I love bowfishing.
I began bowfishing in 1980. There’s been some improvements since then, but it’s still pretty basic. Sure, I’ve got buddies who have decked out carp fishing boats that had to be pushing $40,000 to $50,000, but I’ve shot plenty of fish wading around in tennis shoes and cut-offs. So for today, I’m going to cover bowfishing mainly from the angle that even a high school kid can afford.
Let’s start off with bows. No doubt, there’s a lot of bows designed to cater to the bowfisherman. Or, if you’re like most people on a budget, you either use your regular hunting bow or the one you retired.
I just received my new Obsession bow and got it decked out for elk hunting. I’m not going to use it for bowfishing. Bowfishing is tough on a bow. They’re thrown in the bottom of a wet boat, get covered with fish slime and the list goes on. So the moral to the story is, I don’t use my elk bow for bowfishing.
Consequently, I’m using a compound from a couple of years ago. But another good option is a recurve. A lot of people like a recurve because you can only pull it back 3/4 of the way if a carp is in front of a rock. They’re also a lot faster to throw up and take a shot. So it plays out that half the time I use a compound and half the time I use a recurve.
For reels, I like a Muzzy on my compound. Pay a couple of extra dollars and get one with the flip switch. If you buy one with the push button, be careful. If you happen to hit the handle, it will lock, and if you shoot, it will rip the guts out of the reel. Consequently, you need to be constantly hitting the button so this doesn’t occur. For this reason, many people use a high enough poundage bow so if it does lock up, when the arrow hits the end it will snap the string. You don’t want a bounce back. They’re not fun.
Because of the above, I like the reels with the flip switch. Once it is flipped over, it can’t lock until you flip it back. I like them a lot better and only use them now.
On my recurves, I’ve always used the old wrap-around spool model. They can be a pain if the clip is loose because the string peels off of it at the drop of a hat, but they’re simple.
For arrows, I’ve started using the Muzzy arrows with the sliding nock. They’re a lot better. If you use the old-school arrows that tie off at the nock end, the string is prone to tangling in something. Years ago, that’s all we had but the sliding nock arrows are the best.
There are a few different types of points. All the different types that I’ve tried have worked fine, it’s just that some are quicker to release the fish so you can get back to shooting.
For string, I like about a 60 to 90-pound test. Of course, on huge fish you may have to go bigger. After a lot of shots, re-tie your string. You don’t want to lose an arrow because they are expensive. Ugh, I lost one yesterday.
I have shot a ton of fish just wading around sloughs and back waters in a pair of tennis shoes and cut-offs. I mean a bunch, but in a lot of situations and especially in bigger rivers and lakes, it’s better to have a boat. I’ve got a little jon boat with a trolling motor that works great but the ultimate is a boat with an elevated deck so you’re up high and can see better.
The ultimate is one tipped off with lights so you can bowfish at night. That’s a blast.
Tom Claycomb lives in Idaho and has outdoors columns in newspapers in Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Louisiana. He also writes for various outdoors magazines and teaches outdoors seminars at stores like Cabela’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Bass Pro Shop.
