Bow Fishing for Carp

[yukonjasper]

I wasn't sure where to post this. I have access to a large carp infested body of water and a buddy of mine has a bow with a fishing set up. We are going to go, because it sounds like a blast.

My question for anyone who had done this or fished for Carp - what do you do with them after you put an arrow through them? Obviously you can't practice catch and release, so if we end up with a jon boat full of carp, what should be our game plan. Do you bury them? Throw them in a pile and set up an overwatch and predator hunt over them (probably illegal - my buddy's idea).

I won't feel bad wasting Carp, but i don't want to create a problem with the carcasses. Any ideas?

[Pezhead]

Smoke them.

[yukonjasper]

which end do you light?

[shooter]

The Surgeon General has determined that smoking can be hazardous to your health.

[forcefed]

which end do you light?

Depends which end you want in your mouth... think about that one for a second!

[ijosef]

A friend of mine bow fishes for carp in/near White Bear Lake. Usually there are some Hmong fishing on the banks and they're more than happy to take a jon boat load full of 'em home. He told me that one day he was out there by himself and didn't see another soul in sight. He ended up throwing the carcasses away, then turned his boat over on a sawhorse in his backyard to let the carp remnants drain out. He should've hosed the thing out beforehand because he said it stunk to high heaven for the next week straight.

[yukonjasper]

Sorry, that was too easy.

I don't have the equipment to smoke the carp and I'm thinking even if I did, I assume we could be looking at upwards of 100lbs of fish - I can't imagine smoked carp is that wonderful that I'd want to stock my freezer with it.

Good idea, but not sure if its practlcal.

[JJ]

My brother is a huge bowfisher, traveling down to Iowa and Missouri a couple times a year after the bigheads and silvers. When they go down to Iowa and points south, they have a list of turtle farmers they call. Often times they will fill 5+ 55gal. drums full of fish in a night of bowfishing. They arrange for the turtle farmers to meet them at the landings and drop them for free feed.

Up here, he does one of two things. A buddy owns an "organic" hog farm and he will feed them to the pigs. That, or he digs a nice deep hole in the backyard and has some great compost in a year or two. But dropping them with the hog farmer is much easier.

[yukonjasper]

Where we are going, there isn't a population of Hmong to feed. I'm very aware of the smell and that is what I want to avoid - the easy answer is to throw them up on shore, but I'm not sure that is the best idea - even if this is a rural area, seems like it could be a problem.

[JJ]

I'm very aware of the smell and that is what I want to avoid - the easy answer is to throw them up on shore, but I'm not sure that is the best idea - even if this is a rural area, seems like it could be a problem.

Yeah the DNR can and will ticket you for wanton waste for leaving them on shore.

[Heffay]

which end do you light?

Depends which end you want in your mouth... think about that one for a second!

I have no problem putting tail in my mouth.

[Heffay]

Sorry, that was too easy.

I don't have the equipment to smoke the carp and I'm thinking even if I did, I assume we could be looking at upwards of 100lbs of fish - I can't imagine smoked carp is that wonderful that I'd want to stock my freezer with it.

Good idea, but not sure if its practlcal.

Let me introduce you to this.

[mnmike59]

We dig a hole and bury them.

EDIT to add......... Your enemies backyard works well.


J/K A field away from any houses. Hard to say what this could attract?

[shooter]

A field away from any houses. Hard to say what this could attract?

Flies.

[xracer390]

I'm very aware of the smell and that is what I want to avoid - the easy answer is to throw them up on shore, but I'm not sure that is the best idea - even if this is a rural area, seems like it could be a problem.

Yeah the DNR can and will ticket you for wanton waste for leaving them on shore.

I had always heard you could get fined for returning "rough" fish to the water. When we fish the rum the all get chucked into the woods. (no houses around though)