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Art Lander’s Outdoors: Late spring, summer is prime time for bow fishing on Kentucky’s lakes and rivers


Bowfishing (Photo courtesy of Fish and Game publications)

Shooting fish with bows and arrows is most popular in late spring and summer after water conditions stabilize, and surface temperatures rise above 70 degrees. The target species are rough fish and they are abundant, so opportunities abound.

Ideal conditions are clear and stable water levels. A sharply falling water level pulls fish off the banks into deeper water, where they are harder to see. Stained water conditions can also make it more difficult to see fish and judge their depth. A slight rise in water levels can create good opportunities because fish move up to the banks.

(Photo from Flickr Commons)

Most bow fishing is done at night. Archers shoot from boats, using lights to illuminate fish suspended just below the surface. Sticking a fish at an unknown depth below the surface is a bit tricky for beginners. Because of light refraction, you have to aim below the fish.

Carp, the most targeted species, are often found up shallow, especially in the spring when they spawn. They also school up in lake tailwaters, where bow fishermen can get shots during the day and night from boats.

When bow fishing shallow streams or small lakes, archers can sometimes get shots when wading or walking the banks.

Bow Fishing Regulations

Here’s a brief summary of bow fishing regulations in Kentucky.

• Bowfishing is open statewide, with exceptions.

• Rough fish (except alligator gar and lake sturgeon) may be taken year-round. Game fish may not be taken.

• Legal gear includes longbows, recurve bows, crossbows, compound bows, or a pneumatic air arrow launching device. Arrows must have a barbed or retractable style point that has a line attached for retrieval.

• Catfish have a daily creel limit of 5 (in aggregate) and paddlefish have a daily creel limit of 2. There is no limit on other rough fish.

• Paddlefish or their roe taken by bow and arrow cannot be sold. Paddlefish and catfish taken by bow and arrow must be taken into immediate possession and cannot be culled.

• Bow fisherman may fish within 200 yards of a dam, except by boat in boat restricted areas. Bow fishing is prohibited in the Lake Cumberland tailwaters below Wolf Creek Dam downstream to the Tennessee line, including Hatchery Creek and all tributaries for 1⁄2 mile upstream of their confluence with the Cumberland River.

• Persons using a bow and arrow for fishing must have the appropriate fishing license.

For the complete regulations regarding bow fishing consult the annual fishing and boating guide posted on the KDFWR website

Silver carp (Photo by Ryan Hagerty, US Fish and Wildlife Service)

Target Species

Species most frequently taken by bow fishermen include silver and bighead Asian carp, common carp, and grass carp, catfish, gar, buffalo, and suckers.

Asian carp have become established in major rivers throughout Kentucky and pose a threat to native game fish species.

On rivers and the tailwaters of major lakes in western Kentucky, it’s not uncommon for archers to arrow 15 to 20-pound silver carp, and bighead carp in the 40 to 50-pound range.

The skin of Asian carp is soft so it’s important to get a solid hit in the front half of the fish. Aim for their eyeballs. A hit to the belly usually results in the arrow pulling out before the fish is landed.

Art Lander Jr. is outdoors editor for the Northern Kentucky Tribune. He is a native Kentuckian, a graduate of Western Kentucky University and a life-long hunter, angler, gardener and nature enthusiast. He has worked as a newspaper columnist, magazine journalist and author and is a former staff writer for Kentucky Afield Magazine, editor of the annual Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide and Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide, and co-writer of the Kentucky Afield Outdoors newspaper column.

Bow Fishing Tackle

Legendary archer Fred Bear is considered the father of modern bow fishing in America. He was one of the first to design bow fishing gear in 1958.

By regulation in Kentucky waters, longbows, recurve bows, crossbows, compound bows, or pneumatic air arrow launching devices are legal.

Most bow fishermen prefer recurve bows, or compound bows, for a number of reasons, including ease of mounting a reel, and the fact they are available in a wide range of draw weights.

Draw weight is a major consideration because it doesn’t take much poundage to spear a fish with a fishing arrow. Typically 30 to 40 pounds of draw weight is ideal for shooting fish. Fiberglass bow fishing arrows are heavy so they carry their energy and penetrate well.

A good choice for the two-season archer is a compound bows that enables maximum performance throughout a wide range of draw weights.

Kentucky Bowfishing Records

The Kentucky State Bow Fishing Records Program (KSBRP) was established to recognize trophy rough fish taken by bow fishermen in Kentucky.

The program was started in 2002 by the United Bowhunters of Kentucky.

The current Kentucky bow fishing records include:

• Bowfin, 15 pounds 10 ounces, Don Bellamy, Lake Barkley, April 9, 2006.
• Bluegill (sunfish), 1 pound 1ounce, Darnell Hatfield, Kentucky Lake, May 1, 2003.
• Smallmouth Buffalo, 72 pounds 4 ounces, Bruce Bauer, Lake Barkley, April 16, 2009.
• Bigmouth Buffalo, 35 pounds 8 ounces, Clay Rhye, Lake Barkley, April 5, 2008.
• Blue Catfish, 62 pounds 9 ounces, Joseph Ewing, Tennessee River, May 26, 2006.
• Channel Catfish, 23 pounds 11 ounces, Kerry Thompson, Hardin County farm pond, August 8, 2003.
• Flathead Catfish, 60 pounds 9 ounces, Jay Knight, Kentucky Lake, May 22, 2004.
• Common Carp, 38 pound 6 ounces, Jason Patterson, Lake Malone, May 2, 2013.
• Bighead Carp, 81 pounds 12 ounces, Randall Padgett, Ohio River, February 2, 2012.
• Silver Carp, 31 pounds 6 ounces, David Hash, Ohio River, August 14, 2011.
• Grass Carp (White Amur), 72 pounds, Jeff Moryl, Kentucky Lake, May 4, 2009.
• Freshwater Drum (Sheephead), 18 pounds 10 ounces, Willie Chadwell, Lake Cumberland, May 23, 2008.
• Longnose Gar, 31 pounds 8 ounces, Greg Pyle, Ohio River, July 9, 2012.
• Shortnose Gar, 12 pounds 4 ounces, Kevin Capps, Lake Barkley, May 6, 2005.
• Spotted Gar, 10 pounds 15 ounces, Warren Blake, Lake Barkley, April 21, 2007.
• Goldfish, 7 pound 4 ounces, Devin Hardy, Meade County farm pond, April 28, 2007.
• Koi, 18 pounds 11 ounces, David Kohl, Jefferson County farm pond, September 17, 2007.
 Mooneye, 1 pound 4 ounces, Ronald Prior, Ohio River, July 29, 2005.
Paddlefish (Spoonbill), 46 pounds 4 ounces, Tanner Collins, Cumberland River, July 22, 2011.
• Shad, 2 pounds 11.5 ounces, Brad Coursey, Muhlenberg County strip mine pit, December 21, 2009.
• Blue Sucker, 6 pounds 8 ounces, Tyler Jones, Lake Barkley Dam, March 17, 2011.
• White Sucker, 6 ounces, Aaron Pryor, Rough River Lake, April 29, 2003.
• Golden Redhorse, 6 pounds 13 ounces, John Bagby, Green River, July 15, 2008.
• Spotted Sucker, 3 pounds 2 ounces, Dale Sterling, Kentucky Lake, March 17, 2009.

Shooting fish with a bow and arrow is fun, but the best reason to go bow fishing is the removal of undesirable fish species whose presence in abundance negatively impacts game fish populations.

Keep your archery skills sharp. Go bow fishing!


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