While many hang up the bowfishing equipment with thoughts turning to the woods and fields, there is still plenty of bowfishing action to be had on Minnesota's rivers. Yes it is true many lakes this time of the year slow down as fish migrate to deeper waters, but our rivers provide the antidote for the bowfishing blues in the second half of summer. Last Saturday, August 1st, the Land of Lakes Bowfishing Association and the Wisconsin Bowfishing Association hosted a meet and greet event between the two clubs on pool 5 of the Mississippi River. We came together to enjoy the opportunity to fish the Minnesota side of this border water at night with the recent changes to the bowfishing laws. While the fishing was somewhat slow due to a cold front that had moved in the day before, you were still able to see a fair amount of fish that one could harvest. Fish like longnose and shortnose gar, common carp, buffalo, quillback, and dog fish were just some of the many species we saw on the mighty Mississippi.

I have had some bowfishermen/women say they stay away from rivers because of the unknown. I would encourage anyone to take the time to learn your way around these bodies of waters because you are certainly missing out on some of the best opportunities this state has to offer. Rivers like the Mississippi and St. Croix have marked channels that should offer safe traveling. Once you venture off the main channel take your time and pay attention to what is in front of you and also to your surroundings. Last Saturday was my first time fishing a river and I now see how valuable they are for providing bowfishing opportunities (I have never seen so many gar in my life)! As I said you have to keep an eye out. I managed to park my boat on a nice big log and had some close calls with a couple of sand bars, but that just makes for an interesting night!

So if you have been thinking it's time to give up on chasing fish think again! Invest in a good map which will provide guidance on channels, location of wing dams, and other helpful information. Then head for the backwaters and be prepared to see a whole other world. You may be pleasantly surprised on what lurks in our rivers.