Bowfishing
is one of bowhunting’s most exciting and addicting pursuits. Hunting fish with
a bow and arrow is action-filled and a perfect activity for introducing almost
anyone, regardless of age or gender, to hunting with the bow and arrow. As a sport
in the U.S., it has been around for decades. Fred Bear, of Bear
Archery fame, helped popularize it in the 1950’s - 1960’s, and introduced
many of the bowfishing products still in use today.
In the last 10 years though,
bowfishing equipment has reached a whole new level, both in gear advancements
and sheer numbers of archers participating in the sport. Much of the ‘old’ equipment
is still in use, which speaks well of the simplistic efficiency of design and
effectiveness. The more recent developments have been in high-end hybrid arrows,
line attachment systems, and reels. Today, anyone interested in bowfishing with
longbows or recurves can be as primitive as they wish, or as advanced as any other
bow fisherman out there. Today bowfishing gear is available from the simple to
the complex. Traditional bows, longbows and recurves, are perfectly suited to
the rigors and demands of bowfishing and are actually the weapons of choice for
many serious bowfishing enthusiasts. Today we’ll discuss gear selection for bowfishing
with longbows and recurves.
Let’s start simple. First, you’ll need a bow. In bowfishing,
most shots are taken quickly at fish partially hidden or on the move. The natural
point ability and smooth drawing characteristics of longbows and recurves make
them perfectly suited for those situations. With traditional bows, you’ll be able
to draw, swing, and shoot in one fluid motion. Depending on what fish you’re after,
they may be close to the surface or three or more feet down. The refraction phenomenon
that makes fish appear closer to the surface than they really are forces the shooter
to aim lower than they think. (Depending on the depth of the fish, sometimes much
lower.) It’s pretty easy to change your sight-picture when shooting an old recurve
instinctively. In contrast, many bowfishing archers find that sights hurt more
than they help. They’ve come to realize that when bowfishing, leave the sights
at home. Besides, equipment used in bowfishing gets used hard, subjected to getting
tossed around in a boat, dropped in the water, and other rough treatment. It’s
easy to understand that many bowhunters choose to use a low-cost longbow or recurve
instead of their fine-tuned big game bowhunting set-up. An old second-hand recurve
picked up at a garage sale is perfect. The initial investment is low and you won’t
have to worry about the bow taking a beating. Besides, you’ll be having too much
fun to notice.
What kinds of bows? If you’re fishing from a boat, nothing beats
a short recurve. The 48” “Super
Mag 48”, and the 52” “Kodiak
Magnum”, both from Bear archery are perfect for this kind of bowfishing. Their
short length allows you to shoot from a more natural position and you won’t have
to be constantly distracted by watching your lower limb to keep it from hitting
the side of the boat upon release. Another good bowfishing recurve is the “Rebel”
recurve from Martin
Archery. It’s a reasonably priced, 52” bow that comes with both the front
stabilizer bushing and the side-mount AMO bushings installed at the factory. That
alone makes it one of our most popular bows for bowfishing. It comes out of the
package ready for any bowfishing reel you care to use. Whether you find a good
deal on a nice old bow or invest in a new one, get ready to enjoy some of the
most fun you’ll ever have with a bow in hand.
Next is the reel. When it comes
to reels there’s quite a gap between the tried-and-true simple spun-aluminum reels
that have been around for over 40 years and the modern Zebco
and AMS
Retriever reels. They all work well, but you’ll have to decide how serious
your bowfishing will be and how much you want to spend getting set up.
There are
two basic types of the spun-aluminum fish reels. One you screw
into the front stabilizer bushing on your bow (if it has one) and the other can
be taped
directly to your bow. They’re simple in design, extremely easy to use, dependable,
and last for years. They’re basically a spool with a flared back and a rounded
front. You tie your line tightly around the spool then wrap it ‘round and ‘round
until you’ve filled the spool. Fifty feet of line
is normally all you’ll need. There’s a little clip at the top of the reel that
holds the line in place until the force of the fish arrow launching from your
bow pulls it out. The tape-on version of this reel is actually still quite popular
because it’s so easy to install. Tape it on and your ready to fish. When you get
back home, just cut the tape and put the reel away. Pretty simple. (Note: Install
some leather, rubber, or other cushion under the metal attachment points so you
won’t mar your bow’s finish.) The screw-in reel is still the best seller though.
The fact that it fits almost any bow on the market and retails between $15.00-$20.00
might have something to do with that. The truth of the matter is, these reels
really do anything you need for small to mid-sized rough fish and that makes them
pretty hard to beat.
From the basic reels it’s a big jump to the next level. You
really don’t NEED the high-dollar models, but they work so well it’s hard to say
no, especially once you’re hooked on bowfishing. Bowfishing enthusiasts have been
hunting fish with big closed face, push-button reels for many years. As a matter
of fact, for a long time the big Zebco reel on a screw-in reel-seat was the standard
set-up for all serious bowfishing. In the beginning, you’d see some pretty crude
homemade set-ups, and they had their share of tangles, snags, and other problems.
Today, with commercially available reel seats and reels specifically designed
for bowfishing you can rely on your gear to get you though many years with little
or no trouble. The
Zebco 808, with its adjustable drag, BIG string opening, and heavy-duty crank
is popular for all kinds of bowfishing. If you go to any of the big bowfishing
tournaments you’ll see many contestants shooting the Zebco set-up.
The
AMS Retriever reel has been out for about fifteen years now and is arguably
the best all-purpose fishing reel available. The most valuable feature is the
fact that the Retriever reel is always ready to shoot. Just ask anyone who has
ever forgotten to push the release button on the Zebco, then shot at a fish and
lost an arrow. On the conventional fishing reels, the line is released by pressing
a button, but on the Retriever reel the line is always released unless you’re
pulling on the front engagement lever while you reel in your line. There’s noting
to remember when you shoot. If you see a fish, shoot. If you try to reel it in
and notice that the reel is just spinning, that’s when you’ll remember to pull
the engagement lever in. As soon as you do, the line feeds in. It’s an excellent
innovation. Line
storage is unique in the Retriever reel as well. Instead of the line being wrapped
on a spool the reel utilizes a plastic
bottle. As you reel in the line, it simply stacks inside the bottle and even
looks like a tangled mess from the outside. In reality, it’s an almost zero-drag
shooting situation. When you release your fish arrow, the line screams out of
the bottle. You’ll be able to shoot further than ever before. We’re in Indiana
so we hunt mostly carp and needle nosed gar, for our conditions we feel the AMS
is the best reel you can get.
So how do you attach your reel to your bow? As we
mentioned previously, if you’re using the basic tape-on reel, you’ll simply tape
it on to your bow so the drum is just under your bow hand, but not in the working
portion of your lower limb. All the other reels are designed to screw on to your
bow. In the 70’s and 80’s, almost all recurves came with front stabilizer bushings
installed, but if you buy a new one today, chances are, you’ll need to install
your own or pick up one of the commercial adapters. Bushing installation is relatively
easy and once it’s done, you’re set for life. Then again, if you’d rather not
drill any holes in your bow, there are strap-on adapters available. The
Great Northern “Traditional Gadget Adapter” is specifically designed for longbows
and recurves and accepts any conventional screw-on style reel or reel seat. Strap
the adapter to your bow, screw your reel or reel seat to it, and you’re ready
to go. AMS, one of the big boys of bowfishing offers their own version of a strap-on
adapter, called the “AMS
Traditional Mount”. It’s a coated metal arrangement with the same straps as
found on the Great Northern product. The AMS mount has the added benefit of allowing
the use of the AMS Retriever reel as well as conventional reel attachments. Either
of these adapters will save your from having to drill your bow and will work perfectly
with their intended reels.
When it comes to arrows for fishing with traditional
bows nothing beats the venerable solid fiberglass
arrow. The basic solid fiberglass fish arrow is still the workhorse of bowfishing
everywhere and accounts for more fish every season than any other material. These
heavy arrows punch through fish with authority and they can take a beating from
fish thrashing around. Longbows
and recurves shoot these heavy arrows well, so there’s no real advantage to
invest in some of the lightweight high-tech arrows now available. You can pick
up fish arrows either all set up and ready to go, or, you can buy the raw shafting
then mix and match fish
points until you find a combination works best for you and the fish you hunt.
You can’t go wrong with the tried and true solid fiberglass for all bowfishing
with traditional bows. Note: Buy several, you don’t want to run out.
When discussing
arrows we need to mention the AMS
Safety Slide. When a bowfishing arrow is tied directly to the fishing line
it’s possible for the line to snag as the arrow is in flight and if it does the
arrow can snap back right at you. The safety slide keeps all the line in front
of the reel and virtually eliminates that problem. We suggest you use them for
your own safety.
Always carry extra fish arrows! Take it from those of us who’ve
learned the hard way. Imagine you’re having a blast, the carp are boiling on the
surface and your line breaks with a fish on. You watch as your only arrow swims
away. What now? Go home? Don’t let it happen to you. Carry extra fish arrows with
you. How many depends on your tolerance to risk. If you think three will get you
by, then take three. We normally take between three and five. Your extra fish
arrows can be carried in a back quiver, your normal bow quiver, or you could rig
a special quiver just for bowfishing. We have an Eagle’s
Flight three-arrow quiver, and a 3Rivers
Archery four-arrow quiver. There’s also a
new fish arrow quiver that holds one arrow. It’s designed for either carrying
the fish arrow you intend to use for the day while traveling, or an extra one
as you fish. It’s ultra-small and lightweight and keeps a backup arrow ready at
all times. Regardless of the quiver you decide to use, make sure to have extra
fish arrows with you every time you go out.
Have you ever seen how many fish
points are available? Let us help out some here. A fish point has to penetrate
and hold fish until you land them, then you want to be able to remove the point
quickly. Price matters when selecting bowfishing points because this is one instance
where you are paying for performance and speed. Our
Easy-Off point is on the low end of the price range and they work well enough,
but the entire tip needs to be totally unscrewed and removed from the shaft before
you can pull it free. Then you have to screw it back on before you can get back
to fishing. It’s a good low-cost option, just slow. When the fish are all around
and everyone else is pounding them, it’s frustrating to have to mess with that
kind of point. Then come points like the Sting-A-Ree
and Warhead.
They’re faster and when you shoot a fish, two barbs that lay close to the body
of the point when shot spread out when in or through a fish and open wide. They
stay in that open position as long as there is resistance against them. Once you
land your fish a couple quick turns of the head allows the barbs to extend backwards
and the fish is easily removed. Finally a few heads like the “Muzzy
Quick Release Carp Point” and the “Sting-A-Ree
Replaceable Tip Point” are slightly higher cost but come with nice sharp and
replaceable tips. These tips can make the difference between partial penetration
and blowing through your fish. In bowfishing, sharp tips mean more fish. Both
of these points offer reversible barbs and replaceable tips. They’re a bit more
money, but well worth it if you are serious about your bowfishing. Which point
then is best for you? If you’re just getting started, why not start with the “Easy-Off”?
The low cost helps when you’re buying all your gear at once and they work well.
Once the excitement of bowfishing grabs you, you’ll want to try the better points,
you may just jump to the top of the line. The good new is, they all work well.
You can’t go wrong with any of the heads we’ve mentioned here.
One thing about
a good day of bowfishing, it’s fun but it’s also wet! If you’ve been out there
amongst them, you know how hard it can be on your favorite shooting glove. The
guys at American Leather have created the perfect all-weather shooting glove appropriately
called the “Wet
Shot”. There’s no leather on this glove. It’s constructed from 3mm neoprene
for comfort and durability. Best of all, it is waterproof and has nylon webbing
on the finger stalls for slick, controlled releases no matter how wet the glove
gets. No matter how hot, cold, wet, or miserable the conditions, the Wet Shot
from American Leathers will get the job done. It’s a great choice for bowfishing.
Honorable mention should go to the No-Glov
here though too. In case you’re not familiar with them, a No-Glov is a set of
rubber cylinders that slide onto your bowstring and cushion your fingers. They
too are impervious to water and once installed on a bow set up for only bowfishing,
you never have to worry about losing or damaging your good shooting glove or tab.
They’re about five bucks, and are a perfect solution to the fish hunter’s finger
protection dilemma. Some folks even set up a string just for bowfishing and install
the No-Glov on it. That way by simply swapping strings you can instantly go from
bowhunting to bowfishing. (Note: Just as important as carrying extra
fish arrows, carry an extra
bowstring.)
(Click arrow to view DVD.)
If you’re new to the sport and you don’t have anyone nearby to
teach you the ins and outs you’ll find the “How-to” bowfishing DVD, “Bowfishing
Bonanza” very imformative. We produced it for those just getting started in
bowfishing. The first 15 minutes or so we cover longbow and recurve set-up followed
by bout a half an hour of bowfishing action with longbows and recurves. It’s an
excellent DVD featuring Dale Karch, Byron Ferguson, and Byron’s two sons Zach
and Shawn. With how-to information and bowfishing action it’s easy to understand
why it’s a best seller.
Now that you’ve got all your gear it’s time to head out
and go fishing. Once you get to your fishing spot it’s a good idea to take several
practice shots so you can get used to the feel of your set-up and the trajectory
of the heavy fish arrows. Remember to aim low! Always wear a pair of polarized
sunglasses, they cut the glare and you not only see the fish better, you’ll catch
fish moving that you would have otherwise never seen.
When you land your fish
you’ll need to dispatch it with a sharp blow to the back of the head. We’ve seen
everything from a big stick to a 16 oz hammer used for this. Use whatever you’re
comfortable with. Since most areas won’t allow you to leave the fish there, bring
a big cooler or trashcan with a tight fitting lid for transporting your fish back
home. Once home you can bury them in your garden. Some lakes have public disposal
containers you can use. If they do, you can deposit there. Just don’t leave them
behind.
Imagine, you’re walking the edge of the water and you spot a carp swimming
by, but you’re ready! Your recurve comes up quickly and your eyes concentrate
on the fish, you draw back, aim well below the fish and release. The water boils
and you see your arrow dancing, about a foot of it showing above the water. You
start pulling him in but he fights. The adrenaline dumps into your system and
by the time you get the fish to shore you’re shaking with excitement. You’ve landed
the fish but you’re the one who’s hooked! Once you experience bowfishing, it’s
a life-long pursuit. Do yourself a favor and try bowfishing this season. Don’t
miss out on the ”heart pumping” excitement opportunity swimming in a pond, lake
or river near you. If you want to get your kids away from the video games, take
them along. Boys and girls alike, enjoy the excitement of bowfishing. Get them
hooked while they’re young!
