How to Bowfishing Catfish tips that you must know

Introduction-Bowfishing Catfish

A catfish is a diverse group of marine ray-finned fish with barbell resembling whiskers around its mouth. The fish that majorly dwells at the bottom of fresh water bodies. The catfish range in sizes and behavior, starting from the very tiny species called the candiru, Vandalia cirrhosa to the largest three species in existence. This article explains about Bowfishing Catfish for your references and guidelines.

The largest three include, the Mekong giant catfish that is predominantly found around Southern Asia and the wels catfish of Eurasia. Finally, we have the Paraiba of South America, among other several other types with different names. Despite the numerous names not all the catfish have the barbels.

Some of the catfish are known for their commercial importance, where they are farmed for consumption by humans. On the other hand, there are those smaller species, the genus corydoras in particular, that are always important in the aquarium hobby. The studies have also shown that many of the catfish are nocturnal, as others are known to be crepuscular.

What You Need To Know Before Bowfishing Catfish

Where To Find Catfish – Catfish species are majorly found inland or in the coastal waters across the continents except Antarctica.

Due to their diverse character, the catfish have inhabited every continent at one time. The fish are mostly abundant in large streams having low or moderate current. It is believed that catfish are native to east of the Rockies from southern Canada in North America and south into the Northeastern Mexico, as well as east of the Appalachian with the coastal plain north of Florida being in the exception.

Most of their breeding ground is the fresh water environment, though they are mostly shallow inhabitants, with running water.

What Do Catfish Feed On? – The blue catfish are always believed to be eating machines since they spend much of their day chasing and feeding on fish. Indeed, they are always the primary forage fish in water they live in. This is because the catfish mostly feeds on live baits and not the dead baits.

They feed on good hearty and very lively food like the live perch, sunfish, bluegill, and the goldfish or the mudfish.

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Physical Characteristic Of Catfish – Most catfish are negatively buoyant, thus making them bottom feeders. This is also due to the fact that they have reduced gas bladder and a bony head that is seemingly heavy. Catfish often have deferent varieties of body sizes and shapes as it was suggested earlier on. However, most have a cylindrical body with a fattened head that serve as a hydrofoil.

Other cat fish have a flexible mouth that allows for the expansion to a very large size and having no incisor form teeth. This enables them to feed through suction and gulping. The studies have also shown that most of them have no scales on their bodies. Instead, they have mucus-covered skin which helps in their respiration through the skin. In other catfish. the skin is covered in a bony plates

Why Bowfishing Catfish?

Fishing for catfish has always been fun; whether it is done for sports or for food. In most cases, cat fish thrive in very many places such as the shallow warm ponds. They tend to dwell around the areas with low water currents to enable them rest without fighting the current. Studies also show that the best time for bow fishing activities is when the waters are still and when catfish become less active. Catfish are believed to be less active in cold water.

Still waters have made it easier for bowing activities since they allow for accurate shooting with good aiming.

Mostly, bow fishing needs one to be close to the prey since the water may be dense and its currents may also slow down the arrow shot. This, therefore, means you may be required to move deep down to the bottom where the catfish live. It is also required for you to be about 10-15 ft from the targeted fish to improve on the accuracy.

Fishing catfish using bow fishing method is always a sit and wait procedure since you have to present a bait and wait for the prey to come and get the bait. At this point, you must ensure the catfish is never distracted.

Bowfishing Catfish Baits

At some point, the catfish may be lured by the use of bacon and frankfurters. Other times, the artificial baits are used.

In this case, the baits are made with inbuilt scent products due to their incredible sense of taste and smell stimulated by the taste buds that cover the entire body, which is from its whisker to the tail.

The baits are made in such a way that they look alike to the real animal itself. They are made also in a sponge like structure that exudes water-soluble scents.

The catfish also have a good specialized hearing organ that detects rattling sounds from a very far distance even in the muddy waters. This is through the help of the lateral line in its body, just as the other types of fish. The bait is designed with vibrating ability and through the fish’s sensing ability, it will immediately move towards it thinking it’s a live pray. This allows you to easily bow it from a distance.

In other times, the catfish uses its eyes with acute vision to detect food substances. This enables a fisherman or sportsman to have more advantages in clear waters when fishing since the catfish will immediately move fast and strike anything that seems good for consumption. Through this, bow fishing the catfish will be more easily and with fewer struggles when it comes to sporting.

In conclusion for Bowfishing Catfish

Catfish have been a great part of our diet from time immemorial. Before bow fishing for cat fish, it is important to understand some of its traits, such as where it lives and its feeding habits. If you are good with baits, the first place to go fishing is in warm, clear and fresh waters. The fish is known to have an unpredictable nature so always tread with caution when seeking to bow fish it.