On Saturday the IDNR put on their anual Fishing Fair at Pere Marquet State Park. The event is for kids, there were 20 different stations for the kids to visit, ranging from not tying to long range casting accuracy. After they had visited 7 of the stations they got a tackle box filled with tackle and a chance to fish the trout pond. I volunteerd to work the event at the Illinois Bowfishing Booth. They had 2 stations at the booth, the first was shooting at 3D foam fish targets with Genisis Bows donated by Mathews. The next station was a real bowfishing opportunity. The kids stand on a dock pulled up on shore. They shoot rubber blunt tipped arrows propelled by small recurves at battery powered swimming plastic fish in plastic stock tanks. The 3D targets in the tent. Bowfishing in the stock tanks. The targets in the tanks. Concentrating on the target. Lots of shooters this size. Shooting a Genisis bow at the foam targets. This buffalo was an easy target. Once the event opened at 10:00 the line was constantly 10-20 kids deep waiting to take their shots at Nemo and the rest of the plastic fish. Kendal and Christine brought their pontoon boat along to get some real bowfishing in after the fair ended. Unfortunately the wind really kicked up in the afternoon making the river very rough. That and the rapidly falling water level didn't help the river fishing. We did manage to stick a few gar from shore. Sorry I left my camera in the truck, but I think Christine snapped a few pics. We managed to get their boat in a small lake right off the river despite a terribly washed out rock boat ramp. But as it can be with boating luck, the trolling motor crapped out. We drifted around for a bit trying to spot some gar. None surfaced in range. Then we fired up the outboard to try and coax a few silver carp to go airborn. Not much luck their either, a few small ones took the air and a couple of bigger ones jumped too far behind the boat for a shot. So it was back to the park for a fish fry by some of the guys in charge of the event. It was a neat day of working a new event with lots of kids getting their first taste of shooting a bow. They estimated 2500 kids attended the event, and I know a good number of those went thru the bowfishing area of the fair. I look forward to helping out again next year and getting back into the sport myself. Seeing the pics at the booth and watching the action on the river bank made me crave for a little summer bowhunting on the river.
I figured John was my kind of guy when he had written that his idea of a body poof was comet and steel wool. But I was still impressed how much of a trooper he was with all the kids. Another satisfied customer... This gives you an idea of the crowd. It never let up.
Many families stopped by to learn more about bowfishing equipment and techniques. (This is were I hung out.) :d Dave loves carp... Joanne our pro fish wrangler. For many the kids, this was thier first experience with a bow and arrow. Bowfishing after. Honestly the bowfishing really was bad. Wind, dead troller, muddy water and a scarcity of fish. After the bowfishing we ate bunches of food and watched some riveting games of cornhole.
Looks like fun guys/gals, Its great what yall are doing Is that a picture of Ople in front of your booth?
