I shot an arrow in to the air (water?) - - " Bowfishing?

Yes, "Bowfishing" this was a new concept for me when I first came to the lake, though growing up in Missouri and being gone for over 20 years, I sorta lost touch with some of the local outdoor sports. Bowfishing is growing in popularity and for avid Bowhunters, it is another sort of sport "spinoff" which allows you test your skills even more.

Wikipedia, describes Bowfishing as a method of fishing that uses specialized archery equipment to shoot and retrieve fish. Fish are shot with a barbed arrow that is attached with special line to a reel mounted on the bow. Some freshwater species commonly hunted include common carp, grass carp, bighead carp, alligator gar, and paddlefish. In saltwater, rays and sharks are regularly pursued.

I got a little more up close and personal with Bowfishing @ 0330 hrs on Sunday morning when a Water Patrol officer called me to assist some Bowfishermen who had engine failure and were taking on water in Lick Branch Cove @ the 5 mile mark. They had apparantly opened a seam in their aluminium Jon style boat while engaged in a 22 hour (all night+) Bowfishing Tournament. Their truck & trailer were at the access ramp in Gravois Mills, about 9 miles up the Gravois Arm. They were underway on their trolling motor and the bilge pump was not quite keeping up. The Water Patrol was escorting them, I pulled along side and gave them a 12Volt pump, which allowed them to keep up with the flooding and took them in tow for Gravois Mills some 12 miles from our position. I kept them on a short tow at about 8 mph so I could keep an eye on them while they worked on the flooding. We reached the ramp @0505 hrs and quickly hauled the boat. Apparantly the owner had smacked something pretty hard when the boat was new in 2002 and the repair did not hold. They had opened up the main center seam and were taking on water through a crack and some broken welds - - the fact that the "add on" Bowfishing tower on the bow of the boat probably contributed to some of the stress cracks and the fact that these boys weren't exactly "lightweights" may have been a factor in opening up some old wounds.

If you want to learn more about Bowfishing, go to the Missouri Bowfishing Website for information about this interesting sport.

Photo: The photo is a typical Bowfishing boat, quite similar to one that we assisted above