Story by Kayli Plotner of the Daily Egyptian

Photos taken by Sarah Gardner of the Daily Egyptian

Rather than casting a line and waiting for fish to bite, some fishermen prefer to shoot their targets as they jump out of the water.

Advertisement

Of the several ways to catch a fish, bow fishing is the primary way to catch an Asian carp, which is becoming a threat to native fish and overpopulating waters in places such as southern Illinois, according to the National Wildlife Federation.

Jordan Bowlby, a freshman from De Soto studying agriculture business, said bow fishing is easily his favorite form of fishing because it poses a challenge that rod-and-reel fishing can’t.

“You only have one shot at it,” he said. “You have to be able to accommodate for the height of the fish, the speed of the fish flying through the air and how fast the bow shoots. All of those things together affect whether or not you make the shot.”

The best weather for bow fishing is when it’s at least 75 degrees and sunny, Bowlby said, which makes the fish jump more and become easier to see when they shine.

Craig Cowan, of Chester, said weather is a prime factor for a successful fishing day because fish become more active as the weather gets warmer. “Right now we’re leading up to the spawn, which is when a female bass moves to shallow water to lay her eggs,” he said. “There are fish in other lakes in southern Illinois that are coming up to spawn as soon as this cold front breaks. So you’ve got guys who are going to hit areas leading into spawning coves … and that can be where a lot of big fish bite.”

Bass tournaments are one of several ways fishermen spend their time on the water, and 14 boats chose that option Saturday at Lake Kinkaid in Murphysboro for one of the lake’s many Angler’s Choice divisional competitions.

Cowan, the tournament’s director, said fishing is something that can become addicting.

Advertisement*

“It gets in your blood,” he said. “The part that attracts me is the competition, and it’s all in good fun with a great comradery that goes around.”

Cowan said each boat pays a tournament entry fee, and that money is pooled for prize money at the end. Saturday’s $160 entry fee made first place worth $1,135, and the fishermen whose catches were at least 16 inches long and outweighed the rest split the pot.

“Once you catch your sixth keeper, you sit down and call out the smallest fish and put him back,” he said. “(You) just keep doing that throughout the day and keep trying to catch a larger one.”

Kevin Renth, of O’Fallon, and Mark Mason, of Collinsville, won the tournament. The two said they have been fishing partners for nine years and swept the competition with a final weight of 19.18 pounds. They said they compete because they’ve grown up fishing, and the key to success is practice.

“It’s more than being out there trying to find spots,” Renth said. “It’s more of being out there eliminating water. If you’re moving along and not getting bit, that’s eliminating water.”

Mason said he enjoys fishing on southern Illinois lakes because there’s good grass cover and proper forage for the fish to feed on.

“The saying is that 90 percent of the fish live in 10 percent of the lake, and sometimes it seems that way,” Renth said. “You can go miles and miles and never have a bite but pull up on one spot and then it’s boom boom boom.”

Along with time on the water, several elements from bait color to water clarity can make a difference, said Rick Byrnes, of Tamaroa, the southern Illinois tournament circuit owner. He said fishing allows him to remain competitive in something even at his age, and there is incentive involved to qualify for the national championship. This year, he said, Angler’s Choice and its sponsors are set to give away more than $150,000 in cash and prizes as well as three fully equipped Mercury boats that can retail at nearly $40,000 each.

“It’s like any other competition,” he said. “There’s the thrill of winning when you do well and catch that big fish, when you’re out on the water and you’re high-fiving. It’s just like other sports with the thrill of winning and the agony of defeat.”

Byrnes was one of two father-son teams that competed in Saturday’s tournament. He said fishing is a different kind of bonding experience.

“It’s really similar to any other sport, except with fishing it’s very inclusive with father and son,” he said. “You can’t have your dad out there blocking for you while you’re running, but you can have him in the boat with you.”

Fishing instills family values from a young age, he said.

“There’s something about the sport that keeps kids in line,” Byrnes said. “It gives them an interest, something that they love to do that’s more important than some other things that could get them in trouble.”

Bowlby said he has been fishing ever since he can remember. His mother taught him everything he knows about the sport, he said.

Hayden Snyder, 15, of De Soto, has been fishing with Bowlby for more than six years and said he has been fishing his entire life as well.

“It’s a sport that’s starting to grow quite a bit around here because the rivers are so overpopulated,” he said. “Basically all I do is work and fish.”