#trashfish

Well, I assume you mean “Georgia” as in the US state not the country in the Caucasus.

I post a lot about bowfishing to my social media pages. It’s one of my favorite summer activities. So of course one of the questions I am asked the most is, “What do you do with the fish you shoot?”

Some of the people posing this question are anti-hunting and anti-bowfishing. But the majority are simply people who want to know whether or not there is actually anything useful that can be done with the hundreds of fish that are being shot — besides tossing them in a ditch and calling it a day.

Sure, you can dump them or toss them. Just make sure it’s an area away from walking paths or boat ramps. If someone decides to take their morning jog along the river and stumbles onto a pile of rotting fish, odds are they’re going to make a complaint. With enough complaints, your area will start posting no bowfishing signs and there won’t be any more fun.

Here are a few alternatives to consider:

You can eat them. Yes, you read that correctly. Most people think “trash fish” and automatically turn up their noses at the idea of any of these fish being edible. Although there are a few species I am not fond of (common carp — yuck), and don’t take the time to filet and eat, there are several species that are very good to eat. Where I live in Ohio, these species include gar, buffalo, and suckers. (We can’t shoot catfish here.)

Although the gar are a bit more work to clean, they are well worth it. Gar have two long narrow strips of meat along their backbone, similar to backstraps on a deer. There are no bones in it, and it is a firm white meat that actually tastes similar to chicken. Bread it and fry it right up with some dipping sauce.

Suckers are easily filleted in the same fashion you would filet a bass or pan fish, and are best made into fish patties or smoked. Although suckers have a good flavor, they are a bit bony which makes fish patties ideal. Cook the seasoned filets in a bit of butter in a frying pan until browned on both sides. (Browning it adds extra flavor!)  Once cooked, the bones will be fairly easy to pick out and you are left with a pile of flaky meat. Add an egg, some parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and some chives. Shape into patties and fry in oil until crisp. I like to make a dill sauce to go with it.

Give them away. Maybe you don’t like fish that much, or you don’t have the stomach to try rough fish. You can always give them to someone who does. When I first started bowfishing, I didn’t know anything about which species were good to eat. I would have many other fishermen come up to me and ask to if they could take the fish home and eat them, which I gladly obliged. Even now, on days I don’t feel like cleaning fish I will gladly give them to someone who wants them.

Bait. Carp, suckers, quillback, and shad make great cut bait for catfishing or if you’re turtle trapping. I used to fill garbage cans with carp to give to a local turtle trapper and the snapping turtles love it.  You can use the fish for trapping bait, fishing bait, and hunting bait. A pile of dead carp will draw in plenty of coyotes, bears, raccoons, you name it. It’s a great way to bring in those coyotes that are bothering the neighbors’ sheep or eating the neighborhood cats.

Fertilizer. I think most of us can recall the story that we all read in grade school of how the pilgrims came to America and started their own colony. In the spring when they planted their crops, the Native Americans helped plant dead fish under the dirt to keep the soil rich and help their plants grow. Don’t believe it? Try it.

Sell them. Think of selling fish as getting paid to bowfish. You won’t get rich, but hey it’s something! Unbeknownst to most, there are plenty of game farms, zoos, and farmers that will pay you per pound for dead fish. Dead fish equals animal food! I know several people who actually make it into dog food, the cheapest organic dog food around. Reach out to some local places and you may soon be sponsored by a game farm or feeding the bears at your local zoo.

Do you have another solution to make use of the fish you shoot? Let us know in the comments!