re: My input/observation on LA Redfish

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I don't get how nighttime bow fishing is any different from shining for deer. It's the proverbial shooting fish in a barrel.

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I watched one of the best snook and permit fisheries left in the Carribean be decimated by about 5 people bow fishing in broad daylight. Perfectly legal other than the short fish they misjudged which was a small number of those taken. In a year it went from thousands of permit feeding on snails in the mangrove roots over about a mile and a half of river to most days sighting 10. Snook would, at times be shoulder to shoulder and having to move out of the way of boats to seeing 100 or so a day. 5 people, a year, and almost all within the regs except for the occasional short fish they misjudged. I don't know about anywhere else but it certainly damaged that fishery.

They also shot tarpon. For some foolish reason all 5 of them thought shooting a 180 pound tarpon was great sport. I can't explain it. They did not seem to hurt he Tarpon population but a bunch of them had fuzzy growths where they had been hit with a bow.

Permit, mythical creatures in the eye of most sportsman, are very good eating, similar to Pompano. They are also VERY selective at times, making them the perfect target for fly fisherman in particular. They also fight like a demon as the Jacks they are. This same river system was chock bock full of 3 pound mangrove snapper who could be caughy by anyone at anytime and taste as good or better than a permit. Taking a permit with a bow is just not sporting at all...spearing one at least requires stalking and being in its element.