shot…(fish at the edge of the light field that was too far for them to shoot at, and not worth turning the boat to go after)(this is of course my favorite shot!) I prefer the ma bell shot over the ones right in front of the boat, mainly because I for some reason have never been good at hitting a fish right in front of me. I like to have that arch in the arrow shot to connect with the small gar running mach speed out of the light field and it amazes me (and my partners) that I actually hit them, but when that’s the only shot you get for most of the night, you take what you can get! I did get to where I could pick up fish up close, and only ½ draw as the night went, but that is so much harder for me since I am usually behind them except when we have a bigger fish up front. We started off with 5 small barrels and one larger one at the beginning of the night, and before we left out, I asked if that was enough for us, and they laughed and said we haven’t seen enough to fill ½ of what we are taking, but by the end of the night, we had filled up all the barrels, and were throwing them on the floor. At weigh in, we had a total count of 541 fish beating our previous record of 392 from Worlds 2008 in LaFitte. Our total for the night gave us 7th place, with 1,028 fish taking first place! To be in the top ten, you would have had to bring in to weigh in over 450 fish for the night. Not a bad amount to have to bring in for muddy conditions, and scattered fish with no real numbers to speak of!
Duck on the grill By rum3002576 This is really good Breast the duck out. If its a small duck, like a teal, leave the breast bone in there - it makes life a little easier. If its a big duck, like a mottled duck, cut the meat off the breast bone - otherwise it wont cook consistently. Now wrap the duck in bacon and stick a toothpick through it to keep the bacon from falling off. Be sure to soak your toothpicks in water first, or else they will catch on fire in the grill.
Venison Goulash By Donarkie
1 15 oz can SauerKraut, rinsed in cold water 3 tblspn Vegetable Oil 1 cup Onion, chopped 1 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes, drained 1 tblspn Garlic, minced 3 tblspn Sweet Paprika 3 cups Beef Broth, canned OK 1 lb Ground Venison, browned 1 1/2 teaspn Caraway Seeds 3 tblspn Tony's Chacheres Instant Brown Roux Mix Salt & Pepper to taste 1/2 cup Heavy Cream Large Spoonful of Sour Cream
Cook until just barely done - do NOT overcook.
Wash sauerkraut in cold water to remove tartness, put into crock pot after rinse. Over medium high heat, heat oil to brown venison in skillet. Add onion, garlic, paprika, & caraway seeds. Pour meat mixture into crock pot (setting on LOW). To crock pot: add tomatoes, beef broth, heavy cream, & Tony's Chahere instant roux mix. With large spoon mix ingredients well. Make sure your setting is on "Low" for the crock pot. Cook for 4 hours, checking every so often to make sure sauerkraut is moist, if juice get too thick, just add a little water to loosin. Stir to blend. Adjust with salt & pepper to taste
This stuff is REALLY good - just about as good as filet mignon - I kid you not.
Serve in deep bowls with a spoonful of Sour Cream on top.
Now sprinkle on some black pepper. Now put some foil on the grill - I use foil to hold all the juices in and keep the duck from drying out. Now, put the bacon-wrapped duck on the foil and pour on the A-1 sauce. Dont be shy about the A-1 either, I use a bunch of it. It helps to keep everything moist. There should be so much A-1 that its on the duck and all over the foil around the duck.
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2011World Championship Results 1 place numbers : Craig Wardlaw, Marcus Hays, Josh York 1,028 fish Arkansas (new BAA world record)
2nd place numbers: Adam Weaver, Brandon Carter, Chris Williams 859 fish Arkansas
3rd place numbers: Alan Yedor, Josh Dunkle, Randy Woodward 716 fish La, Ar, Okla
4th Place numbers:Jason Cathey, Marty Marett, Keith Roberts 657 fish Georgia
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2011World Championship Results 5th place numbers:Mike Cathey, John Hood, Greg Campbell 623 fish Georgia
1st place :Butch Samson, Chuck Belmore, Clint Ivey 882.4# Alabama (new BAA world record)
2nd place:Scott Baxter, Matthew McCrary, Tommy Woods 833# Alabama
3rd place:Kyle Snelgrove, Jonathan Redding, Brad Clamp 646# South Carolina
(OVERALL BIG FISH WINNER 75.2# Gator Gar)
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By D-Ray
Get yourself some magnetic or digital ballast.......
An aluminum toolbox.........
Mount the ballast in the aluminum toolbox........... Bowfishingassociation.com
Beer break!!!!.........Itʼs important to keep hydrated ;-)
Get D-Ray or another “electrically knowledgable” person to wire it all up for you.........
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More wiring...........
Use a dryer duct cover to keep rain out of the ballast box ...........
Mount an auxiliary cooling fan to vent the hot air generated from the ballast........... Bowfishingassociation.com
Mount in Boat....... add seat cushion.....
Add utility Tray....... Hit the water and stick some fish!! ...........
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THOSE WHO KNOW BOWFISHING
KNOW CAJUN!
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By Josh Watson
Comfort is a far fetched luxury when you始ve been standing on a boat 12 hours and are completely exhausted after an awesome night bowfishig! So why not give your fingers a little comfort? Thanks to October Mountain Products I recently received a set of Hydroshot finger savers and I have to say they surprised me!! I was expecting them to be on par with other products I've tried but I noticed the hydro-shots caused less string roll than some of the competitors resulting in a more consistent release! They have a somewhat different design with mushroom shaped heads that your nock rests on, and for those of you that complain of finger pinch, this new design is geared toward relieving your pain! Taken from the 2011 OMP catalog Durable quality. Designed specially for bowfishing, built in nock collar helps relieve finger pinch. Can be trimmed for 1, 2 or 3 finger preference. Two per pack with cotter pin for easy installation. Comes in black, tan, red, blue, orange So for anyone that is unsure whether the hydro-shot finger savers are for you, I encourage you to give them a try! I liked them! They can be found anywhere FinFinder products are carried. How knows? You may be like me and find yourself pleasantly surprised! What's it going to hurt? Not your fingers!! Again, I'd like to thank all those that support the BAA and our sport!
This heavy hitter is such a light weight… We thought it just might float! We knew bettering the original Hydro-Strike™ was going to be no easy task. So we started from the ground up when designing the all new Hydro-Strike Pro™. Our primary goal was to shed weight and gain comfort and mobility. The result is impressive. You will know from the first time you hold one, you will be able to shoot it all night without tiring. A new "water-friendly" checkered rubber grip will fit just right in your hand. Next, you will notice the light weight and balance of the new riser and limbs. It aims right where you look every time. And we kept all of the great features of the original: Rapid-Fire™ fish cams, 36" finger friendly axel to axel, stainless hardware, integrated dovetail on riser front for optional pin sight, included line pull and quiver stands, limb bolt pivots, lifetime warranty and a striking blue camo finish. You will be thinking bowfishing bow perfection the first time you shoot the new Hydro-Strike Pro™. Dovetail for CNC Sight - Stainless Limb Bolt Inserts CNC Accessories Included - Axel to Axel: 36” Brace height: 7 1/8” - Let Off: Zero or 70% Draw Lengths: 21 to 30 - 15 Lbs. Draw Weight Adj. 25-40, 40-55, 55-70 - Weight: 3.55 Lbs.
AT RED NECK AIRBOATS WE STRIVE TO PROVIDE THE BEST BOAT POSSIBLE TO THE CUSTOMER. What we build -Airboats-Flats Boats-John Boats-Fan boats-Any custom aluminum boat hull you can design
We offer boats built to the customers specs. We can provide bare hulls or fully rigged boats to meet your needs. Custom options include
Red Neck Airboats, LLC Sales Team: Garrett B. - 817-319-9522 Chad C. - 817-312-9245 Management: Shawn - 405-514-5836 Deanna - 903-357-0604
-light rails-side or center consoles-seats-walk arounds-fan stands-aluminum tanks-front steering-
By Dan Bennet
Despite being one of the largest freshwater fish species in North America, scientists knew little about alligator gar until relatively recently. In the last two decades, knowledge about the species has grown tremendously in response to evidence that alligator gar populations are declining in many areas. The primary reasons alligator gar have declined throughout much of their historic 14-state range are loss of floodplain habitats necessary for reproduction (from reservoir construction and river channelization), and overfishing. As a result, the American Fisheries Society has considered alligator gar “at risk of imperilment” since 2008. Texas is fortunate to still have many of the best populations of large alligator gar in the world. The Trinity River has become one of the most popular locations to fish for the species. Susceptibility to habitat loss, coupled with increased fishing pressure, prompted Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Inland Fisheries Division to adopt a 1-fish per day bag limit on September 1, 2009. This made Texas the eighth state to adopt harvest regulations for alligator gar. Large (>6 feet long) alligator gar are considered to be more vulnerable to angler harvest due to their more desirable “trophy” size. Although alligator gar may reach 3 feet in length in 3 years, their growth rate slows with age, and the fish may take 2-3 decades to reach a length of 6 feet. It could take several decades to restore their numbers if depleted. Many states are already in the process of stocking and attempting to reestablish alligator gar populations. By setting a 1-fish per day regulation, Texas biologists hoped to help prevent the decline in alligator gar populations seen in other areas. A number of research initiatives have been completed or are underway to better understand gar populations throughout Texas. TPWD biologists have conducted studies to evaluate growth rates and life span, understand their reproduction, and track the seasonal movement of alligator gar. Biologists have also conducted studies to evaluate angler harvest rates of alligator gar and estimate population sizes. Efforts to increase age data for alligator gar from waters throughout the state are underway by collecting otoliths from angler-caught alligator gar. Otoliths are pairs of small bones in the inner ears of fish which contain annual growth rings similar to the rings in a tree. Age data make it possible to determine how fast fish grow, how long they are capable of living, and how often they successfully reproduce. Biologists have discovered that alligator gar can live more than 50 years and take about a decade to become sexually mature. By comparing age data with historical water levels, biologists observed high river flows during late spring can result in strong alligator gar reproductive success. For example, high river
flows in 2007 resulted in a very strong year-class of alligator gar in the Trinity River; although in the current drought year, alligator gar may produce few to no offspring at all. Knowledge about which environmental conditions produced the most fish will allow biologists the ability to better predict strong and weak year classes. Biologists may be able to work with river and reservoir controlling authorities to help provide the conditions necessary for successful reproduction. From October 2008 through July 2010, a study on the Trinity River used acoustic tags to track the movements of alligator gar between Lake Livingston and Trinity Bay. Biologists found alligator gar were concentrated in deep pools in the main river channel for most of the year, but moved to tributaries and protected backwaters during flooding. Biologists also found that although some fish moved more than 100 miles, most of the alligator gar remained within 15 miles of their tagging locations. There was little interaction between fish tagged in different parts of the river, suggesting that alligator gar near Trinity Bay may be a separate population than alligator gar near Lake Livingston Dam. Further research is needed to determine if these populations should be managed separately. A mark-recapture study in the river between Dallas and Lake Livingston (about 200 river miles) was also conducted with the help of fishing guide, Kirk Kirkland. Captain Kirkland tagged alligator gar and TPWD recorded the number of tagged fish he and other anglers caught. With these data, biologists estimated that this portion of the river contained about 9,200 alligator gar > 42 inches and about 1,400 fish 78 inches or longer. It was determined that about 3-4% of these alligator gar were harvested annually with most (73%) of the harvest occurred between April and July of each year. Biologists also estimated that only about 5%, or 400 fish > 42 inches, could be harvested each year from this portion of the river and still sustain this trophy fishery. Since 2009, 130 harvested alligator gar have been collected and aged from anglers at Trinity River bowfishing tournaments. Using information obtained from tournaments, biologists were also able to estimate harvest rates of alligator gar at the events. Only about one alligator gar was harvested for every four bowfishermen at the Trinity River tournaments, and it took an average of 50 angler-hours to harvest an alligator gar at a tournament. Angers harvested an average of 21 fish each year > 42 inches during the three studied tournaments, or about 5% of the sustainable annual harvest of 400 fish. While the Trinity River is a well-known stronghold for alligator gar in the state, many Texas reservoirs, such as Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Amistad, also support healthy populations. TPWD began a tagging study of alligator gar in Choke Canyon Reservoir in 2011. Tags returned by anglers will provide biologists with information on harvest, abundance, size structure, and survival. In addition, recaptures of tagged fish during the spawning season will provide clues to number of spawning locations, how often fish spawn in the reservoir, and if fish return to the same locations to spawn each year. Through the various research projects throughout the state, biologists plan to refine management objectives specific to certain rivers and reservoirs around the state to better maintain or enhance the alligator gar fisheries. Future research needs will involve further assessments of alligator gar populations around Texas, and to better understand fishing pressure and harvest. A population study of alligator gar in the Brazos River below Waco is currently in the planning stages. Our goal is to study and manage Texas alligator gar populations to sustain excellent fishing opportunities for this species for present and future generations to enjoy.
BAA
Bowfishing Association of America
Aimlow始s new Ride
Tail&Scale Bowfishing
Huntforfunnfood
Salty dawg Bowfishingassociation.com
Soog
Indian Outlaw
Carpn
“The Big Show”
Turkeymansc Illinois Bowhunter
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 HawgLite Marauder Lighting System By Josh Watson
W
hen I pulled the HawgLite from the box I wondered
how such a little LED flashlight would perform in the heat of the moment? I was concerned that the 3 AAA batteries would need changing more often than a fat man's underwear!! However, contrary to my initial thoughts and concerns the HawgLite is a surprisingly handy little piece of bowfishing equipment! After rigging out my bow with the HawgLite, which was a breeze. I was anxious to try it out! I found right away, that when using a spotlight to fish by, the HawgLite was in its element. Often I found myself getting shots that I wouldn't have, had I not been equipped with the HawgLite! I also found it extremely handy when dealing with fish in the boat or changing out arrows. Now this doesn't mean I think it takes the place of a good ole Q-beam! But when used in conjunction with a spotlight, you could say the HawgLite really shines! The quality seems to be excellent as it's been soaking wet and still performs flawlessly. My initial concern about the longevity of the battery life is a thing of the past considering I've yet to change them out!! Being located on the front of the bow, sticking out further than anything else, makes for an abusive life for the little light. Yet, the rigid aluminum housing takes a punch and keeps on truck'n! I did find that the tension screw to adjust the angle of the beam really had to be cranked down, because a decent bump could cause the light to point in the wrong direction. I first thought this was a disadvantage and a flaw with the product, but after falling with my bow in hand and seriously slapping the HawgLite against the
side of the boat. I realized that if the pivot/tension adjustment point had been rigidly fixed, I would have broken it!! I came to appreciate a little give where you need it and accepted that I should just check every so often and make sure my beam is pointing where I want it! I've used the HawgLite extensively for the past two months and when it's not on the water aiding me in sticking fish, it's on the bow in the truck, just in case I see a spot can't pass up! The HawgLite makes little quick trips to the creek, pond, lake or rivers edge extremely convenient. I find myself getting out and shooting more due to the ease of not having to pack a ton of stuff to go shoot a couple fish. With the HawgLite, I have everything I need conveniently right on my bow, and with the touch of a switch, I'm Hawg'n the shots!! HawgLite also makes an adapter bracket for you spinner guys! New to the product line is the Marauder F, with a 200 lumen output or if you already have the original Marauder lighting system and would like to upgrade to the brighter F series, a replacement light head is available! Visit www.HawgLite.com to find out more and get your own HawgLite.
Below is the product information and description pulled from the HawgLite website.. The Marauder Lighting System (backordered until Aug 15th, 2011) retail: $129.99 The Marauder Lighting System is the most sophisticated lighting system ever designed with the bow hunter in mind! Powered by 3AAA batteries, it's 3watt LEDs provide light sufficient to shoot your bow up to 50 yards accurately at night! Three interchangeable LED heads provide your choice of red, green or bright white light. Our unique bow mount allow the Marauder to be mounted and used on any bow, modern or traditional, that has a standard 5/16x24 threaded hole. The Marauder is activated by a pressure sensitive switch mounted on the grip, this allows you to draw the bow and get set before turning on the light. You can also remove the Marauder from your bow and install the included tail cap switch which allows use of the Marauder as a premium quality flashlight! The Marauder also mounts on virtually any rifle with our rifle mounting kit. BB(Blind/Bow fishing) Bracket retail: $12.99 The BB bracket raises the Marauder 3.5" vertically, making it much better for shooting out of a ground blind! It also serves the bow fisher using Muzzy gear by mounting the Marauder to the side of the reel!Bracket comes with all the hardware needed!
By Josh Watson
There is nothing more satisfying than seeing fish in every direction on a warm summers night with your bow in hand and with Lumatek digital ballast it's as simple as plug and go!! This review is really less about the product and more about the customer service I received and the support given to our sport from TheBigTomato.com Fact of the matter is, in the world of digital ballast, Lumatek ballast are in my opinion the most well suited for what we as bowfishermen are looking for! Between the initial cost, product durability, manufactures warranty and with the simple turn of a switch you can run at either 250 watts or 400 watts and you can run HPS or MH bulbs, they really are the most for your money! Now with the support of TheBigTomato.com we have a supplier with top notch customer service and the absolute best prices I could find! Oh, and did I mention REASONABLE SHIPPING!!
Product information and description below taken directly from the www.TheBigTomato.com Lumatek 400W Digital Ballast 120V/240V - Dimmable Product Code:LK400 Availability: In stock $117.95 Product Specification Brandâ&#x20AC;Ś Lumatek Digital Ballast (HPS / MH) Watts 400W Warranty 5 Years Covered (3 Years Full and 2 Years Pro Rated) Height 3 1/4" Length 11 1/2" Width 4 1/2" Weight 5.40 lbs Product Description The Lumatek 400W Digital Ballast is one of the premium, reliable digital ballast solutions on the market. All digital ballasts are not made equal. Lumatek ballasts provide you with greater efficiency, more lumen power, and less heat.
Benefits Include: Dimming Power Capabilities Lumatek provides 20% more lumen than its competitors and at a temperature of 75% lower than those other digital ballasts. New Super Lumens Switch boosts lumen power by an additional 10% (IMPORTANT: Only use Super Lumens with HPS bulbs) Enjoy greater yields and greater production from the increased lumen. Power loss from outlet to lamp is the lowest in its class. Stabilized light provision at a greater rate. Reach full lumen output within 60 seconds. Runs silent, runs cooler, and runs on less wattage. Lightweight design Electrical interference is not an issue thanks to the pre-installed RF-Shields. Don't fear short circuits since these ballasts come with built in safety measures to turn ballast off in instances of electrical problems. You can use this ballast with both HPS and MH bulbs. (Super Lumens feature only works with HPS bulbs) Use either 120V or 240V power source. (240V Power cord Sold Separately) Every ballast comes with a 15 ft power cord that is RF-shielded for protection. Comes with a 3 Year Full Warranty + 2 Year Pro-Rated Warranty.
After scouring for information on what was clearly the digital ballast of choice for bowfishermen, I easily concluded that the Lumatek was in fact the most bang for my buck! Little did I realize my quest was just beginning!! You see, for those of you that haven't dealt with HPS or MH lights they are apparently the lights of choice for dope growers all across America! I also believe that every "herbally medicated" person in the country has a website dedicated to their "condition". This made it interesting when searching for the best price and customer service! I'm almost certain I've now been flagged in some government computer somewhere!! Finally, through all of the "haze" I was able to narrow it down between two of the larger companies. Since they were about $50 different in price, after shipping was included, I decided to let them make the choice for me. I sent both an email asking if they would be interested in helping to support our sport. I asked if they would be interested in helping me with a product for review in the Bowfishing Association of America e-journal. To my surprise, I received replies back from both!
The first, which I'll refer to as BGH, had pleasant enough employees but only offered to price match TheBigTomato's already $2 lower price and I was still paying over $30 more in shipping from BGH than I was TheBigTomato!! I thought they must have misunderstood my first email, so I sent another email and explained it further that they were still more expensive, even with their price match!! (I mean really, why would I want you to match the price? I want you to beat the other guysʼ price! Why would they think I'd go to the trouble to have a price matched, when I could just buy it from the cheaper place to begin with?) I explained this to BGH in detail. I told them that they were still higher with their shipping and that I was willing to promote their company and write an article about my experience and help them find a new niche market that supports those that support us!! They replied that the $2 discount was as good as they could do!! I informed them I'd be buying from TheBigTomato.com!! In my email to TheBigTomato.com I explained they were already the cheapest I could find but I asked if they were willing to help me with a product for review in the Bowfishing Association of America e-journal and that I was willing to promote their company and write an article about my experience and help them find a new niche market that supports those that support us!! I honestly expected them to merely say, “we're sorry but we already offer the lowest price we can”. I wouldn't have blamed them if they had! They were already the cheapest around!! But instead I got an email from one of the owners of the company and their marketing director. They even called me!! I was shocked!! They asked what they could do to help and let me tell ya, they went above and beyond to do so!! Within a week of our talk, TheBigTomato.com was a sponsor for BowFishingCountry.com and now they are actively seeking to answer any questions anyone has on lights and ballast! They even created a special page just for the bowfishing enthusiast. They are extremely knowledgeable and helpful and are obviously willing to support us and their customer service is TOP NOTCH!! I believe we owe them our support in return, as we do all of those companies that go above and beyond for us! Oh, and the ballast are great!! So easy to use and well worth it in my opinion!! But don't just take my word for it, check out TheBigTomato.com and get your own!
Videos Of the Month BACKWATER BOWFISHING AND DRAKETOWN PRODUCTIONS http://youtu.be/p3tpivSLeqg
SHOOT TO THRILL BOWFISHING
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
CARPEDIEMOUTDOORS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Bowfishing Association of America www.bowfishingassociation.com
State Representative Quarterly Report Date: 7/15/11 Report Period: April 1st to June 30th 2011 State Representative: Derek Stiefel Report Location: Eastern West Virginia State Regulations / L aws: (Current & any changes) -
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According to WV DNR: Carp may be taken by bow year-round; other nongame fish may be taken by bow during all months of the year except May and June. Residents must have a valid fishing license and nonresidents must have a valid hunting license in order to fish using a bow. All persons using a bow to fish must observe all applicable fishing regulations. It is illegal to use an arrow having an explosive head or shaft or an arrow dipped in or smeared with poison or other chemicals. Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Catfish, Trout, Chain Pickerel, Tiger Musky, Pike, Perch, Walleye & Sauger may not be taken by bow in West Virginia. Carp, Fallfish, Suckers & Koi may be taken by bow in West Virginia. For more information on what fish may or may not be taken by bow in West Virginia, go to http://www.wvdnr.gov/fishing/fishing.shtm Resident Fishing License = $19.00 (needed to bowfish in West Virginia) Non-Resident Hunting License = $119.00 (needed to bowfish in West Virginia) To date no changes have been made to the West Virginia State Fishing Regulations & Laws
Local W ater Reports: (Water Temperatures, Water Conditions, Locations, etc.) -
W arden L a ke (Wardensville, WV): This 44 acre Lake is shallow on the inlet end (opposite of the dam) but has a strong population of Common Carp & Koi. The State Record Carp was caught here a few years ago. There is one concrete ERDW UDPS DW WKLV /DNH LWÂśV DQ HOHFWULF PRWRU RQO\ /DNH QR JDV PRWRUV Currently the water temperature is warmed up but the Lake is being covered w/ Lilly Pads & vegetation. Therefore LWÂśV not a shootable Lake at this time.
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Shenandoah River (Northern VA): This is a great River just east of the West Virginia state line & has a few good eddies to hit. There are (3) main boat ramps to use, one is located under the Rt. 50 Bridge east of Winchester, one is located under the Rt. 7 Bridge east of Berryville & the other is located north of the Rt.66 Bridge south of Front Royal. The water temperature is still cold but changes daily along w/ the water clarity due to weather. There are a lot of Common Carp & Fallfish in this River. Be sure to obtain a Virginia State Fishing License & check out all the regulations / laws at www.dgif.virginia.gov. This River, like all others, changes daily & weekly w/ weather but is currently at ideal levels & clarity is very good.
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Jennings Randolph L a ke (near Elk Garden, WV): This 952 acre Lake has a massive dam at the end which turns the North Branch of the Potomac River into this Lake. This Lake divides Mineral County, WV & Garret County, MD. The Lake contains no wake or speed zones & you can run unlimited horse power motors on it. This is a great place to go in early spring or late summer when there are not a lot of joy boaters or Walleye Fisherman on the water. Night fishing is allowed & is better than day time Bowfishing. There is a bunch of inlets / feeder creeks that hold a good amount of Common Carp. Camping is available by permit only & there is a small fee to launch your boat. There are two concrete boat ramps w/ docks, restroom facilities & plenty of parking. I recommend launching at the WV Boat Ramp because it is not a steep as the MD Boat Ramp. Non-residents can purchase a MD Fishing License instead of a Non-Resident West Virginia Hunting Licensee. This will allow you to bowfish this lake & save some money. For more information on this Lake check out www.dgif.virginia.gov. Me & some friends went to this lake about a month ago. DLGQÂśW have much luck but did introduce a father & son to Bowfishing. Water level was very high & cloudy due to the weather.
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Sleepy C reek L a ke (near Hedgesville, WV): This very secluded 205 acre Lake is located in Berkley County is a great place to bowfish in early Spring before all the vegetation takes over the Lake. This is an electric motor only Lake due to all the Stumps & Logs below the water surface. There is one Concrete Boat Ramp & two dirt / gravel Boat Ramps. Camping is available for a fee but there is no water or electric hook-ups, primitive camping. Night fishing is allowed , KDYHQÂśW KDG D FKDQFH WR YLVLW WKLV /DNH \HW WR VHH ZKDW WKH ZDWHU WHPSHUDWXUH LV LWV FODULW\ )RU PRUH
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information on this Lake check out www.dgif.virginia.gov. Unfortunately have not made it to this Lake yet this year & may not be able to before Fall but will try to.
Local F ish Reports: -
I & some friends have been out about 8-10 nights in the last few months. We¶ve had great success every night & one night we shot (25) Commons that totaled up to 309lbs. We¶ve still been seeing a great number of Common Carp in all the local spots.
E vents / Tournaments: -
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To date there have not been any Events or Tournaments scheduled in the eastern portion of West Virginia WKDW ,¶P DZDUH RI I participated in a seminar for the US Sportsmen Alliance at a Boy Scout Camp in VA on 4/16/11. I attended this event w/ Scott Presley but the event was cut short due to the Thunder-Storms & Flooding. Scott & I took the opportunity to try out a nearby Lake, Claytor Lake but the water was too muddy. Me, my team mate & another friend that I met from Bowfishing Country, attended the 2 nd Annual Chesapeake Stingray Tournament in Reedville, VA that Scott Presley puts on. We had a great time, shot (9) Cownose Rays & met some other fellow Bowfishermen. All the Stingrays taken during the tournament we donated to a local research group who where collecting research on the Rays for various studies. I still plan on putting on a small seminar to introduce some of the local outdoorsmen to Bowfishing. This seminar will more than likely be at the local Gander Mtn. Store in Winchester, VA. The details & date are still pending due to my work schedule.
Good luck this Bowfishing season but most importantly have fun & be safe while on the water. Feel free to contact me with any question or concerns you may have regarding the great sport of Bowfishing. Sincerely,
Derek Stiefel Team River Rat Bowfishing BAA Eastern WV State Rep. d.stiefel@hotmail.com Cell: (304) 702-3227
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