A few beginners questions

[Potential]

Hey Guys I have a few questions about bowfishing. Thanks to this forum and hearing stories from my Dad i decided to finally give it a whirl. I got my bow all set-up and ended up buying the AMS arrow at Gander Mountain. Went out saturday to Harsens Island and shot a ton of times but only hit one. Went to pull it in and ended up losing it. Went sunday to pontiac lake tried like hell to chase them around and when I finally shot one it came off the arrow once again!

Is there some tips or advice you can give me on why they are coming off? I dont like the thought at all of having the fish swim away to die, I for sure planned on taking them out of there. They arrows are going through but seem to be pulling out easy. Maybe the tip that comes with the arrow is crappy? In any case any beginer tips and tricks would be appreciated.

[bigcountrysg]

It sounds like your head is crap. I would replace the head of the arrow with something better.

[neil duffey]

i was having the same problem w/ my muzzy point... the only reason i could think of is i have the shorter barbed "gar" point. when i can afford it ill get the "carp" point w/ the much longer barbs.

[Potential]

Yeah mine has two barbs about 1" long..

Any suggestions for a better tip for carp?

[Jr.BowmanMI]

Check and see if your tip is loose.
I have a point, I think made by Muzzy, that has fixed barbs. Its hard to get the arrow out after you shoot the carp lol.

[Potential]

yeah maybe that is the problem. Its not a fixed point but it seems when I tighten down the tip you can still move the barb. Ill have to look at it a see if I can get it to tighten down better.

[stickem]

throw the barb ones away...file:///C:/Users/sowles/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpgget ya a Cajun warhead point....:D best ive used and there not bad for 4 bucks a piece..file:///C:/Users/sowles/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg

[DuckMan87]

throw the barb ones away...file:///C:/Users/sowles/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpgget ya a Cajun warhead point....:D best ive used and there not bad for 4 bucks a piece..file:///C:/Users/sowles/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg

warhead is good unless u shoot alot of fish...but a brand new one out in a day =(

i kno i kno its different up there not tryin to make enemys!!:D:D:D:D

i use teh muzz carp n car tips usually dont have issues...im also shottin a 55# draw weight so most shots are blow throughs...whats ur bow set at?

[agross]

the barb will move a little but if it is spinning all the way around and pointing backwards without losening it, it is junk, i use the same arrows and haven't really had problems with them

[Potential]

im shooting 50lbs currently..

Since Im new to the sport I may be hitting them in bad spots.. I've been a bow hunter for years but this is a whole new ballgame. Its awesome though! I can see how addicting it is thats for sure.

thanks for the help guys. I think I am going to give the warhead point a try.

[LumberJ]

What's the rule regarding Safety Zones when bow fishing?
Do you still have to be 150 yards from a house/building or does that not apply?

[DuckMan87]

What's the rule regarding Safety Zones when bow fishing?
Do you still have to be 150 yards from a house/building or does that not apply?

i dont think anyone will say anything unless u piss off the owner then piss off the c.o. that checks u....ive never had any problems with proximity

[Jr.BowmanMI]

not really sure about that one lumberj...

I shoot at about 37-40 lbs. might want to consider turning the bow down a bit depending on how far you are shooting.

[Potential]

I thought about turing it down a bit..

I also have a 40lb recurve I might try so I can get a quicker shot off. Anybody know any good places in southeast michigan? I dont have a boat (but I do have a 4 hp outboard) so I am kind of limited to the shore or a rental.

[DuckMan87]

I thought about turing it down a bit..

I also have a 40lb recurve I might try so I can get a quicker shot off. Anybody know any good places in southeast michigan? I dont have a boat (but I do have a 4 hp outboard) so I am kind of limited to the shore or a rental.

i kno every spot in south east michigan....:D

[DuckMan87]

ok it wont let me edit my post sayin i kno all the spots...but rly tho if u get a bug up your ass and decide u wanna off some fish lemme kno i got the boat to do it...wont be rrdy till friday due to the fact my electric died and i cant get a new one till then...umm so ya lemme kno wed thurs fri no work...then work at 5 on sat

[Silverman]

Hey Guys I have a few questions about bowfishing. Thanks to this forum and hearing stories from my Dad i decided to finally give it a whirl. I got my bow all set-up and ended up buying the AMS arrow at Gander Mountain. Went out saturday to Harsens Island and shot a ton of times but only hit one. Went to pull it in and ended up losing it. Went sunday to pontiac lake tried like hell to chase them around and when I finally shot one it came off the arrow once again!

Is there some tips or advice you can give me on why they are coming off? I dont like the thought at all of having the fish swim away to die, I for sure planned on taking them out of there. They arrows are going through but seem to be pulling out easy. Maybe the tip that comes with the arrow is crappy? In any case any beginer tips and tricks would be appreciated.

Heres my 2 cents on your situation... you will want to find a different tip for your arrows.. thats obvious. Now i see that some people are refering you to the Muzzy carp point... that is a very good point ive used it the past couple years. However, if you do use this point make sure you take a pair of pliers and pinch the barbs CLOSER to the arrow shaft...you want to get them as close to the arrow shaft as you can with out sacraficing its mobility... this will allow the tip to tear a smaller hole when penetrating the fish. Another good point that i just started using is the pro point from innerloc bowfishing. After using this tip, i may never return back to a Muzzy... they hold fish very very well. Good Luck bowfishing and if you have any more questions feel free to ask!

[DuckMan87]

damn and i was gonna join bam...then ducks took all my moneys lol

[Silverman]

damn and i was gonna join bam...then ducks took all my moneys lol


Those dang birds will do that to ya! lol If you can afford it next season you def. should join tho, its a great group of guys!

[Potential]

ok it wont let me edit my post sayin i kno all the spots...but rly tho if u get a bug up your ass and decide u wanna off some fish lemme kno i got the boat to do it...wont be rrdy till friday due to the fact my electric died and i cant get a new one till then...umm so ya lemme kno wed thurs fri no work...then work at 5 on sat

I appreciate the offer duckman.. Next week is out for me Ill be on a little birthday trip to vegas :dizzy: After that though my schedule is pretty open.

Heres my 2 cents on your situation... you will want to find a different tip for your arrows.. thats obvious. Now i see that some people are refering you to the Muzzy carp point... that is a very good point ive used it the past couple years. However, if you do use this point make sure you take a pair of pliers and pinch the barbs CLOSER to the arrow shaft...you want to get them as close to the arrow shaft as you can with out sacraficing its mobility... this will allow the tip to tear a smaller hole when penetrating the fish. Another good point that i just started using is the pro point from innerloc bowfishing. After using this tip, i may never return back to a Muzzy... they hold fish very very well. Good Luck bowfishing and if you have any more questions feel free to ask!

I have the muzzy carp point already so I'll try pinching the barbs closer and see how that works. If I keep losing fish ill try out the pro-point tip. Since I'm just a beginnner, when I finally hit a fish, I want to bring it in #*#&*&@!

[Silverman]

yea theres nothing more frustrating that losing a good fish!! Just remember that carp are soft fleshed fish and if at all possible aim for the head/gill area and the top 1/3 of the back, these spots will hold the best. Also, straight down shots are nice too.

[DuckMan87]

yea theres nothing more frustrating that losing a good fish!! Just remember that carp are soft fleshed fish and if at all possible aim for the head/gill area and the top 1/3 of the back, these spots will hold the best. Also, straight down shots are nice too.

quill backs are good times...soooo soft and they go balistic when u shoot them

[Silverman]

yea its fun tryin to hit the small fish, they make great practice

[Potential]

thanks again for all the helpful hints. Will give them a shot soon (hoping this weekend!)

[Silverman]

No problem, Good Luck man!

[jwhooper]

My son and I just started as well, we are in Farmington and don't have a boat either, though we did rent a flat bottom and row out one trip. My son also shot a couple and they both got off. The first one was my fault because I didn't have a net or gaff and just tried to lift it into the boat -- slid right off the arrow. The next one he hit tangled the line around some weeds and must have pulled through. We've only been to Kent Lake. We tried Orchard Lake, but I didn't find any boat rentals there and we didn't find any good areas from shore, so we went back to Kent yesterday.

They aren't spawning in Kent anymore, so we just stood on the bank and waiting for them to swim by. We got a few dozen shots. We were mostly just checking out our new AMS retrievers, which were excellent. I think we missed every shot high. These fish weren't on top of the water. We were getting close to hitting them towards the end.

Anyway, let me know if you find any good spots, especially spots that don't need a boat.

[Silverman]

man if you and your son were any closer id invite you out on my boat for a day or night trip, im sure you guys would have a blast, however it might be a bit of a drive for you to west michigan

[jwhooper]

man if you and your son were any closer id invite you out on my boat for a day or night trip, im sure you guys would have a blast, however it might be a bit of a drive for you to west michigan

My wife is from Grand Rapids, so I was actually over there on Sunday to pick up my daughter who was staying with my wife's sister and her cousins for a few days.

Next time instead of trying to get out of it, I'll PM you and maybe my wife will see me eager to go for once!

[Silverman]

My wife is from Grand Rapids, so I was actually over there on Sunday to pick up my daughter who was staying with my wife's sister and her cousins for a few days.

Next time instead of trying to get out of it, I'll PM you and maybe my wife will see me eager to go for once!

Sounds good to me :) If we go at night we should be able to get a few :D