Sport: Fishing
Casting with bow and arrow   (+18)  [vote for, against]
Get it out there.

So you want to fish. That's fine. Go ahead and stand there on the shore like some hopeful gradeschooler and hope the big ones come close enough, fleshy bellies scraping on the sand, to take your lure. Watch that guy with the boat out in the middle reel in lunker after lunker. Curse his fish-wealthy naked corpulence as you hook shallow water weed after weed.

BUNGCO is here for you, boatless plebian. Now: cast your lure with the BUNGCO Bow and Arrow rig. Thread your line through the patented arrow (with adjustable buoyancy!) and fire it out there. Use the arrow as a bobber and let your worm dangle out in the middle, or make the arrow neutrally buoyant and reel it back in with lure in tow. Or make the arrow sink, carrying your bait with it into previously unplumbed depth. No longer need you be limited to close-shore fishing just because you cannot afford a boat.

But if you find our bow is not enough to get your hook where it needs to be, get the BUNGCO Fishing Ballista and mount it on the back of your truck (or on the hood of your Chevette). The Fishing Ballista will get your lure out a good three-quarters of a mile if the wind is right. You know that is where the big ones are! Fire then get reeling!
-- bungston, Dec 04 2008

400m cast - possible? http://www.uksf.sea...esults/2007gp4.html
[bungston, Dec 09 2008]

Reel good.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Dec 05 2008


I know some beach fisher-people in NZ use modified spud-guns to cast out past the surf. Kinda like this, only with a big BANG involved.

Bun for gems like //fish-wealthy naked corpulence //
-- Custardguts, Dec 05 2008


/400m/ metres ? feet - seems quite far .
-- wjt, Dec 05 2008


//400m// 400 miles?
-- hippo, Dec 05 2008


C'mon [bungston], this is the Halfbakery! Why use a bow and arrow when you could use a trebuchet?! The ballista is the minimum option that I would pursue.

(btw, +)
-- Jinbish, Dec 05 2008


This idea will encourage Boatless Plebeians to leave their coal mines, weaving sheds, and grindstones, and set out to idle away their time in fishing, when they should be working to support the existing nepotistic plutocracy.

Also, what's wrong with solid fuel rocket motors ? Wire guided missiles are a well proven technology - just use stronger wire ....
-- 8th of 7, Dec 05 2008


I hope the tech is reasonably priced. You're going to lose a lot of these things to snags in seaweed or other factors.

I'm not sure how one can practically offset the weight required to carry for a distance with sufficient bouyancy.
-- normzone, Dec 05 2008


/I'm not sure how one can practically offset the weight required to carry for a distance with sufficient bouyancy./

Immense size.
-- bungston, Dec 05 2008


//I'm not sure how one can practically offset the weight required to carry for a distance with sufficient bouyancy./

Immense size. //

High density discarding sabot.
-- Custardguts, Dec 08 2008


//8 oz lead sinkers about 400m to the opposite bank, in pursuit of sturgeon. It seemed a little unfair//

What were they casting them with?
-- nomocrow, Dec 09 2008


//8 oz lead sinkers about 400m to the opposite bank, in pursuit of sturgeon. It seemed a little unfair//

Treburod
-- nomocrow, Dec 09 2008


//8 oz lead sinkers about 400m to the opposite bank, in pursuit of sturgeon. It seemed a little unfair//

Really wouldn't be that difficult with a treburod, a sort of one-man traction trebuchet fishing rod on a lightweight stand. The pivot point could be adjusted for reeeling in big fish.
-- nomocrow, Dec 09 2008


I am reminded of the (possibly apochryful) story told in my childhood of the use of bow and arrow to transport a fishing line across a crevasse-like valley in New Mexico in order to begin the process of building a bridge.

The fishing line was followed by light cord, which was followed by thin cable, and ultimately heavy steel cables. Apparently the alternative of hiking a line across the bottom of the heavily forested deep valley was deemed too risky.

+
-- csea, Dec 09 2008


This is kind of the opposite to that Grace Jones character in "A View to a Kill" who's chosen assassination method is fishing-rod-cast lure to the neck.
-- zen_tom, Dec 09 2008


/fishing-rod-cast lure to the neck./

Would you use a rapala for that?

Apropos the 400m cast I wanted to see if that was possible. Linked is a surfcasting contest where it looks like they were short of that but not wildly so. I imagine there is a limit in this contest to the weight they can use: more weight = farther cast.
-- bungston, Dec 09 2008


/ /I'm not sure how one can practically offset the weight required to carry for a distance with sufficient bouyancy./

Thinking about this one too. Wouldn't wood work? You could add aerodynamic bobbers if the thing was still not buoyant enough.
-- bungston, Dec 09 2008


Compressed CO2 would provide the extra weight, and could fill a small bladder upon impact with water.
-- nomocrow, Dec 09 2008


Well, that explains some of the more arcane DFG laws regarding fishing tackle that I've seen here in CA.

There are limits on the amount of weight and size of hooks you can use. I'll bet if I search there are casting modes referenced.
-- normzone, Dec 10 2008


Bet they haven't thought of outlawing ballista fishing though!
-- wagster, Dec 10 2008



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