hi guys been doing archery now for some time and one of my friends showed me bow fishing and i was very interested now i checked with my local hunting club and i can do it wherever you can spearfish i was wondering if anyone knew any spots in the south-east queensland region to go. I heard stingrays are a primary target for bow fisherman is this true??
cheers grant
Hi Grant,
I too am an archer and have been bow fishing plenty of times for stingray's. We went down to Nudgee beach with some recurves (wasn't taking compound in salt water) and they are super easy to find. You don't need that whole line/reel kit to shoot stingrays. Once hit, they will run but they got a great big bloody flag sticking out of them, so just keep plugg'n away until they stop. I've got some photo's somewhere with about 8 arrows in one ray. lol (Kinda cruel i know) Make sure you got some nice broadheads though. (Cheap ebay specials as you're not shooting for distance and they don't need to be perfectly balanced, plus they'll rust up in a day or two. lol)
As for legalities of it, as far as I know, it's legal to shoot them, as long as you are as humane as possible. Also, if you don't intend to take them for eating, cut the tail off (once they're dead) and take it up to a rubbish bin. Then you can just leave the dead ray in the shallow waters and will be washed out next tide.
Where I went was Nudgee Beach, the entrance to Nudgee creek which is between The main nudgee beach and shorncliffe. It's a shallow creek and opens onto sand flats so a prime spot for rays.
if you dont intend to eat it dont kill it
There is so much wrong with this post that I just don't know where to start.Originally Posted by Drifty75
How can 8 arrows be 'humane'. More like torture...
Leave the poor bloody stingrays alone!
There's something wrong with anyone that kills anything just for the hell of it...
hey guys yeah i have a special arrow and fishing set which ill use. I am also apart of Australian bow hunting association so i will be claiming my kills and taking barbs. Also giving the rays to asian friends of mine who consider them a delicacy so this will be my first time eating stingray. I enjoy hunting sports very much and do live by eat what you kill, Im not just some bogan going out and killing things because i can. Also any tips how to spot these fellas would be appreciated thanks heaps guys
Why dont you go out and have a crack at the plagues of Tilapia around the place, no one will begrudge you shooting a few of them.
i can only go landbased and if u know a spot where there infesting 1 hour distance away from brisbane CBD will happily do it
Carp is probably the most beneficial target for bow fishing, I used to nail plenty of them many years ago.
Jack.
+ 1 to that tunaticer
In reply to a couple of comments on my post... They were all taken for food... My comment about leaving the body behind but taking the barb off was for safety of other beach goers... (should someone not take it home)
As for 8 arrows etc.. There was a group of about 7 of us that day. In a line, along the sand flats. The arrows were all put in, in about a 45 second time window.. so it died as quickly as possible.
I'll take a guess and say that most of you have probably never shot a ray with a bow/broadhead before and wouldn't understand how hard they are to kill. Remember, we're in the water with them, not in a boat with it hanging from a line. Sure as hell I bet you woulnd't pull a 1m wide ray into your boat! (I know I wouldn't)
As for the fishing kits that you bolt onto the bow, they don't kill the fish, they have two fold out keepers (like barbs) which stop the arrow from pulling out.. So you spear it and drag it's sorry backside to shore.
Anyway, killing rays with bows isn't easy, it isn't pretty and it's not quick.. Those are the facts.
Edit: I used to be a member of the ABA and also the 3DAAA.
Last edited by Drifty75; 10-09-2011 at 01:18 PM. Reason: Clubs
hey mate went today and absolutely nothing i went bout 50-100m out but the deepest only came to around knee height was i in the wrong spot?
[URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/24/raysh.jpg/]
Along that part of the creek entrance I found to be the best place to find them.
i have to say im disappointed to see this thread under spearfishing! as a dedicated spearo i see breathhold spearfishing as the most sustainable, selective, humane and ethical way to fish. i respect all fish that i capture with a firm belief of dont kill anything your not going to eat. with constant pressure from all sides on our sport being demonised, and areas that myself and my family can dive being closed and pressured to be closed from a total misconception of our sport/lifestyle. i cant see anything positive from your comments on shooting rays with a bow and arrow in the shallows to have anything at all to do with spearing. maybe yourve posted under the wrong forum.
The traditional elders/ hunters of many aboriginal tribes would walk up the beach with a hand spear and plug into rays for food, I'm sorry but I don't see the sport in going after rays with a bow its abit overkill to me. I have always been a hand spear lover and agree that the spearfishing with just you breath and a hand spear is a true test of ability, to shoot a bow into a ray is about as sporting as those guys who plug koala's with air-rifle guns. My opinion, but I really feel there is more sporting ways to go about bow fishing other than shooting rays in a barrel.
Hey guys i dont see why the whinging towards this i asked where i could go landbased for talapia or carp to help but no one had any suggestions and as to lazydays what forum would you think would be best i put a post in the future about bowfishing. mossy I do see the challenge in that but atm i want to learn bowfishing and if u have suggestions would love to hear em.
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