BowFishing

[straittactical]

I want to give this a try so i picked me up a hoyt magnatec. I heard bow fishing takes a toll on your bow. so i did not want to put it on my bowtec. but I know nothing about bow fishing. First thing i guess is do any of you guys have tips for me as to what kind of reel, arrow, line, rest I should get ? should i just buy one of the bow fishing kits or are they junk ?
and then i would like to get some tips from the guys that have done it. again I have never done this so dont leave out the tips that a experinced guy may think are common since.
thanks

 

[sadclownwp]

Muzzy XTreme Bowfishing Kit, Bowfishing, Archery, Hunting : Cabela's

Buy that. I used the same thing only I have the zebco reel with it, Zebco makes the Muzzy reel that comes with it. And Muzzy makes in my opinion the best arrow tips for bowfishing as well. The Cajun yellow jacket arrows are pretty good as well. Really you want to buy the kit, save the time and hassle.


And as long as you are not shooting your arrows into rocks, they last forever and a day. You will loose one or two when you start bowfishing more. Putting an arrow into an old rotten stump several inches is going to happen at some point.

You never ever want to go bow fishing with less than 3 arrows. Nothing is worse that forgetting your extra arrows when one does get lost or broken. I have only lost 2 in my 3 years of bowfishing. I have never broke one, but i did bend the prongs getting an arrow out of a stump once and that ruined my fishing because it was the only arrow I had with me. You will also want to have the draw weight on your bow dialed down to minimum. I would say the max draw you would ever want is 55 pounds, and that is if you are shooting way far out.

 

[38special]

Lots of good information on www.bow.fishingcountry.com

Lots of bowfishing stuff to be purchased at Backwater Outdoors - Bowfishing Gear and Hunting Equipment

I did it for the first time this fall and LOVED it. I can't wait till the spring.

That said - I personally prefer the AMS Retriever reel found here:

AMS Retriever Pro Reel

I know Gander Mountain also sells the AMS Retriever kit locally (with arrows and rest) for about $150.

I actually just bought a $35 old compound bow from a pawn shop for my bowfishing setup.

The poundage of your bow will depend largely on your style of bowfishing. I do most of mine from a boat, trolling the shore so anything more than 45lbs just puts arrows too deep into the mud and difficult to pull back out. If you hunt from the shore a lot you may be shooting more out instead of down so ~55lbs may be more appropriate.

I agree with sadclown - bring extra arrows. Usually they'll last a while but it sucks when you lose one and don't have an extra.

Also, aim low!

 

[dingodog]

I live on the Tippecanoe River and bow fish every year. When the carp spawn in the spring, it's just one shot after another. Sometimes a shot right in the middle of them rolling around will bring two fish on one arrow. I highly recommend trying bow fishing. It is the most fun you will have with your bow. Period. I have been bow fishing for 20+ years and have tried most set ups that are available. I agree with the other post, AMS Retriever is the best. But, it's kinda pricey. The same company makes a real nice slide attachment for the arrows. I have only lost one arrow, and only because of a poorly tied knot. Buy lots of tips, they take a beating. I use a Browning Xcellerator III set at 60 lbs. The best tip you'll receive......use polarized sunglasses when you go. They take the reflection off of the water. Otherwise, you'll see very few fish.

 

[straittactical]

Dingodog.
I am glad you said your bow is set at 60 pounds. the hoyt magnatec i bought for bow fishing is a 60 - 70 pound bow. I will set it at the lowest poundage i can get out of it.
thanks for the tips guys.

 

[straittactical]

O ya Dingodog where do you live at on the tippycanoe river ?

 

[Bosshoss]

Try the bow you have now and turn it down as low as you can. If you get into this sport you WILL get a lower poundage bow. I shoot 35# from the boat and 45# from the bank. During the spawn I get tired of drawing bow back(35#) before i'm ready to quit shooting. Fishing by myself I guess on a good night I shoot over 200 times. It will wear you out.
Shooting 35# I would guess I still get 25% complete pass thru's which are a pain until you learn the no knot way of tieing the arrow to the safety slide.
By the way please use the safety slide on your arrows it is much safer than tying to the back of arrow.
Night time is when the bowfishing really turns on, and that is why most all the tournments are held at night. It takes a special rig for night fishing, lights, generator, etc. but man what a difference. The fish are MUCH easier to see at night.
During the day on the lakes it is better IMO on overcast days than sunny days as even with sunglasses the reflection of the sky on the water makes it hard to see the fish. I can get away from the reflection of the sun but the reflection of the sky is almost always there.(fishing along the tree line helps block the sky reflection).
Good luck and have fun.
If you are ever in my neck of the woods let me know and we can hook up and stick some fish, my boat is set up for night fishing if you want to try that some time.

 

[dingodog]

O ya Dingodog where do you live at on the tippycanoe river ?

I live in the Buffalo area.

Also, everything Bosshoss said is absolutely right about going at night. I have gone in a boat a few times at night with another guy but I am not set up for that. I shoot 100% from the bank, during daylight.

Back in the mid 90s I went to Rend Lake, in Southern Illinois, on vacation. Brought the bow and went bow fishing for gar. It was a blast.

 

[straittactical]

what kind of sights is best to use, like a single pin ? you still keep your peep on dont you ?

 

[Bosshoss]

I don't use any sights and most bowfishermen don't. Most of your shots will be way to fast to line up sights. Recurves and Oneida bows are popular because you can short stroke them and get off a quick shot if needed. I would guess if I had to line up sights I would get half as many shots. Also you don't aim at the fish you aim below them due to water refraction(sp?) how much depends on how far away and how deep the fish are.
AIM LOW and have fun.

 

[dingodog]

I don't use sights either.

 

[straittactical]

I don't use sights either.

well this may be pretty hard for me. the only thing i have ever shot is a compound bow with sights and all. do you guys remove your peep also?

 

[JStarr]

Some kits are OKAY. I suggest buying name brand. My only tip for you is. Aim low.

 

[Bosshoss]

well this may be pretty hard for me. the only thing i have ever shot is a compound bow with sights and all. do you guys remove your peep also?

The only people I have seen using a peep sight are people wanting to try the sport and are using their hunting rig. Some people have a single pin on the bow and a bright colored serving wrapped around the bowstring where the peep would be as a referance. All this goes out the window when its dark or the action heats up, you can't see the sights at night or have time to line them up for a snap shot. In this sport you will miss alot and have good days and bad but even the bad days are a blast. I have went out and had slow day but shot good and put 15 fish in the boat in 25 shots, and went out on a good day but shot like crap maybe 200+ shots and less than 10 in the barrel. Both days were a blast but I was getting frustrated missing that much.
Shots from a boat average 15 FEET for me. From the bank maybe 30 FEET.
A AMS retriever reel only comes with 75 feet of line so 20 yards is pushing it.
I was playing around with a laser sight on a back up bow(works OK at night but can't see it in the daytime and I never had time to hit the on button and find dot and draw and shoot so I gave up on it). I sighted in and shot dead on at 15 feet, went back to 50 feet and shot. My bow is 35# shooting the heavy fiberglass arrow with a line attached to it. Arrow hit 12 -14 inches low at 50 feet, so the sights are just a referance as the arrow drops fast.
When I say you don't have time to line up sights, some fish will set there all day and give you plenty of time but most will spook fast and you will do a LOT of letdowns. I fish by myself a lot of the time and my boat has a fan that rotates on the back of the boat(no trolling motor) it pushes me around 1.75 -2 mph at idle. When I see a fish I have to shut down fan so it won't keep pushing me after the shot, get in position and draw and shoot. It is easier when someone else is on the boat shooting, but make no mistake most of your shots will be snap shots.
I wouldn't worry about sights just draw and shoot and have fun.

 

[Hookeye]

My fave is a 50# recurve.

AMS and Muzzy make good bowfishing stuff.

Cheap bows rock, well they might hit a rock, as wet tennis shoes are a biatch at times.

Boat rails can bash them up too.

I've ran bows (compound and recurve) from 45 to 84#.

In the compounds 55# peels a lot of line. Anything over that and hard contacts at steep angles (rocks, containment area cement bottoms) and the arrow tips flex and crush the sides of the glass arrows over time.

I fish a containment area, with my reg carbon arrows (no line), from deer hunting recurves.

It's great practice for a trotting deer. In fact I took my first deer, 8 pt, on the move later that fall, after "freestyling" carp there that summer.