Rough Fish Assassins Explore Bowfishing
Our Mission
The mission of the Rough Fish Assassins is to empower and educate individuals about the sport of bowfishing. Through our bowfishing mission, we aim to preserve and protect this unique sport, sharing its knowledge and history. We also strive to create a safe space for everyone to experience the thrill of bowfishing and all it has to offer, including engaging bowfishing displays.
Our Vision
We at the Rough Fish Assassins are dedicated to our bowfishing mission of creating and projecting a safe, fun, and educational environment to share with every person and every business across the nation. Our bowfishing display showcases this commitment.
Our Display
Our bowfishing display began in 2010 with a simple card table, a small pop-up canopy, borrowed fish mounts, and a laptop showcasing a bowfishing video. Each year, we enhanced our bowfishing mission by adding more fish mounts, custom-built tables, and larger TVs under a bigger canopy. In 2015, we introduced a shooting tank to our display, enabling us to participate in more events beyond lakes and rivers. By 2018, we took our display to the next level by motorizing the targets in the tank, adding a more realistic element that brought even greater enjoyment to attendees, all part of our commitment as Rough Fish Assassins.
Our Trailer
Our Bowfishing Education and Experience trailer has always been a dream project for us. Before we had this trailer, we would travel with two trucks—one towing the boat and the other hauling a cargo trailer filled with all the components for our bowfishing display. During some of our larger events, we noticed that kids often bypassed the informative section of the display and headed straight to the boat to shoot fish. This observation fueled our push to find a trailer spacious enough to accommodate our vision. In 2023, we discovered an older 40-foot mobile library, and over the next year, we rebuilt most of the trailer, modifying it to align with our bowfishing mission. By 2024, we proudly rolled the trailer out of the shop for the first time, receiving nothing but rave reviews. We are continually looking to upgrade and advance our display and trailer; our vision for the Rough Fish Assassins has not diminished, and neither will our future.
The Rough Fish Assassins (RFA) Team
Travis
Travis
Travis
Travis started bowfishing in about 1992 and discovered an early passion for the sport. In 2008, he went on to form the Rough Fish Assassins, aiming to enhance the community's engagement in this exciting activity. Around the same time, he became a member of the Wisconsin Bowfishing Association (WBA). In 2011, after being invited to create a bowfishing display for a Boy Scout camp, he recognized the need to elevate the sport and expand its outreach. By 2014, he secured the role of WBA Regional Rep for unit 4, a position he continues to hold, furthering his bowfishing mission.
DJ
Travis
Travis
DJ joined the Rough Fish Assassins (RFA) in late 2013 after a short bowfishing trip with the team. His bowfishing addiction rivaled that of Travis's and quickly became a crucial part of the RFA's bowfishing mission. Some of the oddest ideas that transformed into the best innovations for the RFA came directly from DJ.
Jordan
Travis
Jordan
Jordan, daughter of Travis, always enjoyed watching what her dad brought back from a night of bowfishing. In 2014, everything came together for her to embark on her bowfishing mission and shoot her first fish. Since that time, she has become increasingly involved in the bowfishing display and the tech side of the Rough Fish Assassins. Her passion for the sport has grown exponentially over the years.
Riley
Travis
Jordan
Riley, son of Travis, was eager to embrace bowfishing, but he was initially hesitant to fully commit to the sport. In 2014, he joined the Rough Fish Assassins on a tournament trip to Illinois, where he successfully secured his first fish. Since then, Riley has continued his bowfishing mission by attending and assisting with more and more bowfishing displays, growing his knowledge and developing a passion for teaching others about the sport.
