Practically any body of water in the state of Mississippi can offer opportunity for bowfishing. You can outfit yourself with a reel-equipped bows and head out into shallow waters. Pursue the sport in rivers, oxbow lakes, sloughs or even flooded fields. The fish are large and abundant in this Mississippi Delta state. Bowfisher James Cummins of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation tells of a bowfishing trip in a flooded Mississippi field. He said he and his friend shot enough gar, buffalo and carp in about two hours to fill five 30-gallon garbage cans
Clubs
The sport has many aficionados in the state but few organizations. The Bowman's Association of Mississippi has an active forum on the internet where members share information about fishing sites, fishing experiences and approaches. Bowfishers take part in events such as the River City Classic team competition held annually near Vicksburg.
Best Places
The Mississippi, Big Black, Pearl, Pascagoula and Yazoo rivers are good rivers for bowfishing. Some lake spots include Lake Whittington, Lake Lee and Lake Ferguson near Greenville. Moon Lake, north of Clarksdale; and Albemarle, Chotard and Eagle Lakes north of Vicksburg are also notable. Reservoirs such as Arkabutla, near Tunica; Enid, near Batesville; and Grenada Reservoir and Ross Barnett at Jackson offer bowfishers good sport.
When and How
Bowfishing is done day or night from the shore or in boats. Some go after the fish in fan boats with floodlights, others use an inexpensive bow and nothing but. Don't use your best bow for the sport because bows get a lot of rough treatment in action. The best time to go is in the spring or summer when the fish are in shallow water to spawn.
Conditions
In late summer and early fall bowmen can find pools of shallow water near but cut off from lakes and streams. Stranded fish can be taken here. Try fishing near rivers in the marshy strips between the river and the levee. On oxbows during the spring, look in the shallows at the edges, especially at the base of trees. All the legal species for bowfishing spawn in the spring. Make sure you are not on private land without permission.
Regulations
There are no creel limits on the species of non-game fish that can be legally taken with a bow in Mississippi. The legal species are carp, gar, buffalo and bowfin. There is a limit on alligator gar of two per day. These species are fish that can grow quite large in Mississippi and can provide a great challenge.
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