# Is it legal to spearfish for carp.....



## crackerdave

..in West Point lake?


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## Throwback

27-4-33.  Spearing of fish 


   (a) It shall be unlawful to spear game fish and all species of catfish in the fresh waters of this state except as provided in this Code section; provided, however, other species of nongame fish may be speared solely for the purpose of sport, provided the person engaged in the act of spearing is completely submerged.

(b) "Spearing" as used in this Code section shall be limited to the use of a spear or similar instrument that is held in the hand of the person using the same and the use of a weapon other than a firearm which propels or forces a projectile or similar device therefrom, to which a wire, rope, line, cord, or other means of recovering the projectile or similar device is attached, which wire, rope, line, cord, or other means is secured to the weapon or the person using the weapon.

(c) It shall also be unlawful for any person to engage in the spearing of fish in the fresh waters of this state without a resident or nonresident fishing license as provided in Code Section 27-2-23.

(d) It shall be unlawful to use spears with poisonous or exploding heads.

(e) It shall be unlawful to discharge spears into waters nearer than 150 feet to anyone engaged in any other means of recreation.

(f) Any game fish, except channel catfish and flathead catfish taken under the provisions of subsection (g) of this Code section, with an open wound and in the possession of a person fishing with a spear shall be prima-facie evidence of taking and possessing fish illegally.

(g) It shall be unlawful to take channel catfish and flathead catfish anywhere in the Savannah River, including its tributaries and impoundments within the Savannah River Basin, by means of spearing, except under the following conditions:

   (1) The taking of channel catfish and flathead catfish in the Savannah River, including its tributaries and impoundments within the Savannah River Basin, by spear shall be legal at any time of the day and at night by the use of a light; and

   (2) All spears used pursuant to this subsection must be equipped with barbs or contain devices on the point to act as a harpoon for recovering fish and must be attached to the person using the spear or to the weapon by a rope, line, or cord sufficient for recovering the spear and channel catfish or flathead catfish.


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## crackerdave

Thanks,TB.
So..I can spear carp and just toss 'em on the bank? Does anybody eat 'em besides crows and possums?


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## thompsonsz71

No you can't toss them on the bank.... Please don't do this


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## crackerdave

thompsonsz71 said:


> No you can't toss them on the bank.... Please don't do this



I won't.
What do you do with them? I won't kill any unless I can give them to somebody who will use them.


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## Nugefan

put em in your garden ...


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## Pate55

They will defiantly eat a carp


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## chadf

I'll throw them in my garden........

It's in Gwinnett


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## crackerdave

I'm serious about this, not trolling.Any serious advice is appreciated.


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## S Adams

crackerdave said:


> Varmints would keep me from that....they dug up a whole row of 'mater plants that had fish carcasses under 'em.
> Wonder if Asian people eat carp? Since the KIA plant came to town, there's a lot of Koreans around.



Go talk to them Asians They will take them!


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## thompsonsz71

I have always fed the yotes with them and used them for bait


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## crackerdave

Wonder if the meat would be good trotline bait?


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## nwgahunter

crackerdave said:


> Thanks,TB.
> So..I can spear carp and just toss 'em on the bank? Does anybody eat 'em besides crows and possums?



Appears that you have to be completely submerged. I'd imagine you would use a snorkel? Sounds like fun


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## crackerdave

nwgahunter said:


> Appears that you have to be completely submerged. I'd imagine you would use a snorkel? Sounds like fun



I'm sure thinking about trying it! That commercial spearfishing show at 9 Sunday night on the Weather Channel has got me hauling out my gear from forty years ago.


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## Big7

crackerdave said:


> Wonder if the meat would be good trotline bait?



Oh yeah... Jugs and noodles too.

Got spewed to a link (ON HERE) a few weeks ago.

They were using carp and caught some big'uns.

I have NOT personally used them for bait, but 
if you can find a link to the YouTube clips I looked at, it will make you a believer.

Next time I set, there will be some carp on them!


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## Scrapy

Post #2 quotes the law scripture and verse. It mentions gamefish and catfish but what about carp(trashfish)? 
Does carp apply to bowfishing and gigging as well?


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## tmann1990

Carp can actually be pretty good if done right. I had some in Canada that was cured in maple sugar then smoked over maple wood. I thought it was the same lake whitefish we were eating the day before until the camp owner asked where his stash of carp went.


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## Backstabbin

DONT throw them on the bank! Alot of people eat them but not my taste. They do make great fertalizer, hog bait and catfish bait.


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## shakey gizzard

crackerdave said:


> Varmints would keep me from that....they dug up a whole row of 'mater plants that had fish carcasses under 'em.
> Wonder if Asian people eat carp? Since the KIA plant came to town, there's a lot of Koreans around.



Rather than bury the whole carcass, put em in a 5 gal  paint bucket  and cover with water. put the top on tight! Unscrew "slightly "the cap that allows the paint Mixer to add pigment. This allows gases to escape during decomp. After a month or 2, strain out the bones. DO NOT LET ANY GET ON YOU! I try to put it on the garden just before a good rain, which seems to knock the smell down.


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## needmotime2fish

As a carp angler myself, I would prefer that carp not be targeted by bow and spear fishermen.  I do, however, realize that it's legal, and that it's your choice, which I do respect.
I will point out that some states already protect carp as "sport fish", and that in much of the world outside the USA, carp are the *primary* sport fish.  Anglers in the UK and France are known to spend thousands of dollars just to fish for a week in lakes that are well-stocked with carp -- and that's all "catch and release".  Some of the lake owners pay more than $10K to stock a single healthy 20+ pound carp.  I have a fishing buddy from the UK who tells me that the ONLY fish anglers are allowed to kill are trout, salmon, and char-- carp are protected.  
Angling for carp is a quickly-growing sport here in the US, so we carp anglers would appreciate you guys not targeting the trophy sized fish (to preserve the gene pool of big fish for future carp anglers, as well as to give someone else a chance to enjoy that same fish).  Carp do reproduce in large numbers, so there are plenty of smaller ones available for harvesting.
As I noted, carp are legal game for bow and spear fishermen, just as much as they are legal for rod-and-reel anglers. Therefore, such a decision is also simply a matter of personal choice.
Please don't misunderstand this post.  I'm not asking you guys to give up your sport. I'm only asking that you consider the future of both sports (yours and mine) and not abuse - or waste - the resource.  Thanks!


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## S Adams

Hey needmotime2fish maybe you can move on over to UK or France. Fishing sounds better!


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## Kdad

*Preserve the sport??......*

Mr. Cracker, do what you wanna do!!! Don't take this the wrong way please, I would believe that you do have common sense unlike how some others may disagree, thinking you may be wasting fish or even better, wait for it... Taking the "trophy" ones instead of letting them grow!!! Wow... We have all different methods to hunt deer, hog, squirrels and everything in between and also can fish the same legal way. If you wanna spear the 10 biggest ones in the water then by all means let er rip!!! Make hog stew, fertilizer or whatever YOU wanna do with them. I'm sure at your age (no offense) you make very conscious conservatory efforts. Go have fun and best of luck!!! ????


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## needmotime2fish

@ S Adams
Nah !  As much as I'd like to try it once, from what I hear, fishing is much too expensive over there.  As an old retired guy, I can hardly afford to buy stuff to make my bait!

BTW -- you did notice that I emphasized that what I was asking was that you just *consider* the future of both your sport and mine, by harvesting more of the smaller carp, while leaving the big ones to preserve the genetics of those bigger fish.  And I did say whether or not you do that is completely *your* choice.  I have no more right to make you change your ways than you have to make me change mine.  
I did want to point out that in many other places - including some US states - carp are regarded as sport fish, and are considered a 'resource', rather than as a 'nuisance' or a 'trash fish'.
I might add that sport fishing for carp in Europe adds roughly $9 Billion to their economy.  Unfortunately I have no data to compare regarding how much bow fishing adds here in the US (although I admit that it's fairly popular).  But large dollars often translates to changes in attitudes, which might threaten your sport some day, should Georgia and/or neighboring states ever add carp to the protected list.  It seems logical that re-thinking how the two sports (carp angling and bow fishing) can work together to preserve them both would seem to be a better approach than the two sports being adversaries.


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## S Adams

If you're truly wanting to work together with bowfisherman than you're the first CAG member that I've ever heard say that! And wouldn't shooting the smaller fish be the future?


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## needmotime2fish

S Adams said:


> If you're truly wanting to work together with bowfisherman than you're the first CAG member that I've ever heard say that! And wouldn't shooting the smaller fish be the future?



OK.  For the most part, CAG objects to killing all trophy carp, and to killing carp in general with a bow or spear.  I feel the same, but to be realistic, I look at it this way...

First, I may not agree with your methods, but as long as the state says it's legal, I pretty much have to live with your right to do it.  My philosophy is that my rights stop where yours begin, and yours stop where mine begin.  We just need to learn to coexist.

Second, I don't see our state designating carp as a game fish or a sport fish in my lifetime.  I also think that many of you guys do your bow fishing in areas where there are few carp anglers, so you're not threatening the carp populations that most of us are fishing for.  If that should change -- if I hear that you're branching out to areas where there's a good bit of carp angling, OR if angling for carp grows in popularity to the point where a lot of guys start fishing the same areas where you guys bow fish, I might feel differently.  But again, I don't see those as very likely to happen in my lifetime.

As for shooting the smaller fish, unless you kill ALL (or most) of them, they'll still continue to reproduce. And if you allow the trophy fish to live, their genes will be passed along to later generations, which will eventually create a larger average size.  Also, in many cases, some reasonable harvesting could help increase the average size of the population by making more food available for the remaining fish.

As for "working together"...  no, I'm not going to help you expand your sport (simply because it holds no interest for me), nor would I expect you to help me (although I would encourage you - and everyone else - to try carp angling... it's not for everyone, but if you like fishing, you should enjoy fighting a decent sized carp --  other than stripers, there are few if any fresh water fish that will match a carp for their fight).  But that's getting off the point.
"Working together" can mean doing what we can to make sure that there are plenty of carp -- and big ones -- left for future generations to enjoy.  It could also mean sharing information -- you guys could occasionally give us anglers a heads up when you see some trophy carp in an area, and we could do the same for you when we find a high density of smaller carp that might benefit by being thinned out.  Or if we see evidence that a few "bad apples" are giving your sport a bad rep by littering an area with dead, bow-killed carp, we could (quietly) tell you so you could police yourselves, instead of filing a complaint to the DNR . It could also simply mean that we "agree to disagree", and that we won't fight with one another.

Personally, I've seen too many photos of dozens and dozens of dead carp that were shot by bow fishermen.  I always wonder if those fish were "wasted", or if they were put to some good use (I hope so).  I know that some bow guys give their fish to less fortunate families who are grateful for the meat. But there are also the "slobs" who litter the banks and boat ramps with their kill.  One or two of those guys can give the rest of you a bad name.

I also realize that just like some hunting areas where deer (for example) have become over-populated, it becomes necessary to open those areas to higher limits and reduce the population FOR THE BENEFIT of the rest of the deer. I can envision similar situations where you guys might actually HELP certain local carp populations by culling some fish from those over-populated areas.

So YES, I do believe there are some ways we CAN work together.


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## S Adams

needmotime2fish said:


> OK.  For the most part, CAG objects to killing all trophy carp, and to killing carp in general with a bow or spear.  I feel the same, but to be realistic, I look at it this way...
> 
> First, I may not agree with your methods, but as long as the state says it's legal, I pretty much have to live with your right to do it.  My philosophy is that my rights stop where yours begin, and yours stop where mine begin.  We just need to learn to coexist.
> 
> Second, I don't see our state designating carp as a game fish or a sport fish in my lifetime.  I also think that many of you guys do your bow fishing in areas where there are few carp anglers, so you're not threatening the carp populations that most of us are fishing for.  If that should change -- if I hear that you're branching out to areas where there's a good bit of carp angling, OR if angling for carp grows in popularity to the point where a lot of guys start fishing the same areas where you guys bow fish, I might feel differently.  But again, I don't see those as very likely to happen in my lifetime.
> 
> As for shooting the smaller fish, unless you kill ALL (or most) of them, they'll still continue to reproduce. And if you allow the trophy fish to live, their genes will be passed along to later generations, which will eventually create a larger average size.  Also, in many cases, some reasonable harvesting could help increase the average size of the population by making more food available for the remaining fish.
> 
> As for "working together"...  no, I'm not going to help you expand your sport (simply because it holds no interest for me), nor would I expect you to help me (although I would encourage you - and everyone else - to try carp angling... it's not for everyone, but if you like fishing, you should enjoy fighting a decent sized carp --  other than stripers, there are few if any fresh water fish that will match a carp for their fight).  But that's getting off the point.
> "Working together" can mean doing what we can to make sure that there are plenty of carp -- and big ones -- left for future generations to enjoy.  It could also mean sharing information -- you guys could occasionally give us anglers a heads up when you see some trophy carp in an area, and we could do the same for you when we find a high density of smaller carp that might benefit by being thinned out.  Or if we see evidence that a few "bad apples" are giving your sport a bad rep by littering an area with dead, bow-killed carp, we could (quietly) tell you so you could police yourselves, instead of filing a complaint to the DNR . It could also simply mean that we "agree to disagree", and that we won't fight with one another.
> 
> Personally, I've seen too many photos of dozens and dozens of dead carp that were shot by bow fishermen.  I always wonder if those fish were "wasted", or if they were put to some good use (I hope so).  I know that some bow guys give their fish to less fortunate families who are grateful for the meat. But there are also the "slobs" who litter the banks and boat ramps with their kill.  One or two of those guys can give the rest of you a bad name.
> 
> I also realize that just like some hunting areas where deer (for example) have become over-populated, it becomes necessary to open those areas to higher limits and reduce the population FOR THE BENEFIT of the rest of the deer. I can envision similar situations where you guys might actually HELP certain local carp populations by culling some fish from those over-populated areas.
> 
> So YES, I do believe there are some ways we CAN work together.



First,let me say that the water that we fish is all open to public and if we see someone fishing whether it be rod and reel or bowfishing we stay away and expect the same from them.

Second, I never expected you or CAG to help in anyway in promoting the sport of Bowfishing and i thank you for that.

Third, I do let a lot of Trophy fish go each year but it's because I miss lol. And every sport has bad apples and that includes CAG. Also everything we shoot goes to use in someway or another.


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## Flaustin1

And the winner of the big 10 coming in at 12.62lbs is. . . . . . ha ha aha  aha ah ha ah .


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## grouper throat

Let us know how you do Dave! I love spearfishing myself and bet shooting these would be pretty cool. Similar to our inshore cobia shooting. Hold on tight!


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