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ADVENTURE SPORTS OUTDOORS “THE VOICE OF THE AMERICAN SPORTSMAN”
BOWFISHING
ADVENTURE
ON OSAGE
RIVER
by
Bill Cooper
Bryan Wilson, of Jerome, is a bowfishing fanatic. Having been raised in
the Ozarks and living on the banks of
the Gasconade River influenced his
life for the good.
“I have always loved the outdoors
and grew up in an outdoors family,”
Wilson began. “We all hunted and
fished. Being outdoors is still our favorite past time.”
Wilson’s abilities as a bowfisherman
landed him a spot on Cowtown
USA’s Pro Staff. In fact, he is their
only bowfishing expert.
“Cowtown has definitely helped
me take my bowfishing career to a
new level, Wilson said. “ I run one of
Cowtown’s Legend SS bowfishing
boats. These boats are especially designed for bowfishermen with lots of
lights inside and outside of the boat, a
high shooting platform with rails and
lots of room for storage of bows and
other gear.
I traveled to the Osage River recently with Wilson and his wife, Staci
and their friends Chuck and Jeanie
Richardson, all experienced bowfishers.
We all fit comfortably into Bryan’s
boat along with a mountain of gear. A
pleasant August Saturday afternoon
greeted us with a mild breeze and
partly cloudy skies.
Wilson motored up to the old lock
and dam a couple of miles up the Osage. Rough fish often congregate below the dam offering fabulous bowfishing opportunities for Asian carp,
carp, buffalo and gar.
Water poured over the top of the
dam churning the water to a dingy
froth. “Normally, the water is 6-to-8feet below the top of the dam,” Wilson said. “We will have to check out
the creeks.
A few weeks previous, Wilson and
his friends had arrowed several hundred pounds of rough fish. It quickly
became apparent that we would have
to work a bit harder to find fish this
particular evening.
Wilson slowed motored the Legend
SS boat into a small creek opening.
The water was dark, with little visi-
bility. “Look, there’s a wake from
fish running from the boat,” Wilson
pointed out.
Fish began to swirl to get away
from the boat and a few cleared the
water. “It will get better after dark,”
Wilson consoled.
Wilson steered back into the
stronger current of the Osage River
and looked for another creek. As he
increased speed the cool wind felt
good on our faces. We enjoyed the
beauty of the Osage for a few minutes before Wilson pulled into the
mouth of another creek.
Fish immediately began swirling
and Wilson and Richardson went to
action with their bows. They shot into the murky water simultaneously,
but both came up empty.
The last rays of the sun began to
slip under the horizon. The action
picked up rapidly. Asian carp began
leaping out of the water by the
dozens, some to 6-feet in the air. Several fish landed in the boat. The slime
fest began. Asian carp are extremely
slimy and can create hazardous conditions in a boat quickly. I picked
them up and put them in the barrel
each time I had a break from filming.
Wilson and Richardson clearly
demonstrated the need for speed and
accuracy to connect with the jumping
carp. It quickly became obvious to
me that they had lots of experience at
bowfishing. Each could draw the
light poundage bows in a milli-second and fling a fishing arrow at a
fleeing or flying fish.
If one of the guys connected, the
fight was on to get the strong fish into the boat, off the arrow and into the
barrel. Doubles were common and
October 2015
Asian carp are prolific in the
Mississippi River and its
tributaries.
watching the scene on the bow of the
boat often resembled a Three Stooges
routine, but Wilson and Richardson
moved with finesse and managed to
land their fish and stay in the boat.
The entire bowfishing party obviously enjoyed what they were doing.
The ladies took photos, laughed, giggled and offered advice. Jeanie often
wielded a bow as well.
The fishing action slowed as quickly as it started and Wilson moved on
to another productive spot.
Asian carp are a horrible nuisance
and compete heavily with our native
game fish species. The Missouri and
Mississippi Rivers and their tributaries are choked with these invasive
fish. Bowfishermen provide an incredible service by removing these
fish from our waters. I there were
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