Spearfishing Carp

[Guest]

I have a speargun for the ocean, and was wondering if you have heard of anyone using it in fresh water for carp. Last year I called the DNR, and they said it was legal. I was watching hundreds of carp on Minnetonka, but when I finally got time to go chase them with the spear, the water got all the algee in it and I couldn't see more then 4 feet infront of me. Thinking of trying it in the spring,just after ice out.

[SpikeRoberts]

walleyeslapper,

I would think the season on roughfish spearfishing would apply here:

Sunrise to Sunset, May 1 - February 15

See page 52 of the 2003 regualtions.

[Guest]

Your right. Have you heard of anyone doing it?

[deadeye]

I have heard of lots of people shooting them with a bow and spearing them with the regular ice fishing spear. I would think that there would be a few people that do it with a spear gun as well, although I haven't heard of anyone doing it myself. give it a try see what happens.

[mtreno]

used my cross-bow last year. someone saw what i was doing and called the c.o. he came out and ended up watching me shoot one. i would think your spear gun would be fine just like my cross-bow was. the only problem he had with me was i was standing on part of the bridge for a better view and the co said i was to close to the road. moved up the crick a bit - found a big rock to stand on and let them fly. only got two last year. can't believe how fast they move when something hits the water.

[ricqik]

What lakes are legal/open for bowfishing. I bowhunt and want to try some bowfishing but don't know of any lake open for bowfishing. Phalen is the closest lake to me and I've seen carp around the 40" mark. Is phalen open for spear/bowfshing?

[deadeye]

I would try the mississippi river if you want to shoot some really big carp. I have caught a 35# carp down there and I have seen ones much bigger than that sucking at the surface of the water. ><>
deadeye

[Lunker]

I think its legal. My brother did it with bows, its fun.

[ricqik]

Is the entire river open for bowfishing when the season opens? Even downtown.

[SpikeRoberts]

As far as I know, the only waters where roughfish spearing is restricted are designated trout lakes and a few other special regulation lakes such as Cass (I may be wrong here, the spearing ban on Cass may only be for the ice season). Before you head out, you should check the list of experimental and special reulation lakes in the 2003 Fishing Regulations to be sure the lake or river you're going to be on is not on the prohibited list.

[deadeye]

Yes, downtown would be open for that but I think that you might do better a little ways north. The place I was talking about is just south of the 694 brige. If you have a boat you can go north of the bridge too, there is a lot of backwaters/islands you can cover up there. ><>
deadeye

[Lunker]

If anyone wants to spear some carp still this winter I can tell you a spot where the carp congreagte in open water during the winter in minneapolis. Ive caught a lot of carp and a couple of buffalo there.
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[aquafang]

I do more bowfishing than the common nightcrawler eats dirt. Better check your regulations for that crossbow. there are not many states that allow it. if any. MN and SD for sure don't allow it. SD is open year round if you want to come over here and try that speargun out at ice out.

[Walleye_GFA]

So what does everyone do with the carp after they shoot them ????

W_GFA

[Guest]

we use them for fertilizer... the worst part about bow fishing in my opinion is burying them in the yard afterwards... I wish I had a better use for them, but they do make good fertilizer.

[Guest]

yup, aquafang is right on the cross bow. Only legal if you have a special permit for the cross bow in MN.

[deadeye]

I don't think it is a bad thing to use them for fertilizer. You are doing a service getting them out of the water, they really do muddy up the water in some places, so the way I look at it is you are just helping. Besides, when the tomato plants are six feet tall and full of tomatoes because you put them in the same spot you buried the fish you can see that they really are being used in a good way. I think that it is way better than pouring a bunch of nitrogen and phosphorus on your plants and having that end up screwing up your fishing even more when it runs off into the lakes and river. ><>
deadeye

[hydro]

While I have not personally gone underwater to spear carp, I have been the boatman for the operation. We have speared Clearwater Lake near Annandale extensively over the years with much success. It has relatively good visibility and lots of BIG carp, with 20+ pound fish being common and 30+ easily attainable.

Try it from the season opener to early summer when the water is the clearest. The first spot you should try is the south shore of the large point that separates the lake, from the island back east to where the shoreline bar juts out into the lake. Big carp congregate here in May/June and should be easy to get.

Ps. As you are swimming, look beside and behind you. They will swim alongside you as if you are just another big carp!

Hydro

[Guest]

Thanks hydro,
that does sound fun. I live about 20 minutes from clearwater. I will give it a try.

[Guest]

We've bowfished clearwater for many years and have noticed what seems to be a steady decline in carp numbers. Still get carp and they are big, but not seeing the numbers at all that we did 10 yrs. ago. We are out there normally every weekend once it opens until the end of the spawn. Biggest for us is 30 lbs., we've also taken some between 27-29 lbs., with many over 25 lbs. Good average size and clear water are a good combination. We are looking at new lakes to try this year, as we haven't hit it really good at clearwater for awhile. There are a number of lakes in the Annandale area that are even clearer and would be worth trying. I heard as of the last few years the DNR is trapping carp in clearwater on the river and this is thought to have reduced the population... If your looking for really big carp and clear water, go to Mille Lacs. We've shot some hogs out of Mille Lacs - they spawn a little later as expected in the cool water.

[CornPirateKiller]

You only need a permit for the crossbow if you are after game animals. I was told by the DNR that crossbows are legal for the taking of rough fish, which are not gamefish (or game animals). It is similar to the spearing law. Likewise, you can use the crossbow for taking non-game, not protected animals, such as skunk or woodchuck. You do need a permit for taking deer or turkey with a crossbow and these permits are only available to the disabled. One thing to be careful of, crossbows, compound bows, and strung longbows cannot be legally shot within city limits. Same rules as guns.

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Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati

[Lunker]

Read the regs, its illegal without a permit, even for rough fish.

[Guest]

This sort of thing seems to be one of the main problems with the DNR. There are numerous topics on different message boards for hunting and fishing and everyone seems to get confused about some of the laws, and what it boils down to is the discression of the officer. I called the DNR about me spearing the carp with a speargun and got 2 different answers, yes and no. But when I asked them to fax me a writen permission so I could get out of trouble if I was asked, they refused saying that it was the discression of the officer. Sorry I had to rant and rave about this, but it seems that most major topics seem to turn into a discussion of rules, it needs to be fixed, we should be talking about fishing.

[Guest]

Walleyeslapper---
I started bowfishing last summer. The regs and rules are NOT very clear. I think that it is good that we are talking about regs on this site so that fisherman know what is legal or illegal for their type of fishing. Did you know that every city in the metro has their own regulations regarding bowfishing? For example, on Lake Minnetonka, it is illegal to bowfish in certain bays because of city lines.

Please continue the discussion regarding bowfishing regulations. I check this site frequently for bowfishing related subjects.

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Ryan Schuh
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