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Extreme Bowfishing

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By Bob McNally

Updated on Apr 20, 2021 4:43 AM EDT

2 minute read

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Shore-bound archers get plenty of spring action in many regions of the country, as this Utah bowman shows while walking a canal bank in the Bear River Bird Refuge.

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Many seasoned archers begin their hunts at sunset, since much of the best bowfishing is had at night. This is when the biggest and most elusive of big rough fish cruise into shallow water for spawning.
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This giant of an alligator gar was just taken March 28 by Richard Babb of Lufkin, Texas, who is part of Garzilla Bowfishing guide service.
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Garzilla Bowfishing specializes in leading anglers to gar more the size of alligators than fish.
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Garzilla uses specialized boats with raised bow decks to get clients into ideal shooting position to take giant gar with archery gear.
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Taking this many monster gar with archery tackle is not for weak-knee sportsmen.
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Great bowfishing can be found throughout the country, as this Colorado archer learned when he took two nice carp with a single arrow shot.
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Robert Blackburn, age 11, took this Texas record tilapia weighing just over 10 pounds, showing that bowfishing isn't just for adults.
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Ladies love spring bowfishing, too, as shown by this Colorado archery couple.
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Bowfishing can produce some unusual catches, like this 22-pound paddlefish, taken by Wheaton Kremke from the Missouri River near Yankton, S.D.
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Bighead carp are an invasive species biologists want removed from American waters, and Jeremiah Ashby did his part by arrowing this fish from the Des Moines River.
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Wisconsin is a bowfishing paradise, as shown by Lewis Holmes, president of the Wisconsin Bowfishing Association.
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Paul Smith and Bent Foulk teamed to take this 29-pound needlenose gar from the Ochlocknee River near Thomasville, Ga.
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At times in spring carp swarm into shallow water where they are set-ups for bowfishermen, even in Colorado, where this archer scored a big day.
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This incredible 218-pound alligator gar was taken with Extreme Bowfishing guide Jack Thatcher.
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Jack Thatcher, again, with another amazing take of oversize alligator gar from Texas.
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Extreme Bowfishing also targets other species, like carp and buffalo.
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Seems like everything is bigger in Texas, like this 7-foot, 200-pound alligator gar, taken by bowman Rich Riethmayer.
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Small shallow-draft boats are ideal for getting into areas where big rough fish spawn. This incredible catch of oversize alligator gar was take by Texas guide Mark Malfa .
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Looking more like a gator than a gar, gigantic dinosaurs like this are available to bowfishermen right now.

Spring is here and throughout much of America fish giant ugly fish are moving into shallow water to spawn making them prime targets for bowfishermen.