# Night Time



## roughfishfever22

Night Bowfishing starts in less than a week. I was just wondering how many of you guys are going to be out at midnight on June 1st and what lakes you are going to be one. I have been waiting for this for awhile and am excited to try it out for the first time. I think three of us will be down on the cormorant lakes, not sure where exactly yet, as long as it is not 40 degrees and rain or 50 mph winds like it has been.


----------



## weasle414

I'll try to be out. Buffalo Lake for me! I'm shooting a tourney on Saturday day and have to work at 5 AM Sunday morning, though so it might be an interesting weekend for me.


----------



## Duckslayer100

I envy you guys. I have a feeling Buffalo is going to get hit pretty hard those first few weekends. Be respectful though, guys. Buffalo is a HEAVILY populated lake with many more homes than cabins. That means there's bound to be many sleeping folks. Do everything you can to keep the noise at a respectful level, especially on those generators. And make sure you have your bows cased when the motor is running. I have a feeling the DNR will be around just to see how things go. Its a thin line we walk on, so do it right if you want to see more lakes open to night bowfishing in the future. Hell, I want a chance at it sometime, but that won't happen this year.  
Ok, i'm off my soap box now. Carry on. 8)


----------



## carpkillergf

DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID OR THEY'LL TAKE IT AWAY! I hope no one here is thinking about going on a lake that isn't on the list. That would be just dumb. Don't ruin it for the rest of us! :withstupid:


----------



## weasle414

I decided I won't be out on Buffalo after all. Instead I'm going cat fishing by Deer Lake making sure people aren't down there shooting at night. I've informed a half a dozen people already about the fact that just because Buffalo is legal at night, doesn't mean the lakes it's attached to are, too.

Also, shoreland owners won't have to worry about me waking them up this summer, the crappie flats on the south side should be FULL of carp at night and nobody lives near those.


----------



## roughfishfever22

I don't think that we have to wory about the noise as much as we think. Sure we don't want to have a generator that sounds like a jet engine at 2 in the morning going by people's houses or be yelling like crazy people everytime we get a fish but from every encounter I have had with people on the lake or near the accesses they always seem to want the carp out of the lake and also are very interested in how everything works. Granted this may be different a different story at 2 in the morning so lets hope for the best. I am actually goin to try to stay away from areas that have alot of houses near the water and hopefully I won't wake anyone up.

I think as long as we are respectful and do not leave dead fish laying around everything should be alright. I am very excited to try this night time bowfishing out and it would really suck if it was only a one year deal. So lets hope for the best. I fired up my rig last week for night time and the generator is actually pretty quite so I can't wait until Midnight to come on June 1st.


----------



## Hick-From-Hell

What kind of generator are you runnig? I have a coleman powermate and I made a three sided box for it and it cut the noise in about half.


----------



## roughfishfever22

I just got a small one. It is called a Sportsman. It says it has less than 70 db of noise on the box so I should be fine. Only 2000 watts but i'm running those GE 350 ultra bright lights. It is nothing great but it will do the job. I only got two lights on the front of my boat but my boat is too small to put a bunch of stuff on it and luckly for us carp are about the dumbest thing in the water next to a bullhead. It really helps that I'm pulling less than 50% on the Genny too makes it so the motor barely has to work. I was thinking about building a box but was scared of overheating that little motor, and after having it run it is not loud enough to bother. IMO. I did build a deal for the genny to sit on to prevent it from vibrating on the boat and that helped the noise a ton.


----------



## WeisengerberBurger

Roughfishfever, you got two choices. You either quiet down that genny or nobody gets to shoot at night and its all your fault. You're a real sportsman....


----------



## roughfishfever22

Well it looks like you just picked yourself for pushing the boat while me and carpkillergf shoot all the fish. It is probably better that way anyways since all you like to do is get fried from the sun, drop you release in the water, and miss all the fish you do manage to get a shot at. I guess if you think i'm not a sportmans because i actually kill a carp from time to time that is fair thinking on your part. About that genny we both know that it is not any louder than you girlfriends farts :lol:

Oh yeah I almost forgot it does take a real sportsman to pass on a weekend of bowfishing to go watch the new Sex in the City movie coming out. Hope you enjoy. But on a different note are you coming home next weekend.


----------



## Feather Freeks

is night bowfishing open on june 1st in minnesota too? and is it open to all lakes?


----------



## sdrookie

I don't know if anyone cares but we have developed a low key approach to night hunting. It works well on pressured areas that have educated fish. I can afford a generator now but still run all electric.

We use a trolling motor to run upwind of an area we think holds fish. We drift back through the area and hit a handheld spotlight every so often. Very quiet. The goal for this summer is to mount a spotlight on each side with a foot switch. Small drift sock out the back to stay straight. We use a 1436 Alumacraft with a 30# Minnkota. 3/4 plywood between the seats. It'll run all night like this.

Spoke with an experienced hunter that was on the same lake I hunted last Labor Day and he told me they only saw 2 fish. They run a big boat, large platform, generator, its a nice rig. With my wife running the boat and spotlight for the first time we saw 200 at least. Including 2 giants that I managed not to shoot. I told him about it when I got back to town and he didn't believe me. True fact though. Low key on pressured fish works good.

Shallow flats are a sure bet in the dark. Safer too. Areas devoid of fish during daylight hours are swarmed at night. When the wind is right we have long shorelines we can drift down almost silent. When the wind is wrong we anchor off in areas we know hold fish. Sitting in the dark is very relaxing. We typically hunt later in the summer and insects are a huge issue. Unreal sometimes. Where do they all come from?

Good luck everyone! We're still a couple weeks out but looking forward to the first hunt of the season. Bowfishing at night is an experience every sportsman should try at least once. Careful though, it'll hook ya! Kinda like them dang snow geese!


----------



## BeanBurritoBrian

Well, gentlemen...the culmination of all our preparation is upon us. It is our job as men, and possibly women, to exterminate these nuicances! Good luck, may you arrows fly straight and your lunches stay packed....God speed!


----------



## weasle414

Feather Freeks said:


> is night bowfishing open on june 1st in minnesota too? and is it open to all lakes?


June first is the opener for night shooting, but it IS NOT!!!!! open to all lakes. Check the MN DNR website for a complete list of legal lakes.


----------



## mjoe

its not the genny noise that tick off the home owners its the lights reflecting off the water.


----------



## carpkillergf

Who all went out at night this last weekend? How did you all do?


----------



## sdrookie

True fact on spotlights being annoying! Watch the angle. We shoot it right over the side and move out from there.


----------



## weasle414

I went out with a small hand held spotlight on Buffalo tonight and holy crap... I didn't think it'd refect like it did! It seemed to light up shore and trees just as much as it did the water. Deffinetally watch the angle of the lights!!!!


----------



## carp_killer

get some HPS lights alex there sweet the fish glow


----------



## weasle414

Tell that to the wallet that was filled for all of 3 minutes today... Money's WAY too tight for me to get HPS's. I'm hoping next season I can get some HPS lights, but I need to find some place that pays better than McDonald's does before I can think about those. I heard of a farmer who has 20-30 junk cars rusting in his pasture, I'm gonna go ask if I could take the headlights, batteries and an alernator from any of them. Headlights should work fine for now, if there's batteries that'll be good to run the trolling motor all night and if I can find a good GM alternator I can make myself a genny with that and an old lawn mower.

"Hillbilly injewnewity" is a phrase I once heard for stuff like this. Sound familiar Trapper? :lol:


----------



## carp_killer

ah yes i could have heard that from another member of the trailer park gang before


----------



## rednek

us gang members stick together 8)


----------



## carp_killer

i thought hill sat on the motor to shoot fish oke:


----------



## rednek

im not that good ps.


----------



## weasle414

Hillbilly's a little guy, he's just hiding behind Tim and I. :lol:


----------

