Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: Mechslasher on April 25, 2009, 03:20:39 pm

Title: Went bowfishing...
Post by: Mechslasher on April 25, 2009, 03:20:39 pm
this morning for about an hour and had some luck.  there are some super large carp in the shallows this year.  grass beds everywhere and the next month of bowfishing will be a blast.  if anyone wants to go, come on down!

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Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: Little John on April 25, 2009, 03:29:37 pm
Wow, looks like you had a blast.
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: El Destructo on April 25, 2009, 03:31:11 pm
                        Nice needle nose there Chris...aint seen a Gar in years....no Water here for them......... :-\
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: mullet on April 25, 2009, 03:43:41 pm
 Nice Carp Chris and give the little lady a hug for me. ;)  Are you saving those skins? and you ought to try that Gar meat. If not give it to Alex, it's a lot better than that goose he gave me..
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: woodsman1031 on April 25, 2009, 03:52:28 pm
Mechslasher,

  I wish I lived closer, I would definately take you up on it! It looks like it would be a blast!

 I fried some carp one time and it was a BEAR to eat becuase of all of the bones. I finally threw it out because I kept missing them and getting them stuck in the roof of my mouth. The meat tasted great though. I have heard that there is a way to clean/cut them where the bones are not a problem. Do you know how to do this?



Tommy
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: huntertrapper on April 25, 2009, 04:07:26 pm
great job man nice carp.
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: mullet on April 25, 2009, 04:09:19 pm
  Tommy, I was talking about eating the Gar. When you clean them there are no bones. Just cut the backstrap out .
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: Hillbilly on April 25, 2009, 04:21:19 pm
Nice fish, Chris. That place looks familiar. :) I'm gonna try to get down there in a couple weeks after the TN Classic and do some jugging and maybe bowfishing, never tried bowfishing, looks like it'd be a lot of fun.
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: Timo on April 25, 2009, 04:56:21 pm
Nice shootin. Haven't been here yet, Gotta get that done.

I  pressure can all the rough fish I kill here in Mo. really simple to do, Bones are mush,and make some great tasting fish cakes
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: El Destructo on April 25, 2009, 05:20:46 pm
Tommy.....all of the Blacks down here catch the Crap out of Carp....and they swear by Pressure Cooking them....say the Meat falls off of the Bones....they cut the Fish into large pieces through the Back Bone....so when they are done Pressure Cooking....they shake the Bones....and the Meat just falls off of the whole Skeleton....I ain't never eaten Carp....but Gar is really good
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: boo on April 25, 2009, 05:30:14 pm
How far are you from Spartanburg?
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: islandpiper on April 25, 2009, 05:55:11 pm
I know this is a "north country" thing, but I used to pickle the parts of the pike that had all the bones, and sometimes crappie and perch, too.   I'll bet carp would pickle up really good.  Here in Louisiana i pickle extra trout of of the Gulf.   Good eats Charlie!!

1-1 gal jar
Iodized salt
Sugar
White Vinegar
onions
Pickleing Spice. { I remove the cloves]
White cooking wine
.1/2 pint or pint jars or any other size with a lid. Some use baby food jars.

Refrigerate fish during all times in brine and after packing in in final phase.

Cut northern or any fish into bite size pieces, no need to remove bones as they disolve during brineing. Fill 1-gal jar no more than 1/2 full. Mix 1/2 cup salt per quart of water cover fish and let stand 48-72 hours depending on thickness of fish.
Drain and rinse in cold water. Return fish to gal jar and cover with vinegar. Let stand 48-72 hours. depending on thickness.

Final brine. 4 cups white vinager, 3 cups sugar, Bring to boil then add 1 cup white cooking whine. Let cool.

Drain and rinse fish thourghly, discard vineagar. Pack fish in to jars with onions[as much as you want or don't] and 1/2 tsp of pickling spice. cover contents with brine refrigerate. Refringerate about 48 hours before eating to allow brine to flavor through

They will keep 6-8 months in refrigerator, but never last that long at our house.

piper
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: Mechslasher on April 25, 2009, 09:26:55 pm
el d, those gar are just small males.  the females can get as big around as a volleyball and 4' long.  i saw one today that was black as the ace of spades.  wish i could have gotten a shot at it.   just have to be careful on pass through shots are gar.  i've had the scales cut 800# braided nylon. 

boo, i'm about 1.5 hours from spartanburg.  i'll be going alot when i get back from the classic.

hillbilly, mullet, i shot these over the old indian village we walkled around last fall.  there is 5' of water over it now. 
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: El Destructo on April 25, 2009, 09:53:43 pm
Those are the best eating size....I don't care too much for the Big One.....
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: DanaM on April 26, 2009, 12:24:53 am
Carp or as I like to call them "Large Scale Bass" up here are on the "Do not Eat List" or you
might grow a 3rd eye :o So its kill em and leave em. Seen some in Lake Michigan that were in the 50lb range :o
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: Hillbilly on April 26, 2009, 09:06:03 am
Now fess up-Savannah really shot all of those, didn't she? ;D
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: skyarrow on February 09, 2010, 10:47:32 am
good lookn fish. and gar tastes great when cookd rite we have needle and alligator gar here where i live the alligator get over 6' talk about fun pulling in on a jug lol
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: Steve Cover on February 09, 2010, 03:34:06 pm
Good looking fish.

We used to do a lot of Gar fishing when I was stationed in Texas.

Some of the Gar were almost as long as our little flat bottomed boat.

We never attached the line directly to the bow..... Good way to lose one.

Our arrows were tied to about 30 feet of braided 100 lb line that was tied to a soccer ball sized plastic float.

What method of handling large fish do you use??

(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t175/SteveCover/Shooting/Archery/Hunting/BowFishing-NeedleNoseGar-1.jpg)

Note the improvised bow reel....

The larger Gar were shot in the head and dragged up on shore.  We brought this little one home for pictures (and cat food)

Steve
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: recurve shooter on February 10, 2010, 10:44:14 am
Mr. Kieth, now why aint me and ian got a jar of those fish pickles?  ::)

Mr. Eddie, i second the "eat the gar" motion. they are really good. and no bones like you said.  ;D
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: Justin Snyder on February 10, 2010, 11:16:21 am
Dang Chris, that looks like a good time. One day I'm going to make it down that direction to do some gar fishing.
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: Mechslasher on February 11, 2010, 10:27:25 am
justin, come on down.  bowfishing in s.c. during the spring is worth a trip from anywhere.  it's just like deer hunting from a tree stand, but you get hundreds of shots at an unlimited supply of targets.  we have been known to fill up the bed of a pickup truck on a modest bowfishing trip to the lake.  this spring is looking to be a super time.  the lake is at full pool stage and there is going to be grass in all the shallows, perfect conditions for carping.  the lake hasn't been full in 15+ years and some of my honey holes from my high school and college years should be packed with fish.  hillbilly is coming down and i'm hoping we can put together a primitive/trad video on bowfishing.  can't wait to see steve hook up with a 30# carp with his ash bow!
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: recurve shooter on February 11, 2010, 10:43:22 am
man. i can get two or three a day shooting from bridges and what not but i wanna come do that one day!
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: Hillbilly on February 11, 2010, 12:32:36 pm
Here's a short video clip that me and Chris made last year. Chris don't like my music.  >:D  ;D I've got a gar shooting article coming soon to a PA mag near you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t11hvCYtoP0
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: skyarrow on February 11, 2010, 01:08:11 pm
Here's a short video clip that me and Chris made last year. Chris don't like my music.  >:D  ;D I've got a gar shooting article coming soon to a PA mag near you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t11hvCYtoP0

most excellent vid guys where did u get the reels and arrow /tips for the self bows and i love the music lol it was fitting
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: Justin Snyder on February 11, 2010, 01:16:57 pm
The music does leave a little to be desired doesn't it Chris.  :-X O:)
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: recurve shooter on February 11, 2010, 06:29:15 pm

most excellent vid guys where did u get the reels and arrow /tips for the self bows and i love the music lol it was fitting

i dont know where you get the one's that are actually made for a "real" bow like we shoot, but here's what i do.
jist buy the cheap hand wind reals that screw into the riser hole of a compound, scrap the bolt that came with it, get a shorter one and bolt the real to a piece of wood or metal or whatever, then tape that pice to your riser/handle and presto. simi-caveman reel lol.  ;D
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: Jude on February 13, 2010, 06:13:13 am
Those are some big goldfish :o  It's good to see I'm not the only one who made fish pickels :D  When I was young, single and hungry, that was the best thing to do with all the little perch and sunfish that most people wouldn't bother to clean.  Just eat em like sardines :)
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: Mechslasher on February 14, 2010, 02:40:58 am
sky, 3 rivers sells a rubber adapter that straps to your bow and the reel adapter screws into it. 

justin, what can i say, he also has a pet skunk. :-\
Title: Re: Went bowfishing...
Post by: Hillbilly on February 14, 2010, 10:21:17 am
You're just jealous... ;D ;D