Fishing refers to the commercial or recreational activity of hunting for fish and other forms of marine life. It is a universal practice whose methods and traditions have survived after thousands of years. This activity is an important source of food for mankind. Although fishing does not normally include the hunting of whales, this term is broad in scope, and covers the hunting of octopus, turtles, frogs, squids, crabs, shrimps, cods, lobsters, and various shellfish.

There are different types of techniques adopted for fishing such as hand fishing, spear and bow fishing. Bow fishers kill the fish in shallow water with the help of bows and arrows. The fishermen either hunt on boats, or wade in to the water. They usually hunt fish such as carp and gar in rivers, lakes and other water bodies. In Bow fishing crossbows are used as weapons. A crossbow is made up a bow mounted crosswise on a stock for firing projectiles such as arrows. This weapon was popular in ancient and medieval warfare, but nowadays is used solely for hunting, fishing, sports, and recreation. The fully stretched bow is held in the stock before firing the projectile by releasing the trigger. Wood, steel and fiberglass are some of the materials used for this compact and powerful weapon. Compound crossbows often use pulleys or cams for enhanced capability. Fishing crossbows are available in a variety of designs, colors and sizes.

Bow fishing has become an exciting summertime sport for bow hunters, as they get valuable practice before the start of the fall hunting seasons. There are also many bow fishing tournaments, held across America.