Nothing says summer like the annual family fishing trip: This week, the New Orleans Saints hit the waters of a Louisiana bayou to do some bowfishing for their yearly team bonding.
Some combination of Saints players have been going on a fishing trip every summer since 2014 and this year the crew included quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Derek Carr and teammates Cam Jordan, Tyrann Mathieu, and Michael Thomas. Rookie kicker Blake Grupe documented the night of bowfishing and posted it to TikTok, showing the guys having the time of their lives on the water.
@blakegrupe Out on the bayou ??? @Captain Matt @New Orleans Saints #bowfishing #louisiana
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The video shows the guys heading out on the water in an airboat with Premier Bowfishing Charters, a fishing company out of St. Bernard, Louisiana. The company specializes in helping catch redfish, drum, garfish, flounder, and sheepshead, all with the use of a bow. The charter boats take six people out on the water for four to five hours.
Bowfishing charters typically go out at night in the shallow waters of the Louisiana marshes, where all these fish call home. The Saints were nice enough to cancel training for the players to go out on the night adventure and cut loose with some family fun,
Despite it not being their sport, the pro athletes did a solid job of reeling in some decent-size fish. Carr had such a blast after capturing an alligator garfish that he even called himself "Derek Gar" in the comments.
Derek Carr is officially a Louisiana resident after his first ever bowfishing trip with Premier Bowfishing Charters??? pic.twitter.com/nqow37GGl4
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As fabulous as that was, Winston's enthusiasm stole the show. When he caught his first fish, he needed to tell it who was boss. The second, much-larger fish elicited another level of excitement from the players.
While fishing, the guys even caught a glimpse of an alligator lurking in the shallow waters. Alligators, dolphins, stingrays, nutria, and ducks are completely off-limits for bowfishing, and all redfish need to be over 16 inches to be caught. I'm sure seeing an alligator watching them in the shadows was thrilling. After seeing how much fun the Saints players had bowfishing, I'm sure others will be lining up to try it.
READ MORE: Bowfishing for Gar at Night Delivers Fast Action and a Boat Full of Fish
