On Lake Guntersville. There are eyes everywhere and you will be caught. Some jackleg got caught shooting bass with a bow yesterday. The bass guys are saying "We told you so." The bow fishermen say "He's a rogue, not one of us."
Ever now and then, the thought goes through my head that I could shoot geese and mallards in some of my fishing holes in the city limits and get away with it.
You might have several years ago but you'd be seen today.

I know Bow-fishermen shoot bass. Let me rephrase that, I know that young, dumb, no sense having, young guys shoot bass. I've seen it first hand. I don't and never did when I was bow-fishing and I would say that the majority of real bow-fishermen don't shoot bass. The young dummies won't pass one up on a slow night.

A yr or so ago one of the local guides had pictures of bass he caught that had arrow holes in them. It was a wonder they were alive to be caught.

I don't have a problem with bow fisherman but I ticks me off when they just dump dead fish all over the boat launch

Excuse my ignorance, but how is shooting a bass with a bow different then catching one and keeping it?

I agree with mandeerpig. Those who dump fish at the ramp are assholes.


AC870, were the ones caught shooting bass charged and if so that's public record, right?

One guy charged. From South Carolina.

Plain and simple. Against the law. Sure, in the end the animals dies if you're keeping it but certain methods are allowed and certain are not. No different than an area allowing a certain way to harvest an animal.

It is illegal to take, catch or kill, or attempt to take, catch or kill any game fish by any means other than ordinary hook and line, artificial lure, live bait, troll or spinner in any of the public waters of this State. It is �unlawful to use electrical devices, explosives, poisons or firearms to take fish of any species from these waters.

Last Saturday afternoon there were two different boats checking for violators up in Town Creek. One of them was a State Troopers boat that only made it under the bridge by inches. They didn't bother to check me because I was tied off where the bridge was too low for them to go. I had no clue the Troopers even had boats.

That's the marine police. They were taken over by troopers. Is all ALEA now. (Alabama law enforcement agencies)

A House committee approved a bill in April to abolish ALEA and the bill was to move to the House for consideration, but I never heard any more about it.

I kinda feel Marine Police should still be part of Conservation.

That Trooper boat was way up Town Creek about 6 weeks ago, almost to the sand bar. That's a lot of boat!

Funny how that works...and always seems to happen, huh? Smoke and mirrors...makes it look like they're doing something when they're actually not doing a thing.

Same way the House can ballyhoo a bill through committee and the floor debate-vote, knowing that it will die in the Senate, or vice-versa, and then they can say they worked their asses off for constituents but their colleagues didn't agree.

That's what'll happen with the health care bill in the Senate. Just wait. When the Senate writes its version it'll be different from the House version, and more Dems-GOP-public folks will go nuts over different things. Just part of politics.

Don't go there, or you will start up the "it's no different than the folks that sight fish for bedding bass" or, there is no difference than shooting deer over corn" crowd. It's against the law and there are plenty of other ways to catch them that is why it's call fishing and not catching. Much like wandering around in the woods with a weapon during hunting season is call hunting and not killing.

You must be referring to fresh water?

One gets you a fine and one doesn't.

Yes, he is. And the other key word is "game" fish. Not sure about the laws for saltwater/spear gun (or whatever it's called).

As to the question about why is bowfishing for bass illegal, the simple answer IMO is it's just easier to see them and have a shot.

I've been bowfishing for 20 years. Not regularly but enough to have seen enough bass -- cruisers and bedding -- that would have made an incredibly easy target. Not all fish automatically spook when the airboat goes over or nearby. I've seen bass, sunfish, turtles, gar and others stay put or casually swim off.

IMO because of that, you have more time to identify a bass instead of saying, "Oh, I didn't realize it until I shot!" That may be the case with some. But in my experiences, and more diehard bowfishing guys can/could chime in w/ possibly different input, the chance to shoot a bass would be much easier.

The disparity is that they're considered a gamefish and regulated with a limit, and thus shouldn't be shot by bowfishermen.

Catfish have limits (on the big ones), too. They're not considered a gamefish, though. Saltwater species that can be shot include skate, mullet, sheepshead, black drum and flounder. But not gamefish including redfish (even though the other species have limits, too.)

Why about bass? Two reasons: Bass = money, and bass fishermen would lose their chit if the Holy Sacred Bass were allowed to be shot.