Bowfishing Opportunities in Iowa

Bowfishing Opportunities in Iowa

By Nick Johnson

Bowfishing has always held a special place in my heart. In fact, bowfishing is the only form of archery that I have ever done outside of some casual target practice with a longbow. I first started when I was about 14 years old. My dad had an old 25 lb youth long bow, no reel with string might I add, and I would scrounge up what little money I had and buy the cheapest fiberglass target arrows I could afford. A buddy and I would then hit the local streams in search of carp and redhorse. Upon hitting one we would have to physically chase the fish down and subdue it by hand. Ah the good old days with the most basic of equipment.

There was certainly better bowfishing equipment available back then, however we were just kids having fun and that didn’t matter too much to us. I smile when I think back to those times, and it reminds me that the sport of bowfishing can be as simple and non-complex as you want to make it. It is also a great sport to get kids involved in as it doesn’t take a whole lot of poundage on a bow to put an arrow through a fish.

Where to Bowfish Iowa
Bowfishing opportunities in Iowa are seemingly endless. Rough fish legal to take with a bow are found in virtually every body of water around the state, not including farm ponds. Of course, in recent years a few lakes have been drained and renovated to remove carp and other rough fish. Two that come to mind would be Black Hawk Lake next to Lake View and Badger Lake in Fort Dodge. If exploring a new lake for bowfishing, do some homework to double check if a recent renovation has occurred or not. Whether you have a boat or plan to venture on foot, chances are there is a place to arrow a fish not far away.

Streams and small rivers with public access are a great place to put on the creek stompers and walk and stalk some rough fish. Its common in water like this to encounter redhorse, common carp, white suckers and carpsuckers. Bring an extra arrow or two as hitting rocks on the bottom can break nocks and sometimes tips. The jolt of hitting a rock will send a shockwave back to the nock and sometimes crack it or send it flying.

Many lakes around the state also offer fantastic opportunities to bowfish from shore. Here the primary species you will find will be common carp. Occasionally you might encounter grass carp, freshwater drum and a handful of other species if they are present. In places like this I seek out trees casting shade over the water and deadfalls in the water. Carp like to bask in the shade of trees and woody debris, especially during the heat of the day. Away from the shade, keep a keen eye out for carp kicking up bottom sediment as they feed. You may even see their tail breaking the surface as they tip down.

Get The Boat Out
If you own a boat and want to chase giant fish, look no further than the Iowa Great Lakes. Some of the biggest common carp and freshwater drum I’ve seen in my life have come from these lakes. True giants with a chance at carp pushing 25 lbs and drum pushing 8 lbs. The best times to chase these fish are in the spring and early summer when water clarity is ideal, and the fish are either spawning or shallow cruising. This is not a cake walk though and often takes a good bit of scouting and patience. All of the lakes up there contain carp however, Big Spirit, West Okoboji and East Okoboji are likely your best bet for the biggest fish.

I would venture to guess a lot of you reading this have seen videos or reels of folks shooting the jumping silver carp out of the air with a bow. If you didn’t already know this, there are a couple places to do that right here in Iowa! While these fish are horrible invasives to have here, the thrill and challenge of shooting one out of the air is pretty unique. The Des Moines River below the Lake Red Rock dam is loaded with silver carp along with grass carp, giant bighead carp, shortnose gar and of course common carp, buffalo and the bevy of other smaller rough fish. Just be extra careful when boating here as there are many shallow spots, large boulders and submerged trees. Another fantastic option for bowfishing the jumping carp would be the Missouri river near Omaha and Blair. Here the little backwater cuts off the main river usually hold big numbers of silver carp and other species.

While common carp take the cake as far as sheer numbers and accessibility around the state, it can be fun to go after something a bit different such as gar and bowfin. A couple iconic places to chase these would be Lake Odessa and the backwaters of the Mississippi along the stretch of eastern Iowa. The Mississippi offers a chance at shooting a longnose gar, the second largest gar species in the United States. You can surely find longnose elsewhere, but they are somewhat abundant in the Mississippi River and its immediate tributaries.

Iowa’s Best Kept Secret
Iowa may not seem like a bowfishing destination for folks that haven’t spent time on the waters around the state but the opportunities to get the old stick and string out whether on foot or by boat are everywhere. Many places will offer good numbers while a few offer chances at huge fish. For me its always fun to get out and explore new waters as well. I am an avid fisherman and if I know a lake I’m fishing has carp, as many do in our state, I’ll throw the bow in the boat in case I encounter one as an added bonus to my fishing day. As always, keep safety a priority and have a great season ahead!