One of the many memories I have as a kid is going down with my brother and Dad to the annual Erie Shores Bowmen’s carp shoot. If you haven’t heard of the club its not a big deal. It was just a small club that a small group of guys founded back in the early 1970’s. They held the carp shoot in the spring when the carp and dogfish are rolling in the marshes around Pte. Mouilee.
Shooting carp with a bow is gaining in popularity, as archers take to the waterways. Popular local spots include the “hot hole” or warm water discharge from the coal burner, and the side ponds out of the channel from Sterling State Park. Equipment includes a bow with a reel attached, a specialized arrow, and a stout line, in the 100 to 200 lb range. Usually the reels are designed so the angler/archer can handline the fish back to the boat.
We just had that small 14 ft Alumacraft rowboat back then, but dad decked it out for shooting, literally. From the small bow bench to the second one back he built a deck for a shooting platform. In between the two benches was a hinged trapdoor for storage. It was long before folks started installing flood lights and bringing out generators to run systems. The 20 hp Mercury was a bit overkill, but dad had a trolling motor back then. Me and the oars! I remember being told to go left, nice and slow, then hearing, “No, my left!”.
They had a “sugar shack” at the site where kids could get pop and such. All I remember is those two foot long straws filled with flavored sugar, my favorite is still the grape. I hear tell that’s not a good thing these days, but I liked it just fine.
The truly neat part was what was taking place during the weigh-ins. The folks would come down to watch, some in campers even. They would take the carp after it had been weighed, if no one wanted them. There must have been a half dozen or more improvised smokers going right there in the lot. Some were no more than those old 55 gal metal trash barrels with metal grates over the top.
I believe Cook’s Sportland carries all the neccessary accessories needed, and will check with Matthew’s Bait Shop. They have added archery to their business this year.