Also went bowfishing for the 1st time

[FroMan]

The other night before I left town for school, I got together with a bunch of old high school buddies and went bowfishing on their new boat. They've worked on it all summer and this was the 2nd launching of the "Night Stalker."

Well, the first night we went we shot 21 fish. Note that I use the term "we" very lightly.

Went again a few days later and shot 14.

I myself, shot 0. I had about 40 misses, but didn't hit a fish. Moving in a boat and shooting at a moving fish is tough. I can shoot a bag target all day, get me shooting at a fish and it's a different story.

Anyways, I had a heck ofa time, and might...go again after I hone up my skills.

If I ever get the pics developed from the disposable camera I'll post em.

[Fishhunter]

Sounds like you're right on track. Just aim low, then lower still. When you think you're aiming too low, aim even lower.

[ELKINMTCWB]

Fish has got it.I do not remember the exact amount you have to aim for how deep the fish is. We did test with targets under water.Thinking I beleve it is aim 40% lower than target. So if the fish is 20 in under water you need to aim8 in low.This allso will depend on how high the boats shooting deck is.

[K2SOCO]

Do not get discouraged. Once you find your niche you will have no problem hitting fish. Just keep up with it.

[Bulzeye]

You're not alone FroMan.
New guys can get fish on their first outing, but nobody gets really good at it without some serious practice and a whole lot of misses.

Learning to hit fish with an arrow is one thing, but as I found last Summer, hitting them from a moving boat is a whole different game.
I know lots of people who shoot very well at targets, and regularly takeanimals, but miss more often than not at fish. It a tough game, especially when part of your brain is preoccupied with maintaining your balance and making sure you don't skewer any of your boatmates when the fish runs sideways.

Hey, if it was easy, we'd all get bored and have more normal looking boats. What fun would that be?!

[Manco]

Yea, it aint the easiest sport of them all. Im sure everyone misses alot here, you just
keep going out and when you shoot your first one remember what you did, you think its wrong
for aim'in that low but you'll see it works out. Keep hone'in them skills.

[Bulzeye]

You've got to develop a 'feel' for it.
That comes through shooting a lot, but to make the shooting productive, you have to evaluate your shot after a miss.
Was it too high or too low? Right or left?

Practice shooting at stuff on the surface first until you can get the arrows to go where you want them.
Then you can work on stuff like how far low to aim at submerged fish.
Practice on submerged objects in 1 to 4 feet of water.
Then you can try stuff like estimating how tolead moving fish.

[bowman15]

I remember one time Christine, her husband Jim, and I went out. We like to think we're fairly good shots, but on this day we were missing so bad, we referred to our attempts as "volleys". We all shot at one particular carp twice each, and I think I actually got off a third shot, and the fish still swam away.
Keep practicing. It's like anything else; if you do it enough, one day, it'll just 'click', and you'll hit alot more than you miss.