Bowfishing some common carp! Summer 2010 

I think bow fishing has its place when it comes to carp. They definitely have few if any natural predators when they get older but Carp have their benefits. People use the excuse that they spawn a lot but they forget that all that spawning is actually feeding native fish a lot. They also have a decent ability to uproot plants which can help balance heavily weeded waters. I think their populations should be controlled so that there aren't too many of them but there are still a decent amount left to give enjoyment to the increasing number of rod and reel carp fishermen. I also think that bow fishermen should respect the large carp (30+ pounds). I can't tell you how many carp I've seen killed by bow that are just huge that any fishermen especially new/young anglers would be absolutely blown away to catch a fish that big. Letting those fish live could give amazing memories to somebody and maybe even more than one angler.

I got my first compound bow when I was about 16 years old. YIKES that was 30 years ago and I am ashamed to say that I have never bow-fished before. I have been taking a break from archery for the past 4-5 years but I am getting back into the swing of things now. I think I am ready to give this a try. It looks like so much fun.. Great vid and thank you for posting. :)

Good shootin!

Depends on where you go. Most of the time the carp are in the shallower areas. A flat bottom aluminum boat works perfectly. The length of the boat depends on how many people you want to take with you.

I'm gonna go start angling for deer.

Hell yeah! Carp has over populated where I live in Illinois. So keep up the good work!

whats with all the dislikes?

way to go! you guys are doing the environment a big favor getting rid of carp, not to mention the native fish. i like the approach you took with the people that are offended by this, educating them on the need for carp eradication. looks like a lot of fun too!

You got to kind of admire those water hawgs because they are powerful, resilient, survivors! You know, I think most of the ignorant people commenting about killing Carp are ignorant Europeans. I wish we could kill those things completely off! Most Carp species are very prolific, spawning 3-5 times a year and growing much faster than our native gamefish. If there aren't enough large predators in a lake or river they take over. If they're put in a pond or small lake without a good predator base to eat the offspring they quickly overpopulate and become stunted. Very few of them growing any larger than a pound or two. Small carp 1 or 2lbs make great Blue Catfish & Flathead bait. Also make excellent cutbait for Cats, Hybrid Stripers, and Stripers!

This is an excellent video! People who are complaining obviously don't see the bigger picture. These fish can destroy an entire ecosystem if not managed.

Big noob! Why are you killing carps

Wow! I hear from some guys at our local range of their bow fishing experiences. Looks like a lot of fun! Nice Shooting bro!

Carp also taste good & there's all kinds of ways to cook them.

Im pretty sure that every fisherman would know that carp is a menus and can wipe out a food chain due to over populating the lake or river so i dont understand why this video has so many dislikes cause in my perspective the bowman/fisherman is doing a great job!

Congratulations Guys! I hope you're eat these fishes! Because this is not a sport... Do you know, one 4-5 kg-s carp is 6-8 years old??? Go to fishing with rods and CATCH&RELEASE!!!

Hey, finally I meet someone on youtube who is willing to re-think his positions. :-) Sadly that is pretty rare here, so thanks for restoring some faith in humanity! :-)

Nossa por que pegar carpa pega outro peixe ta extisao nao vou da o lak

Gonna have to give this a try this spring, tonnes of HUGE carp on a few lakes around here.

Good on you for killing feral carp. Also thanks, because your video promotes my feral pig hunting video in the right side bar. Keep up the good work. Andy

Amazing skill and concentration. Good work.

Excuses are like asses. You shouldn't feel good about what you are doing. It's just cruel. Invasive or not you just are just looking for something that is "legal" to kill. That means you are a harmful and unsavory person. "Hey everyone watch me kill a prolific breeder who provides the kind of food source trout, bass and walleye need to become monsters, because I actually know nothing about these fish." This is an example of the wrong way to think.

Polarized lenses are a must and make it much easier to see through the water. And if possible, it does help to fish with the sun at your back. If the sun is in front of you, you get a nasty glare.

make sure he fish for eat, not sport.

Tried my hand at this last night. Caught a gar. It's actually pretty awesome. Especially at night. And for everyone bitching about it, it's illegal to bow fish game fish. Carp and gar aren't game fish. It isn't nearly as bad as you're making it. This is nature, man is on top of the food chain for a reason.

This ain't fishing... This is torturning animals... How can people be like this!

I'm jealous of how clear the water is at this place. Wish it was that easy in Iowa lol.

Killing carp not cool not cool

Wow that is pretty impressive! You are braver than I am to risk losing your arrows.

Yes the water refracts the light. The actual fish is below the image of the fish is that you see. (How far below depends on depth of the fish how far away it is from you in the horizontal direction) So in order to hit the fish you have to aim low.

I eat carp, it's our national christmass dinner dish and most common fish in our waters. It's got quite a few bones in it but if you learn how to slice it right before cooking you can have no bones in the final meal at all. +headsoup is delicious

Nice you guys are AWESOME shots!!

so if u dont like eating them, what do u do with them, sell em or something? by the way good vid, loved the headshot lol.

Sounds like a good setup to me. What is your drawback weight set at? I like to put mine as high as it can go. The arrow flies faster and cuts through the water easier and goes deeper. Other than that it just takes practice to get the feel for how low to aim etc.

For all you European people we have all sorts of carp here in the USA. common carp is most common in the north east. We have game fish such as walleye bass norther Muskie etc that we fish with rods because there game fish. The carp here destroy the game fish and there eggs . Even with bowfishing the lakes are over crowded with carp. We don't want them gone here but the population is very high. I'm cool with fishing with a rod and reel. Don't get me wrong it's fun as hell but bowfishing is the way to go here in America . And also bowfishing is a lot harder then you think they seem easy to shoot but there a hell of a lot more difficult than you may think.

I wish Finland had such rich fishing waters, i´d love to take my bow for a spin :)

Damn you are a madman with that bow....lol

When sweetcorn don't catch'em then it's "Robin Hood Time".

Do you think you would have been able to catch more fish on a fishing line? and did it take long to lean to compensate for the refection of the fish in the water? great video :D

Cool vid! Keep em coming!

In archery as a sport there is no "better". Longbows and Recurves can be shot easily without the use of sights. However in this case he is using a compound bow and it is highly recommended to use sights with a compound. It all comes down to personal preference although if you shoot compound bows, use a sight.

WOW that is so cool. i have tried spear fishing before and it is very hard. But iv seen guys bow hunt like this before and it is awesome and a lot of fun.

if you hadnt try to eat it, or you dont like taste, just try to smoke id, like a ham. first put fair amount of salt over it and than light a fire undet it, when flame stops let it hang above the smoke, here in serbia we have little smoke houses for that,so wind cant blow and smoke goes directly into the meat. 2-4hrs is just enough, after it jut fry it a bit and serve enjoy

Looks extremely fun 10/10

How about tying the line to your boy's fishing pole? That would be fun for both of you.

Why is everybody complaining? It is fishing, he got food in his own way.

Carp is a great tasting fish, and it's highly prized in Europe, and expensive if you want to buy it. However, in North America many lakes are weedy and muddy, and carp get the smell of the environment they live in. If you can fish for carp in a body of water that's not muddy, like an artificial lake, or a slow river, it will taste OK. Sometimes I ate pike or bass that I caught, and they also smelled like a handful of weeds. Maybe it's also the art of preparation for cooking.

In the Middle Ages, Carp were bred by monks because they are quite healthy to eat and not too picky about their food.

Best way to fish: Find a shallow puddle with some fish in it, (Try for carp or catfish) and get 'em with your hands. Good exercise, and very hands-on. It's SOO FREAKING FUN!

how do you aim soo good with the laws of physics around.............. refraction makes sure that the fish isnt where your looking lol

To all the idiots who say this is terrible, it is actually extremely beneficial to the environment and all other species in it. The carp is invasive and governments have spent a lot of money on getting rid of them and preventing them from getting to more lakes. That is why there is no fucking limit on how many you can shoot! Its fun target practice and you're actually helping many helpless little fish that the carp dominate and destroy the habitat!

awesome shots!

" the common carp was the first invasive spieces of fish in north america which were introduced in the mid 1800's. Where ever the common carp was introduced it wreaked havoc by destroying large amounts of aquatic vegitation essential for native fish and water fowl for food and shelter" this quote was taken directly from the ROM Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Ontario on page 142. Before you over react do ur reasearch.

Awesome! I agree, I used to use the Zebco 808 and I would get excited and forget to press the release button and thwap! The arrow would snap my line and go sailing away.

Nice shots on all of those fish I especially liked the one in the bucket... XD... Anyway if you are American then that is kinda a normal thing but in England that would be a bit weird...

Nice arrows. Where did you get them? Carp taste really good just need a Chinese cook.

Man fish won't give up lol 2:34

looks like fun and your helping the enviroment its not plesent but its functional well done

Are those carp ediable ? I'm planning a trip to the US for bow fishing , this looks awesome !

How about a video explaining the set up and how to's for fishing on the bow? We use to spear fish when I was a kid for Salmon way back when, then they got all tight on that. LOL Carp are a problem everywhere, so this would be good.

You can use any kind of bow. However I use an inexpensive PSE compound bow. It is nice because the reel mounts on the same screw holes as the sights.

Nice shooting, where was this filmed at?

This is a talent, cant be easy too do this!

@mechKohji well in the uk carp are fish that are caught by millions of anglers who catch and release them. they are caught as a sport because they are a extremely hard fighting fish and are viewed very differently in the uk as they are worth about £6 per 1lb.

Thanks! You should really get out and try it. It really is a ton of fun.

@F1SHingGuRu awesome job killing some of those carp man, hey about how much does it cost to get into bow fishing? looks like a lot of fun.

@HnorHell I do not eat them personally because they are bony and have a terrible taste. I use them to fertilize my garden. They tomatoes love em!

hey! just wondering if you used a sight/laser or something to help aim or is it just all instinctive? im buying a bowfishing setup and am curious.. nice job btw!

If there's a glare on the water can you still see the fish with polarized lenses? would you recommend working away from the sun's reflection?

Lol, my teacher told me that the best way to cook carp would be to put it in a boot over a campfire with some carrots, and potatoes; and then just eat the shoe instead.

Why people don´t like this video if it´s very cool?

@yup703 I don not eat the fish myself since they are bony and have a terrible taste. I use them to fertilize my garden. my tomatoes love em!

that is truly and art form of hunting! great jobb! keep up the hunting!

Sweet vid man keep it up! I love bow fishing and I thought I'd look it up, I think I will start posting my vids

Nice video. Were had you bought that Bow with line

they are a great fertilizer for plants plus they are an invasive species so it effects the habitat for other game fish

Yes! I think the night fishing is where it is at. I would like to get a night fishing video up soon.

man this looks so fun, I gotta get a bow fishing rig

I just bought a new crossbow and it works great for our lake! It is full of them

THIS IS A SPORT THAT I VERY SHORT, CONGRATULATIONS!!

great craftsmanship... almost looks like an AMS >_>

This looks like so much fun.

Bow-fishing looks cool! would like to try it some time!

this guy makes it look easy.

John Rambo!! Can you hear me John Rambo??

nice , roughly how much did that bow cost m8, and can you do the same with a hunting cross bow?

nice shot !

for everyone asking carp are bottom feeders making them taste horrible so he probably is not going to eat them, btw gr8 vid

@Relovance I def wouldn`t consider bow fishing as being harder then fishing. I`d prefer a hunting kind of fishing over any kind of rod and reel fishing. The fish has to be actually hungry or at least have to react to a lure, and you never really know if where you are casting there actually are fish. you could be fishing for hours over a spot with no fish at all. When bow fishing, spearfishing, or any fishing of such kind, you are in pursuit of the fish. To me that makes it more fun and easier.

how long it take to cook and clean all those ? and does carp fry well? last question how hard is it to spot them swimming near the surface?

Nice man, i love bow fishing, mostly since i live in texas i just get a lot of smallmouth hiding in shallow areas

So tricking a fish into thinking it's having a happy meal that leads up to a barbed hook in its mouth and being pulled on shore face first is better?

Awesome bud!

If you still don't know Normal cyprinus carpio(Normal carp) don't eat vegetation(grass) only grasscarp eat vegetation! common carp is a bottom feeder like the suckerfish!

TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HATES THIS VIDEO, carps there are a nuisance. Not like in Europe, these people have a dire situation in their hands. Its not just for fun but its also the right thing to do. You wouldn't like it if your carps are gone. They wouldn't like it if their fish were gone too.

Read the description hes Doin a good job stop hating

given that light bends when it goes through water, when you're aiming at these carp, are you aiming high / low / or just straight on?

wow nice , never heard of bowfishing before .

@Ohiohunters33 We use the AMS Retriever Pro. It is the easiest and most reliable one that I have used so far.

In Texas is actually illegal to to take and dump the fish, we have wanton waste laws here... "Waste of fish - It is unlawful to leave edible fish or bait fish taken from the public waters of the state to die without the intent to retain the fish for consumption or bait".....and yes carp are considered edible fish by the state of Texas there are many articles on the states website on how to prepare them to eat..

Well done. I would love to try this.