Bowfishing the Slam

A popular pastime on the coast involves a camouflaged flat fish that is mostly deformed and nicknamed the ‘doormat’ and the ruling weapon of choice of King Neptune himself.  I had never been flounder gigging officially but it sure seemed like it would be fun.

To catch you up on this whole little expedition, I am currently writing a book with a working title of “Bowfishing the Slam.”  Over the next year I will be crossing the United States in search of 10 different species of aquatic targets while using my bow.  This particular trip, I was after the stingray.

You can follow the pursuit HERE

So why is flounder gigging the lead paragraph if I am after stingrays?  Well, in my research on the stingray and where to go, there doesn’t seem to be any ‘stingray authorities.’  No guides to call that specialize in rays, no stingray genius who is well known to have taken the biggest and baddest rays there are.  So I had to improvise.  Who could I contact that would know something about the rays and where and when to find them?

Flounder giggers.  They were my best answer I could come up with.  Find a flounder gigger that knows what he is doing and ask him when and where he comes across the creatures.  That brought me to Jason Shi, owner of Simple Life Charters.  Jason is a captain and commercial fisherman near Wrightsville Beach.  After a short interview, I was convinced that he would be able to put me in the right spot.  I also understood this is just like hunting; in fact it is hunting; hunting fish in water.  Since it is hunting, there are no guarantees, but you try to give yourself the best odds of success.

Jason and I looked at the tide tables and lunar cycles and decided on the best evening that would fit both of our schedules.  The night we choose would allow us about two and a half hours of ‘hunting’ time.  We had to wait for the sun to set so the lights would do their thing.

To explain the whole gigging process, we are on a boat with two 100 watt light bulbs partially submerged in the water.  As we poll the boat over the shallow flats just off the Inter-coastal Waterway, we search for fish on the bottom.  If things go correctly, a ray will take off in a flutter from the bottom and I would get a shot with the bow before it leaves the halo of the light.  As for gigging, it consists of a poll usually 8 to 14 feet long with several points on the end.  The gig poll is what Jason uses to push the boat around the flats.

Follow the quest on Facebook HERE

I explained to Jason that even though the target of the evening was the stingray, that basically anything legal I would like to attempt to harvest.

Bowfishing was new to Jason.  He routinely takes clients out several nights each week for gigging.  He expressed his concerns about the bow and arrow.  Would the arrow have enough penetration after passing through the water?  Would the barbed fish point (I used the Garpoon by Cajun Archery) be sufficient to hold the prey after a successful shot?  Did I know how to swim?  Ok, the last question wasn’t about the equipment, but still a valid concern. And yes, I do know how to swim.

After we set down the first shoal, Jason quickly spotted a flounder on the bottom.  The boat gently passed over the fish.  I never saw it.  Jason backed the boat up and pointed to a vague half football shape.  He motioned where the eyes were.  It still took a moment for my brain to process what I was looking at.  Then, thwack! Splash!  I released the arrow quickly and in a short moment I was reeling in my first flounder by archery equipment.  It surpassed the minimum legal size and weighed nearly 2 pounds.  Jason felt much more at ease after seeing what the bow could do as well.

We continued and spotted several small flounder, a few nice sized sheepshead, mullet, and a beautiful red drum that must have weighed over 30 pounds.  Again, as I have stated before, it is remarkable what you can see while outdoors.

The tide was coming in hard and the weekend boat traffic assisted in stirring the sand making many of our spots difficult to see.  Jason began having second thoughts on any luck with the rays as he usually would spot 5 or 6 each trip.  Hunting has a way of sneaking up on you though.  While heading to another flat, Jason spotted a ray several yards away escaping the light of the boat.  Just his quick shout of “RAY!” was enough to have me go from balancing myself on the front of a wobbly boat to fully drawn and finger on the release trigger.  Ten yards out the arrow cut into the saltwater and the line from my bow reel screamed.  Several minutes later, the target was in hand.  My first ray.

But the highlight of the evening was still to come.  We later spotted another flounder while making our way back to the Inter-coastal Waterway.  Again, Jason’s trained eyes quickly spotted what my untrained eyes quickly missed.  But after Jason’s expert imaging of the fish on the bottom I released the arrow.  What a fight!  The flounder had taken the line 25 yards out before I could set drag to slow it up.  After a good fight, I was able to bring in a superb specimen of a flounder.  Jason assisted the net, as he was worried we would lose it (it is not uncommon for the flounder to wiggle free from gigs).  But the Garpoon point held true and the flounder was on for good.

So, in a quest for the stingray which was a success, I was also true on the new North Carolina State Bowfishing Record Flounder, breaking the old record held by Amanda Carr by 4 ounces.  Nearly 2 feet in length, it was certainly a ‘doormat’ to be proud of.

Bill Howard with new NC State Bowfishing record flounder, weighing 4 lb 8 oz.

Bowfishing the Slam with a Surprise

Short video thrown together of my recent bowfishing trip for stingrays and skates.  Little special surprise at the end!

Fishin' Quest

June 2 through June 10 marks National Fishing and Boating Week 2012.  Just as I did last year, I carried my youngest son Cooper out to dip the hook in the water.  Last year he caught his first fish.  This year, he has already expanded on his species list bringing in his first catfish.  And how he loves fishing!

Drew Haerer and a Suwannee Bass

I recently started following the exploits of Drew Haerer from Duke University.  I have read some of his stories in the past, mainly because he is located here in North Carolina.  Drew is an avid fisherman who enjoys self propelled transportation on water.  In other words, he is hooked on fishing from a kayak.  The sub-sport has been growing by leaps and bounds and those that do it are akin to fly fishermen or traditional bowhunters.  It is almost like ‘extreme fishing’.  No lazy days on the side of the pond.  No, you must stay alert, mark the locations you feel are good spots, and either paddle upstream and float back down or float downstream and paddle back up.

Drew announced a couple of weeks ago he is attempting the B.A.S.S. slam.  This is where it really gets interesting.  The slam consists of catching all 9 species of black bass located in North America within a one year period.  Since the species are located throughout the United States, travel and planning become a must.

So, in reading Drew’s goals, I was able to determine something within Drew’s spirit that makes him unique.  He strives to take something difficult, compound it with obstacles that he puts in his own way, and still has the faith that it can be done.  Drew’s ambition is to not only complete the B.A.S.S. slam, but he is adding in another bass fishing recognition program, the RiverBassin’ slam (they have slightly different measurement requirements in order to qualify), he is going to do it from his kayak, he is doing it only from public waters, and the waters will all be either rivers or streams.  “I am not a big fan of guys catching huge fish in private water and then bragging about it all over the internet.  So, I wanted to show how much great fishing is available in the public realm.”   Drew went on to say, “I think if I can complete the slam, it will probably mean a lot more to me twenty years from now than any other fishing accomplishment.”

Drew and a friend of his, Bill Kohls of Reel Fishing NC guide service, took off on a rotation throughout the Southeast U.S. a couple of weeks ago.  They scouted through the internet using Google, different fishing forums and communities, and contacted a state wildlife agency for clarification on the borders for one of the species targeted.  I have got to admit, I like doing things a little ‘non-traditional’ as much as Drew, so I was hooked checking his status updates on his quest over the last couple of weeks.

Not only did they have to find the locations of the species, they needed to find public access to the rivers and plan their equipment properly.  I asked Drew if he needed to use different lures and lines for the different species or was different equipment used simply for the conditions at hand.  Do not let the word simply fool you, nothing was ‘simple’.  Drew did have to fish more to the conditions and with the menacing storm Beryl bearing down on the Southeast during the trip, Drew and Bill would have to endure rain and wind along with the conditions the run-off and heightened fresh water would throw at them.

Still, Drew said confidence was a key, and he would continuously go back to what he was most comfortable with; a finesse worm.  That confidence was a deciding factor in much of the success he enjoyed on the trip.

Setting goals and taking the task at hand to heart are things that many of us begin to understand once we become older and wiser.  Experiencing the outdoors can help us relate to these attributes and become better because of it.  “For me it came down to the challenge and the adventure.  I mean, most avid bass anglers probably never heard of a Suwannee bass.  Most of my favorite memories are trips with my family, friends, and girlfriend.  Any time I get to spend with them is special…and even more special if we are catching fish!”  Well said Drew, well said!

You can follow Drew’s pursuit at ManPoweredFishing.com and Quest for the Bass Slam on facebook.

20 for $20 or less: Tick Key

Previous: 1- Fox 40 Whistle
               2- Nitrile Gloves
               3- Mineral Mizer
               4- Little Hotties
               5- Sawyer Insect Repellent
               6- Lifestraw
               7- Monopod
               8- Paracord Turkey Tote
               9- Yaktrax
             10- Boonie Hat
             11- LightLoad Towels
             12- Phone Apps
             13- Silent Retriever
             14- Mity Might Rod and Reel
             15- NiteIze BrimLit
             16- Eat'n Tool
             17- Gear Ties
             18- Log Book
             19- Windicator

Tick Key

The tick key is a great little gadget for those who hand out in the woods.  We already discussed how much of a pain ticks are a few weeks ago when introducing Sawyer's  Insect Repellant.  So you forgot to spray down your clothes and you find a tick already embedded.  Not good!  Tweezers may cause a couple of issues such as pulling the body of the tick off but not getting the head, or even squeezing the tick til it regurgitates, which can pass the nasty stuff to you.  The tick key simply slides over the top of the tick then is slid toward the head.  The ever narrowing open pulls the evil critter right from your skin.  Lightweight and small, it is easy enough to attach to your bag or backpack.

Tick Key - $4.95