Bowfishing is considered as an exciting archery enthusiast’s game or a bowhunter’s offseason entertainment activity. Over the last few years, this fishing technique has become a favorite sport for many people. It’s a unique fun filled fishing activity that do not requires any previous angling experience, and thus it’s a perfect technique for the newbie fishers. Bowfishing is the favored method of hunting fish with the help of specialized archery equipment. The bowfishermen can shoot the fishes with the help of a pointed arrow which is attached on a bow or a crossbow. The targets for bowfishing are much closer than hunting in the woods. So, for the beginner bow fishers, there is no need for having long-range shooting skills and thus, they find it an easier sport to get in.

It is an exciting way to spend time outdoors and also helps in removing the invasive species of fish from waterways.

Where can you go for bowfishing?

One can do bowfishing in various water bodies as long as they are shallow and reasonably transparent. You can bowfish in any freshwater bodies such as lakes, reservoirs, rivers, streams, etc. Apart from the freshwater bodies, you can also try bowfishing in the saltwater bodies near the bay areas. These areas are known as the ‘target-rich environments’ because there are plenty of fish to catch.

If you are looking for the best destination places for bowfishing, this is the right place for you.

10 best destinations that you can consider for bowfishing

The following list of places to bowfishing is incredibly diverse and can give you an exceptional experience throughout.

1. Lake Michigan’s south shore – The south shore of Lake Michigan offers exceptionally excellent bowfishing opportunities. This lakeshore is commonly known for its serene view and the wildlife-rich marshes. You will find many carp spawning (oily freshwater fish) in Lake Michigan’s ankle-deep water. The warmer weather and long stretches make Lake Michigan’s south shore quite desirable. Lake Michigan is best for bowfishing experience because you will get a large area of clear water shelves in the wadable shallow stream.
2. Florida’s St. Johns River – There are plenty of saltwater species present in Florida’s inland freshwaters, and this makes it a prime destination for bowfishing. Florida’s St. Johns River is a series of lakes and marshes between Orlando and Jacksonville. You will find various grass carps, common carps, longnose gars, freshwater drums, tilapia, and catfish. The crystal-clear water in the St. Johns River gives more opportunities to the bow fishers for shooting. Moreover, public camping facility is also available here on regional National Forests.
3. Kentucky and Barkley Lakes – Kentucky and Barkley lakes give the best freshwater bowfishing possibilities. With a combined area of 218,000 acres of water, these lakes are excellent and ultra-fertile for buffalo fish, bighead, bluegill, crappie, common carp, spotted and longnose gars, etc. Bowfishing of catfishes is legal in Kentucky Lake. Moreover, you can also legally shoot paddlefish with a bow. One can visit here and enjoy their day of fishing with plenty of camping sites and rooms at Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley.
4. Mississippi River – Mississippi river is the largest moving body of water in the United States, and thus, it is full of bowfishing targets. The more you go on the southern parts of the Mississippi river, the bow fishers will get more exciting possibilities. There is a large variety of species that you will find here for bowfishing, such as gar, paddlefish, common carp, Asian carp, buffalo fish, and drum. You will get the best bowfishing experience here in the slower sloughs and oxbows (U-shaped meander in a river) areas.
5. .Louisiana Gulf Coast – This place has pretty much water species to offer to the bow fishermen. The Louisiana coast is full of freshwater and saltwater species and is also famous for plenty of alligators. One can come here to legally shoot the sharks and redfish as well. It is a bowfishing paradise with sheepshead, black drums weighing up to 40 to 50 pounds, catfish, and super-abundant mullet fish.
6. Florida’s Gulf Coast – Florida’s entire stretch of sandy beaches offers excellent bowfishing opportunities. Stingrays (flat, slimy kind fish that slithers along with ocean floors) are common among the American coastline. At the warm coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico on Florida’s northwestern coast, you will find a lot of stingrays. Apart from the stingrays, the bow fishermen will also get a chance to shoot several bat rays, mullet, sheepshead, flounder, spadefish, black drum, etc.
7. California’s Southern Coast – California’s Southern Coast is possibly a unique destination for bow fishing. The bow fishermen will not only find the common carps, paddlefish, stingrays, gars, etc. But they will get to hunt for the most giant and fierce species on the list – the make shark and blue shark. You can get the special bowfishing gears over here for making your visit worthwhile.
8. Trinity River, Texas – The Trinity River is best known to produce some of the biggest alligator gars in the U.S. So if you want to shoot an alligator gar, this river is the best option of all.
9. St. Lawrence River – The history of this place makes it the most special waterway for all Americans. The considerable quantity of the carps makes this place more exciting for north-eastern bow fishers. The carp here may weigh around 40 plus pounds, and they stack up more around the locks in the river. You will need a boat when you are going fishing in the St. Lawrence River.
10. Ohio River – Ohio River acts as the border between eastern Illinois and far-western Kentucky. There are many reasons to travel to the Ohio River, and one of the primary reasons that draw most of the attention are the silver or flying carps.

Get the best gearing products for bowfishing with Gear Outland 

Bowfishing is one of the addictive sport for catching fish. It is among the few fun fishing techniques that help in acquiring tasty dinners and also helps in saving the environment. Bowfishing is easy to learn technique only if you use the best gears for shooting. You can get in touch with Gear Outland – a US-based veteran-owned company, for the best products for fishing. We are committed to providing the best selective services and products at a genuine price. The team at Gear Outland makes sure that our customers get the best shopping experience with us. The bowfishing products by Gear Outland have high-performance features that help in catching fish quickly. You can connect with Gear Outland for perfectly designed bowfishing kits, bows, arrows, sight and lights, reels, etc. We also help the enthusiastic bow fishermen in getting genuine bowfishing bow packages.

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