Bow Fishing
    Catching fish with a bow and arrow

   It really doesn't take much to get started bowfishing. You can always add more, but initially all it takes is a bow, a good reel, some bowfishing arrows, polarized glasses, and a hat. Different bowfishing situations require different arrow and tip designs. Make sure you have enough of the right arrows for your bowfishing outing

   In Arizona we are able to fish for two species with a bow & arrow, they are the Tilapia and the Bigmouth Buffalo. In Texas they bowhunt for; Alligator Gar - needle nose, spotted, short nose. Buffalo, Carp, Tilapia and Drum

Bowfishing Equipment

BOW:

    A second-hand bow is all you need for starting out. Compounds, recurves, long bows use what your comfortable with they all work great for bowfishing. Rummage sales are great for bowfishing bows I've picked up several for $20.00 a piece. You can also check the used bow section at you local archery shop or just ask a few friends if they have an old bow or if they know of someone who might you'd be surprised.

A nice rig for the more serious bowfisherman is this pistol crossbow
that can be purchased for under $100

REEL:

   The reel is the most important part of bowfishing. To have the most fun and to get the most fish you want a reel that can quickly handle missed shots and when you do connect with a fish, the reel needs to be able to handle the fish as well. There are three types of reels. There is the traditional spool type reels, the closed face reels and the AMS Retriever Reel.

AMS Retriever Bowfishing Reels

   The AMS Retriever Bowfishing Reels are all together different and the reel of choice. There is no bail to release, no lost arrows. There is nothing to remember to do before each shot. The Retriever reel is mounted to the side of the bow in the bow's sight holes. If you choose to use sights, a sight can be mounted simply over the top. The line of the Retriever is stacked in a plastic bottle rather than wound on a spool. When you shoot a fish the line flows out of the bottle after your arrow with literally no drag. If you miss the fish, just pull the trigger to crank the line in. If you hit a smaller fish apply pressure to the trigger and crank him in. If he's a real fighter or a larger fish there is no adjustable fighting drag, but with a little practice you can get him in by pumping your bow. Pull the trigger to pinch the line, pull the fish in toward you, and crank up the slack line. A couple more times and you've got your fish.

ARROWS:

Fiberglass arrows work great. They are very strong, take lots of abuse from hitting rocks to bending with a flopping fish and they spring back in shape for more abuse. There are also aluminum clad arrows for extra weight and strength but they are quite a bit more expensive.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ARROWS:

A cable system or similar device is necessary to increase the safety of bowfishing. Anytime you tie your line to the tail of the arrow and shoot it from a bow, you're asking for trouble. Arrow snap back can result. Upon release, there is a trailing loop of line that can tangle with the bowstring, the bows' cabling, the arrow rest, or the archers wrist watch etc. If the line should tangle with any of these objects serious injury could result.

Using cable system or AMS's ring sets are the solution to this problem. Please refer to www.amsretriever.com for photos of this trailing loop of line, as well as photos of the line actually tangling with the bowstring and tying itself to the bow's cabling.

The cable system consists of a metal or plastic cable with swivel that runs from the tip to the tail of the arrow. It is assembled by drilling holes, feeding the cable through, pulling it tight and crimping the end clamps,. The line is attached to the swivel and slides down the cable when in flight. The swivel allows the archer to control the position of the line while drawing the bow. By keeping the swivel and bowfishing line in front of the bow, there is no longer a trailing loop of line nor any obstacle for it to tangle with.

AMS has recently found a more simple solution. A simple stainless steel ring with stop screw. The ring slides up and down the shaft of the arrow similar to that of the swivel and is stopped by a stop screw that is installed in tail of the arrow. The function is the same. You tie the line directly to the ring and it is able to freely slide up and down the arrow shaft. Before drawing just make sure the line and ring is in front of the bow no trailing loop of line and no obstacles.

BOWFISHING POINTS:

Bowfishing requires the use of special bowfishing tips. Think of a broadhead. They are designed to go through the target and cause lethal damage, but thats it. Bowfishing points have barbs that go through the fish on the shot – when retrieving they hang on to the fish so that you can get him into your boat.

The Muzzy points are very tough and work great for big, hard-sided fish. They have a removable tip that can be replaced when necessary. The barbs are fixed with a holding area of about one inch. To remove a fish with the Muzzy points, you need to release the barbs before you can release your fish from the arrow. Just twist the tip a couple times to release the barbs, turn them back, and pull the arrow back through the fish.

Shure Shot points are another tough point. They are another compact design also with fixed barbs, but the tip is not removable. They offer a little more holding area than the Muzzy points, but probably less penetration. The great thing about these tips is that a couple twists of the arrow shaft will release the barbs and the fish without having to touch the tip of the arrow.

Another type of point are the Sting-A-Ree points by Cajun Archery. The point is quite long and they are great for smaller fish. The barbs are collapsed as the arrow passes through the fish. As you pull the arrow back, the barbs catch on the side of the fish, open up and hold tight to the fish. The holding diameter of these points is nearly two inches. As with the Shure shots, a couple twists of the arrow shaft will allow the barbs to collapse and the fish to be easily removed.

POLARIZED SUNGLASSES:

The importance of wearing polarized sunglasses while bowfishing cannot be emphasized enough. Polarized sunglasses dramatically reduce the glare of the sun on the water when bowfishing. By reducing the glare, you can see deeper and further out into the water. By seeing deeper and further, you can obviously see more fish. Clip on's work, but we've found that polarized glasses with side shields seem to work better. The best view of the fish when bowfishing is with the sun to your back when your scanning the water for fish, the side shields offer additional protection for your eyes.

Selecting lens color is important. Dark Gray lenses block the most sunlight and are used for bright and sunny days. Medium Amber lenses are typically used more for overcast and hazy days. Light Gray lenses are for used for the first and last light of the day.

** Some information on this page was found at Bowfish Iowa.com 
a great resource for bowfishing information.