Learn the Bowfishing Basics By: Jason R. Wesbrock

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Long after packing away deer hunting equipment and watching yet another spring turkey season fade into memory, most hunters are left to ponder what’s next. Sure, there are 3D archery shoots most every weekend, and sporting clays is undoubtedly one of the finest ways to spend time with a shotgun. But pursuing targets, even if they somewhat resemble real animals, is a far cry from actual hunting. And if you’re anything like me, there’s just no substitute for the real thing. Thankfully, an easy solution is probably no further than your nearest body of water. With most states allowing liberal seasons and harvest limits for rough fish, there’s always something for hunting archers to pursue during the off-season. Be sure to confirm that discharging a bow is allowed in your area and acquire the appropriate fishing or hunting licenses. Then all that remains are some basic equipment, safety and shooting considerations.

Gearing Up

Old compound bows and shoot-through hoops make effective bowfishing tackle.

Provided you already have one, your normal hunting bow should suffice, but keep in mind that bowfishing can be rough on equipment, so you may want to consider buying a second bow just for shooting fish. Online auction sites are usually full of old recurves and compounds that will work nicely. For average rough fish you won’t need a lot of draw weight. Thirty to forty pounds is more than enough. Larger game such as alligator gar and certain saltwater species like rays and shark require heavier poundage and at times specialized equipment. But that’s a topic for another time. Right now let’s just assume you’ll be hunting carp-sized fish.

Once you’ve got your bow selected, the next thing to consider is your arrow rest. Since fishing arrows are generally quite heavy—in excess of 1,100 grains—they may require a more solid rest than what you currently use. Regardless, I’d still suggest a specialized arrow rest like the one’s available from Sully’s Bowfishing Stuff . They usually cost around ten dollars, and considering that most standard arrow rests for compound bows cost a few times that amount, it’s not a bad idea to get one and avoid unnecessary wear and tear on your expensive equipment.

For many years, standard bowfishing arrow shafts have been made from solid fiberglass. While a number of manufacturers currently offer heavy carbon composite bowfishing arrows for nearly thirty dollars each (this includes the point), I still prefer the solid fiberglass ones. These are available for around nine dollars each and will take plenty of abuse.

You’ll also need a reel to hold and dispense your line. These can be anything from large hoops or solid reels that you manually wrap line around to standard spinning reels or specialized products such as the AMS Retriever. Hoops and solid reels are the slowest to use since they require you to retrieve and wrap your line by hand, but for less than twenty dollars they are your least expensive choice. Large spinning reels and mounts will set you back around sixty dollars, as will an AMS Retriever.

Three of the most popular bowfishing rigs: a spincast reel, an AMS retriever,and a shoot-through hoop.

Next on your list of equipment considerations are arrow points, which are designed to penetrate and hold your quarry. There are several quality models available these days, but I personally prefer ones with retractable barbs. Once a fish is landed, a few turns of the tip will release the barbs and allow for easy arrow removal, getting you back in the hunt quickly.

Since glare on the water’s surface can severely limit visibility, you’ll also need a pair of polarized sunglasses. Standard sunglasses won’t eliminate light reflecting on the water. They must be polarized glasses. You should be able to find an inexpensive pair wherever fishing gear is sold. If I remember correctly, the pair I currently use cost me about ten dollars four or five years ago.

Staying Safe

Shooting an arrow that’s tied to your bow is a somewhat risky activity. If all goes well, your line discharges freely without incident. Should your line snag during the shot, it could cause the arrow to reverse directions, coming back at you. This is known as “snap back” and is most often a result of line becoming entangled on something rearward of your bow grip—bowstring or cables, arrow rest, your wristwatch and so forth.

The simplest way to avoid this is by keeping the line in front of your bow at all times. If you tie to the back of your arrow, the line forms a loop when the arrow is shot. It’s this loop that can snag and cause the arrow to come back toward you. Since tying to the front of the arrow can cause severe flight problems, we’ll examine other options. The two most common solutions are cabling rigs and AMS Safety Slides, both of which serve the same purpose: to keep the line in front of the bow prior to the shot, but allow it to slide to the back of the arrow upon release.

AMS Safety Slides and cabling rigs are good choices forreducing the chance of snap-back.

A cabling rig is basically a fishing leader—most often steel—with its loops attached to opposite ends of the arrow. Sliding up and down the cable are two plastic beads with a barrel swivel between them. The line is attached to the barrel swivel, allowing it to freely travel from the front to the back of the arrow. AMS Safety Slides are made up of two small plastic pieces: a sleeve that slides up and down your arrow, and a stop block that’s attached to the rear of the shaft by means of a small screw. The line attaches to the sleeve, which serves the same function as the barrel swivel of a cabling rig. The only weakness I’ve found in this system is that after a few hundred shots the screw can start to work loose in the rear hole of the arrow shaft. Adding a dab of 2-ton epoxy to the screw and stop block during assembly will prevent this entirely.

Making a Splash

Floating sludge in lakes and rivers is a good place to search for carp feeding on the surface.

Now that you’re legal and all geared up, you’ll need to know how to go about shooting your quarry. A mechanical release and sight pin will work fine, but keep in mind that bowfishing often involves close-range moving targets that may only appear for a second or two. For this reason, many folks decide to use their fingers and shoot without sights. Regardless of the shooting technique you decide upon, hitting a fish below the water’s surface still presents a unique problem that you’ll have to overcome.

Without getting into a lengthy physics lesson, suffice it to say that light slows down as it enters water. This causes the light to bend, or “refract”. The easiest way to demonstrate light refraction is by submerging one end of a drinking straw into a glass of water. As you look into the top of the glass, the straw will appear to bend upward toward water’s surface. And just like the bottom of the straw, fish will appear closer to the surface than they really are. To help figure out how far below the fish to aim, bowfishermen have adopted what’s called The 10-4 Rule. If a fish is ten feet away and one foot under the surface, aim four inches low. As you double either the ten or the one, double the four accordingly. For example: twenty feet out and one foot down means to shoot eight inches low, as would ten feet out and two feet down. This may sound complicated at first, but you’ll be surprised how quickly it becomes second nature.

The most popular bowfishing quarry of all: the common carp

Whatever equipment and tactics you choose—from hi-tech bows to garage sale recurves, or boats with shooting platforms to walking along the shoreline—your next off-season bowhunting adventure is probably a lot closer than you may have thought. One of the great things about bowfishing is its versatility. A wonderful activity for everyone from young children to those more advanced in age, you can make it as complicated and expensive or as simple and economical as you like. So this year when you head to the local waterway in search of quarry with fins and gills instead of fur or feathers, remember to aim low, be safe and have fun. And remember, there’s no reason bowhunting can’t be a year-round pasttime.