Equipping a bow for bowfishing

[spk131]

Im going to purchase some equipment for bowfishing and was just wondering what every one suggested for sights, arrows, real and other equipment that i will need to get started. How do you practice for bowfishing as well, im a good shot when im just target practicing but i know the water will throw the arrow off.

[yippy]

Bowfishing will bring you right back to the basics of shooting. Throw what you know out. It is not too hard though.

1. no sights (maybe others do but I dont see how)
2. arrows ( must be solid fiberglass or aluminum) Muzzy #1 imo
3. Reel. lot of guys use an "ams retriver" I use a cheap spool just fine
4. Rest With the heavy arrow use a muzzy roller rest. Some other out there too but standard rests do not adjust anywhere close to support that weight.

5. the arrow must be harnessed in some way. AMS makes an arrow slide that works wonders. I have not used them but my buddy bought some. I will run these from here on out. They held up to some big fish.
The arrows usually have a tie hole in the back. If you use this at full draw the line could get caught on the rest. Done it. Luckily I ducked in time. The line I use is #200 lb test.
After that incident I drill a 2nd hole at the by the tip. Tie a piece of the #200lb line so it sits against the arrow. Put a big swivel on it first.
Tie your spool line to the swivel. At full draw you want the swivel at the front of the arrow. As soon as you shoot the swivel goes to the back.
I would post a pic but a gar stole my last arrow last year. I go out with no less than 3 arrows. You will have about $10-$12 an arrow. I lost 3 for 3 one night. Most nights I come home with all.

I only bowfish at night. 1 million cp spotlight. Where you aim really depends not only how far out but also how far down. It will feel like you are aiming two foot below the fish at first. Practice on fish. There are enough of them.
Pick a lake and troll the shore in 3-4 foot of water and you will find them. Rivers with backwater are awesome when the spawn starts.

[yippy]

www.amsbowfishing.com (http://www.amsbowfishing.com)

www.carpkillerconnection.com (http://www.carpkillerconnection.com)

www.muzzy.com (http://www.muzzy.com)

[GSPHunter]

I would highly recommend an AMS retriever reel. You'll want to take a lot of shots at fish for practice and the retriever reels work fast. I can sometimes get multiple shots at one fish or others in one school before they spook by being able to reel in the line instead of wrapping it around a spool by hand.

Also a must is the Muzzy fish-hook rest. I shot a roller for a long time and got tired of the arrow falling off the rest when i moved fast or shot at odd angles on fish. The fish hook rest holds the arrow nicely for all types of shots.

A set of arrow slides which connect your line from the reel to your arrow are a must. They allow the line to slide freely, by way of a slide connector, up and down your arrow. I like this cause tying off to the back of your arrow is dangerous, especially on compound bows, because the arrow is more likely to get snagged and could snap back at you. Just keep the slide connector and the line in front of the rest and your ready to shoot.

I also prefer the Penetrator points over the Muzzys because they unscrew in the middle not the tip so i find it easier to unscrew the penetrator when a shot is buried in the fish you can grab the arrow and twist it a few times and the barbs will reverse and the arrow will back out.

Lastly, i keep one pin sight on my bow for reference, but i hardly use it unless i'm having a hard time hitting fish. Its a good reference to fall back on when you have trouble connecting on fish, because it seems no two shots are the same.


Hope this helps, Good luck! Bowfishing is a blast!!!!!!!!!!! :D

[mich-hunter]

I have carp/gar pike shot for a number of years and just heard about guys doing it at night this last year. that sounds like a blast my buddy told me that is when you can get some real hogs. he had a boat riged with lights on a pole above them running on big cat batteries.going try this rig

[mackhunts]

There is a bowfishing whisker biscuit that really works great. The sound doesn't matter for bow fishing!

[dajumboman]

i am a simple rig. just a fiberglass arrow with muzzy tip, cable system for the arrow and about 20-30 feet of nylon string tied to a harness or directy to the bow of the boat. never had any problems and when the line gets bad its easily changed in a few minutes. I shoot a compound with a roller rest on it thats designed for bowfishing

[bucknduck]

Last year I tried bowfishing at night on Saginaw Bay and was literally attacked by thousands, maybe millions of mayflies etc...during the peak hatch. Just before dusk I could hear them lifting out of the cattails. I was at the mouth of the Pine River. My wife couldn't believe how everything was covered in dead flies when I got home.

[MathewsPimp]

I would love to try it! i think if i got a set-up i would put it on a stick-bow!

[HoytRLWinstonGuy]

Be careful if you use the cheap wind-up spool vs. a reel. I had the line wrap around the stabilizer bolt and tangle one time. The arrow stopped mid air about ten feet in front of me and came back and stuck me in the chest.