Bow Fishing for Channel Cats?

I don’t see any reason that it shouldn’t apply to those species too.

Heck, a bass might even be dumb enough to mistake a sparkler for a spinnerbait.

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Question…..how realistic is it to harvest cats bowfishing?

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thats what i am thinking reading through this thread.
how often has anyone seen a catfish in clear, shallow water making itself a target for a bowfisherman.
i dont think i ever have, but down this way most of the time you couldnt see a catfish on the bottom in a foot of water.

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I think the whole thought of it underminds everything the MNSCA would hopefully stand for.

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MNCSA stand for making the catfish and sturgeon fishing better for everyone, not just you or me.

Officially the jury is still out until next week, but please re read the email that was sent out and respond if you feel strongly one way or the other.

No response could be construed as no one cares.

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Question…..how realistic is it to harvest cats bowfishing?

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Sorry Deano! I stepped away and missed your post.

Daytime, not so much.
“frequently” at night depending on the body of water…so I’m told.

I don’t have a generator and lights on my boat, so I can’t speak first hand.

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MNCSA stand for making the catfish and sturgeon fishing better for everyone, not just you or me.

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call it what you want, but I’m not calling it fishing.

Seriously, have you seen the musky guys and pike spearers go at it? It’s like a never ending bad reality show. I want no part of that. I’m already more worked up that I care to be.

Pug, you really want folks on a gin clear lake under a full moon shooting big eyeballs and musky? C’mon now…

You would be supprised how may you see at night from and elevated deck and lights going. During the daytime I dont think i have ever seen one.

kroger3,

Do you see many flatheads? (assuming you can tell the difference I mean. )

It’s nothing to get too worked up about at this time Darren, it’s just a question to get other views from other waters.

BowFishing is still fishing, I guess.

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kroger3,

Do you see many flatheads? (assuming you can tell the difference I mean. )

It’s nothing to get too worked up about at this time Darren, it’s just a question to get other views from other waters.

BowFishing is still fishing, I guess.

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I replied to your email, no high horse here, let them fish for them.

We have people on this forum that keep in a day more than what I think a handful of bow fishers will get in a evening of fishing, I guess it’s ok if you use a few rods and reels or multiple hooks on lines huh?

Al

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Pug, you really want folks on a gin clear lake under a full moon shooting big eyeballs and musky? C’mon now…

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Maybe I have a poor imagination, but I just don’t see a mass of bow hunters overrunning a lake and decimating populations of fish.

I probably would have a problem with it if one day I went out on the water and saw every boat converted to have a raised deck and all the ‘anglers’ with bows in hand.

I am still on the fence with the issue, although it probably doesn’t sound that way. I did say I’d have a problem is every time these guys went out that they came back with limits 15-20# channels every time. And even if I agreed that it was OK, I would still want more strict bag limits and give the DNR the right prohibit it on any lakes that they deemed would be threatened.

I am still waiting on a bow hunter to chime in. Who are these people and why do they want to target channels. I can’t really give a solid opinion until I hear from that side. And if I don’t hear from one, I would side with caution and say no.

There, I have stopped being so difficult.

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let them fish for them.

We have people on this forum that keep in a day more than what I think a handful of bow fishers will get in a evening of fishing

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so then you feel the same about walleye, musky, and bass then too right?

I guess I am not opposed to bow fishing any spieces if you think you can hunt an animal or fish in it’s envirorment go for it.
That shining thing kind of t’s me off though,it kind of goes to the deer in the headlights.
I don’t know how a catfish reacts to a sudden burst of light in it’s eye’s.
I just feel if you are going to hunt or fish, you should not be able to momentarily stun your prey just so you get a better shot.

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Pug, you really want folks on a gin clear lake under a full moon shooting big eyeballs and musky? C’mon now…

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Maybe I have a poor imagination, but I just don’t see a mass of bow hunters overrunning a lake and decimating populations of fish.

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Well if was legal for musky and walleye, I can guarantee you it would be come uber popular, and I’d be willing to bet that blood would be shed over the matter as well.

WE ALL know that it would NEVER become legal for those species, so why even contimplate it about Cats????

I am siding with Dtro on this. If you are going to expand bowhunting out of the realm of rough fish into a particular species, you almost have to expand it to all species. if not, I can see it reinforcing the lack of respect that cats get already.

That being said, the DNR would never open walleyes, muskies, bass, etc to bowfishing as it is a 100 % mortality way of fishing. I could also see slot limits becoming a nightmare and wanton waste becoming a problem.

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WE ALL know that it would NEVER become legal for those species, so why even contimplate it about Cats????

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Right on Darren!

I had an argument with a guy this year about him killing a protected species in WI! The River Redhorse! He told me that I had no Idea what I was talking about and he was shooting only Shortheads and that is legal. I counted that he alone had posted 5 or 6 pictures of River Redhorse he is a seasoned bowfisherman who tells me he knows how to ID the fish. I am much better than average at spotting fish and telling the diff and know most people are not very good. Now I understand this is Redhorse but the point is regs are not followed.

Onto other species the Blue Sucker is one that is even more rare! It is legal in MN and some other states to shoot them and why? Because nobody ever will! But that is not true I have seen pics and they are disgusting! The reason I fish is for fun and my fishing effects very few people. Bowfishing effects the fish because they are not released. If bowfishing for cats is passed then what is next? Lets allow walleye! Walleye are stocked in lakes to keep a healthy population, Muskies! Now they would be a hoot! Oh wait now they are dead. To me bowfishing for anything other than carp is selfish! I enjoy angling for carp but they grow fast and there are so many of them. Our native Buffalo do not deserve to die by an arrow for entertainment. Eating them is the only acceptable answer for me on why to harvest one.

Yes I have an opinion and that opinion is there are plenty of other fish to shoot legally! There are species that should be taken off the list such as WI has done!

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WE ALL know that it would NEVER become legal for those species, so why even contimplate it about Cats????

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Why? Because this question is being sent to DNR offices throughout the state.

Why? Because it’s good to get other peoples views instead of going with my own gut feeling. For or against.

Speaking of gut feelings. I think I only counted one or two biological reason why channels (or walleyes or bass…ect) shouldn’t be targeted…so far…

Most has been feelings and MN’s Walleye Syndrome.

Another problem I see with bowfishing is that if you are into the fish, you won’t stop until you have reached your limit. Thus if the shooting is good, the bow hunter will ALWAYS take his limit, whereas a hook and line fisherman can be on the fish all day and not keep a single one if he chooses.

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let them fish for them.

We have people on this forum that keep in a day more than what I think a handful of bow fishers will get in a evening of fishing

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so then you feel the same about walleye, musky, and bass then too right?

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Yup, as long as they keep to the limits and size they are legally entitle to.

Al

This is BS. I just went to this forum called IDOHunting and read that these guys are killing turkey, deer, ducks, squirrels and just about every animal that I enjoy feeding or just observing. I just found a new cause.

Just saying.

That ought to keep you guys going for the rest of the day. I had to do it. Brent hasn’t responded the the photo I made of him in the Favre is God thread and there is no Viking Packer banter going on today.

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This is BS. I just went to this forum called IDOHunting and read that these guys are killing turkey, deer, ducks, squirrels and just about every animal that I enjoy feeding or just observing. I just found a new cause.

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PUG PUG PUG

My point is wanton waste! Most guys eat the deer turkey ect and if they do not it is then wanton waste and wrong.

Too much blind shooting going on by these bow-fishers. How the heck are you gonna ID a Channel from a Flathead in stained water, much less ID anything at all. A dark shadow of a fish could be anything. Shooting at boils, even more foolish. Even the endangered Blue Sucker could be the target, who knows. This here is a bad deal. Not so much concerned about these guys limiting out on Channels, but concerned with the IDing of species in turbid conditions, before the shot is even fired. And then you are gonna have things shot by accident, like Flatheads for instance.

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PUG PUG PUG

My point is wanton waste! Most guys eat the deer turkey ect and if they do not it is then wanton waste and wrong.

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So you think people will shoot channels for fertilizer? I guess I was going by the assumption that bow hunters would be interested because they want to eat them. This is exactly why I want a bowfisher to chime in. If they would be shooting them just to shoot them, well that seems kind of ridiculous. I’d think shooting carp would be a lot more fun than channels.

Who cares if they do it to walleyes?

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Too much blind shooting going on by these bow-fishers. How the heck are you gonna ID a Channel from a Flathead in stained water, much less ID anything at all.

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If people are just shooting at a splash in the water – they are already probably shooting and dumping the wrong species…… Species ID is not a concern in my eyes as far as opening cats to the harvest……species ID is already an issue.

I can spear pike and cats already in MN inthe winter and although I have taken many pike over the years, I still have not seen to taken a cat in the spearhouse.

My gut feel is that the additional harvest would be minimal…….my rational side says to try it out for a year or two and see if there is a problem. If there isn’t, then no harm. If there is, change the law back……..

T

I know there is a lot of joking around about walleye and bass or whatnot, but if people can honestly say they wouldn’t care about folks on a rocky reef at night in clear water with a headligh shooting walleye, musky, pike, and bass, then I think the same opinion about cats is valid.

They need to be on the same level, it’s as simple as that.

Let me share something I found out about a flathead this year….

if we want to continue to have a trophy fishery and keep catching big fish, catch and release is the only way that will happen.

Here’s some data from a fish that Eddie ec30_06 caught recently:

Eddie measured it at 44″. The tagged fish was first caught near Renville County’s Mack Lake/Camp Town County Park. The fish was 40″ long and aged at approx 14yrs. This was in 1997

So that means that the fish was 100 river miles downstream from where it was first caught and grew about 4″ in 13 years. That also makes it approx 27 years old!

I know we are talking about channels, but incurring more harvest via alternative methods just doesn’t seem prudent just as catfishing is exploding in popularity.

Yes, catch and release does make for larger fish all around…except when a commercial net comes in with it’s blind eye for size and quantity.

Catch and release would be No.2 on my list for Trophy flats.

But your right, we are talking about channels.

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Who cares if they do it to walleyes?

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x2 (only in the spawn thou.

Where does fair chase fit in this conversation?

Do you have to feed it before you shoot it?
Do you need lights to find it before you shoot it?

We are slipping into areas I have always hoped we would never go. Backwards

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Too much blind shooting going on by these bow-fishers. How the heck are you gonna ID a Channel from a Flathead in stained water, much less ID anything at all.

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If people are just shooting at a splash in the water – they are already probably shooting and dumping the wrong species…… Species ID is not a concern in my eyes as far as opening cats to the harvest……species ID is already an issue.

I can spear pike and cats already in MN inthe winter and although I have taken many pike over the years, I still have not seen to taken a cat in the spearhouse.

My gut feel is that the additional harvest would be minimal…….my rational side says to try it out for a year or two and see if there is a problem. If there isn’t, then no harm. If there is, change the law back……..

T

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X2

Ramdon shooting??
Ever been on public hunting lands during deer season???

Bowfishers are no differenent that anyone else, the good ones will be sure of what they shoot.

Just like good fishermen will obey the rules of fishing, bad ones won’t.

Al

I would like to introduce myself my name is Brian Petschl and I am the legislative director for the Land of Lakes Bowfishing Association. There has been discussions amongst some folks who bowfish for years about how we would like to see an additional opportunity to provide table fare. Let me make it very clear this issue is not about adding another fish to the barrel for fertilizer, this is about consumption! The MNDNR views using rough for fertilizer as an acceptable use but this does not apply to game fish. This should not be seen as an attempt to discredit the value of this fisheries.

To start with if you are against bowfishing period I understand the sport is not for everyone and we will have to leave it as we respectfully to agree to disagree. I am not going to waste my time with some silly disagreement about the sport.

Some have asked “Why”? Bowfishing for catfish is not a new concept and there are states which allow this. As many of you already know catfish provide great table fare and there seems to be a healthy fishery (channels in particular). Going into this we certainly understand not everyone will support such a thing for MN. We are taking a responsible approach to this by speaking with people like Brian and the MNDNR. We could have tried to find a legislator to provide a bill (regardless if we would be successful or not) and not work with others who value this fisheries. That approach would do nothing for all involved and we feel that we should be able to work together to come up with something that is beneficial for sportsmen/women and the fisheries. I have had many talks with Brian about things he views important like protecting the trophy flathead fisheries. This was talked about in our meeting with the MNDNR fisheries administration among other issues.

We are not naive walking into this regarding the work we have a head of us, but I would hope we will be shown the same respect we have shown others when we have an opportunity to sit down and have a discussion about this issue in the future. I look forward to participating in the future catfish workshop.

Thanks, Brian

I think we should open bow fishing up to walleyes. That is what the dnr loads all our lakes with and there are way too many of them anyway. Sorry, not a fan of Bow Fishing.