Bowfishing provides action-packed thrills on water.
Extreme sport hooks family
A lot of people view fishing as a relaxing day on a boat with a line dangling lazily in the water.
Others need more action.
For those more adrenaline-inclined anglers, Brad Marx would suggest bowfishing.
Marx, who runs the Marxman Outdoors guiding service in Mayville, will be giving presentations about this extreme brand of fishing at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sports Show.
“Regular fishing is more of a passive activity, where bowfishing is an absolutely interactive, aggressive sport,” Marx said. “So instead of passively waiting for the fish to come to you, you go after the fish. So you are constantly in pursuit. So it’s like you are hunting fish. Honestly, it might bring out the primal instinct in us.”
Marx, 45, dabbled in bowfishing while growing up in Beaver Dam. He is a U.S. Coast Guard captain, a licensed guide and the fire chief in Mayville.
As bowfishing exploded in popularity in recent years, Marx got deeper into it and soon his whole family was hooked. Now they all help out at Marxman Outdoors.
Marx’s wife, Tina, 48, runs the nuts and bolts of the business. Jared Hines, Marx’s 27-yearold stepson, is another licensed guide and the resident sharpshooter.
Even the younger kids are part of the business. Evan, 14, is the first mate and helps out with any issues, including removing fish from the arrows for the more squeamish clients. Eyan and Edyn, 12-year-old fraternal twins, perform similar duties.
Marx provides all the bows and arrows, with no shooting experience necessary. They have bows that a 6-year-old could use and a crossbow for anyone with a disability. Arrows have lines attached, so fish are reeled back in by hand.
Marxman Outdoors takes people all over the state, from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan. Marx and Co. will scout the waters a few days before taking out their clients.
Bowfishing is best done at night.
“You can do it during the day, but it’s a lot harder,” Marx said. “You got the reflection of the sunlight on the water. You have to have polarized sunglasses.”
Marxman Outdoors illuminates the water at night with an impressive setup on his boat, which looks more like a monster truck with bright green graphics.
“We’ve got 16 different, 80-watt LEDs that we turn on that are fed by a generator,” Marx said. “Especially with clear conditions, you can see 10-15 feet down.”
“Rough” fish — or invasive species — are usually the target of bowfishing. That includes carp, gar, suckers, shad, sheepshead and dogfish.
The chase, the darkness, the target, the drawing and firing of a bow ... it all combines for a thrilling, actionpacked time on the water.
“I can’t even tell you how many fish I’ve shot, it’s thousands, and I get excited every fish I shoot,” Marx said. “We all high-five each other.
“My boys shoot way more fish than I do in a year because I let them shoot first. Every fish they get we’re high-fiving and ‘way to go’ and ‘get it in the boat.’ We’ve got more pictures of us with fish than we do with each other. It’s awesome. We just love it. It’s so highly addictive.”