5/24/2005
CARP ARE SPAWNING, TRY YOUR LUCK AT BOWFISHING - Tom Keith


LINCOLN, Neb. -- Carp spawning activities usually peak around Memorial Day weekend and thats an ideal time to try your hand at bowfishing.

While spawning, carp thrash around in shallow water and are challenging targets. Carp and other nongame fish may be taken year-round statewide by archery and surface spear, from sunrise to sunset between September 1 - March 30, and 24 hours per day from April 1 - August 31. Two Rivers SRA, Louisville SRA, Fort Kearny SRA, Mormon Island SRA, Windmill SRA; Platte River State Park, Eugene T. Mahoney State Park and trout streams are closed to bowfishing year-round.

All you need for bowfishing is a hand-drawn traditional or compound long bow and an arrow with one barbed point. The arrow must be attached to the bow by a line at the time the arrow is released. While there is no minimum draw weight required by law, most bow archers use a bow that pulls about 40 pounds to retain enough energy when the arrow enters the water to penetrate a fishs tough scales and skin.

Most modern bows have a threaded hole in the riser where a stabilizer or bow- fishing reel can be mounted. Many traditional bows have no hole, but brackets to hold the reel can be purchased or made, then strapped to the riser. Hand wrap drum reels are still available at some shops, but closed-face spinning reels, such as the Zebco 808, are now more common for holding the line. Heavy braided line is easier to use with a hand-wrap reel because it wont cut your hand or glove as easily when you pull the fish in, while the line used with a closed- face spinning reel is often 200-pound, thin-diameter monofilament. The heavy line is important because the fishs scales can be sharp and fray the line if they roll, and because the fish are usually shot in shallow water, where other objects found there can easily cause abrasions and line fraying.

Carp are plentiful in many areas, are strong fighters and can be a challenge to land on any tackle. They grow to good size – the state record bighead carp weighed 46 pounds, 8 ounces; the record common carp went 33 pounds, 12 ounces; and the record grass carp weighed 64 pounds. Four and five pounders are common. Carp are also great on the table, whether scored and fried, smoked, canned, or grilled.

Pawnee Lake near Emerald, Calamus Reservoir near Burwell, Bluestem Lake near Sprague, Lake Ogallala, Dead Timber SRA near Scribner, East Twin at Twin Lakes WMA near Pleasant Dale, Cottonwood-Steverson Lake WMA near Hyannis, and DeSoto Bend NWR near Blair, all offer excellent populations of carp, as do many other lakes across the state.

Before heading to the lake, be sure you have a 2005 Nebraska fishing permit and Aquatic Habitat Stamp, which can be purchased online from the Game and Parks Commissions web site at www.outdoornebraska.org, from a Game and Parks office, or any of some 900 permit vendors across the state. With a few exceptions, any angler 16 years old or older is required to have a Nebraska fishing permit to fish in Nebraska. The resident annual fishing permit costs $15, a nonresident annual fishing permit is $45, and the Aquatic Habitat Stamp, required of all residents and nonresidents, 18 years and older, is $5. Also pick up a free copy of the 2005 Nebraska Fishing Guide, which has information about fishing regulations and public waters across the state.

 

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