Top_Heavy's World

My last entry about spring bowfishing brought several questions about equipment. I will attempt to answer many questions, show you what I use and why, and talk about how I progressed thru the levels of mistakes to get to this point. I am a recreational bow fisherman, I don't do regular tournaments or have any equipment sponsors. I use what I do because it works for me.
I will start with the bow itself, this is the most expensive and variable part of the equation. I use a Mathew's Z-Max compound bow as my "big fish" bow. I used it on lots of big game hunts and when I moved up to a new model, I kept this bow. I left the same sights, peep sight, "D" loop, and thin grip on the bow. I did remove the quiver, that was just extra weight. I also changed the rest from a fall away to a roller rest. This rest is basically a wheel rim, made of metal or plastic. The arrow rides in the U shape of the roller as it is shot. Unlike light big game arrows, the heavy solid arrows need support as they fly off the bow. I like this bow for fishing because it is extremely powerful and that allows me to shoot solid arrows deeper and farther. Any bow will work and this is a great time of year to work on your maximum draw strength.
I have a pair of recurve bows that I use when hunting in shallow water or where I expect short shots at fish less than 2 feet deep. The first bow I use is a PSE, I am not a fan of this company, but this bow is very inexpensive, I think I paid $120 for it new. It has only 45lb draw, so I am able to hold it back like it was a compound. I don't use any sights at this range, a dozen or so shots and it will come naturally. The second recurve I use is a 55lb take-down Black Widow... a great bow... too much $ for a bow that is going to be getting wet routinely. I warped the limbs on this beauty, so I have to order $300 new ones or try to wet and correct the limbs on it now. Learn from this costly mistake... EVERYTHING YOU TAKE BOW FISHING WILL GET WET! I want to stress again, a bow fishing bow can be the cheapest used bow you can find, just get the right draw length so you don't learn bad draw habits.
Arrows become the next most important variable. I used to take regular hunting arrows with dull broadheads or field points and shoot the fish as they wallowed against the bank. It works, but I lost a ton of arrows and most of the fish got away. I moved up to thick walled aluminum and then solid glass arrows. The thick walled alminum shafts flew farther, but didn't penetrate well, they actually skipped off the water at tough angles. I increased the head weight and that helped but I found nothing is better than the solid glass fishing arrows. No vanes or feathers are used on fishing arrows, the weight and short distances don't require them, and the abuse the arrows take would quickly remove them anyway. I prefer a nock that is tight when on the string, this helps keep the arrow in place while bouncing, moving or wading. The heads, called fishpoints, are usually glued onto the shaft. The first thing I do is drill a 1/8" hole through the head and the shaft. I run a fine piece of wire through the hole to hold the head on mechanically. I have had many heads pull off when wrestling a 50lb+ fish close to the bank or boat. These fish can easily rip cheap or basic gear to pieces, always wire, bolt or tie your fishtip to the shaft. I have tried tying my line thru this hole... not a good idea, the bones of the fish and the rocks underwater quickly weaken even the best line. When this happens you either shoot the arrow off, loose it in the bottom or the next decent fish breaks off. While on the subject of tying the line to the arrow, I have tried everything. I have used a fishing rod and reel with the line tied to the base of a broadhead and then the head was screwed in the remaining couple of twists. I have drilled holes by the nock and tied there, to prevent line drag when shooting... this was a bad idea as the line went behind my bow hand and my sights. When I shot the sight bracket was ripped off, shooting it into the lake, and the 100lb fast-flight line broke across the back of my hand. My day was over due to pain and swelling! The solid glass arrows I use have a sliding ring on them. There are 2 holes to tie line to, and the tie point slides up and down the shaft. Start with the slide by the head, it will move to the nock when shot, this prevents turning the arrow sideways in flight These arrows also have a small screw as a stop to prevent the tie ring from sliding totally off the arrow. This screw becomes important to watch, it must always be turned upwards to prevent it from going across the roller rest. Nothing will be hurt if this is forgotten, but you will miss by multiple feet as it throws the arrow wildly.
I touched on the line, I use 100lb Fast-Flight because it doesn't get soaked and heavy, it is very strong and light, and it is very abrasion resistant. I have used monofilament lines for little fish and for messing around but they break really easily and are a waste of time. Standard braided fishing line is usable, especially on open spool reels, but in a retriever reel, the flat shape of Fast-Flight grips better and is less stiff. I would use Powerpro for it's thin diameter, but like many braids, it breaks fairly easily due to the severe forces of energy transfer into the heavy arrows.
Reels, a storage device to hold the line or a fancy mechanical way of winding the tangle free line... I have and use open spool reels, they are simple and impossible to break. The durability is great, but the line must be hand wrapped after every shot. The cheap ones don't even have a clip to hold the line, so every time the bow is tipped down, the line falls off in big loops, which is a major frustration. I usually use a retriever reel. This mechanical reel is in "free spool" mode until the trigger is pulled. The line sits in a small bottle until the shot, it is pulled out almost effortlessly, and then the trigger pull engages the gears. As the handle is turned the gears grip the line and guide it right back into the bottle. Proper alignment is important so the trigger is near the pointer finger of the bow hand, for best performance. I don't really use the reel to fight the fish, that is done with my drawing hand. Once the fish is brought in it takes mere seconds to reel in the line and be ready for the next shot. I do reel in the arrow after missed shots, the power of the gears is remarkable.

Fish points, the tip that keeps the fish on the arrow. I have used some heads that have fixed wires as barbs, these break easily and tend to quickly be worthless. I spend the extra money to get the heaviest heads that my bow can handle.

I particularly like the long solid aluminum ones with the big fold out barbs. The barbs only fold out 90deg until the head is twisted a couple of turns and then they fold all the way to the tip. This allows the the fish to slide off once landed. I do use some light weight heads when using the recurves. While smaller, they operate the same way. I use a file or grinder to sharpen all of the leading edges of my fishpoints. Fish scales are very tough and you need penetration to get the head in deep enough, to allow the barbs to open up. Remember to fasten your head to your shafts, unlike big game hunting, where the only force on the head is pushing it into the shaft, a fishpoint gets pulled, pushed, twisted... a 20lb fish pulling straight away has a lot of force when the string goes tight!
You have the bow, the roller rest, the arrows, the reel spooled with good line, proper heads with barbs and sharp tips, what else could you need?

This is my fully rigged fishing set up.
I use a wrist release when shooting my compound bow, be sure to have 2 with you. Take a pair of pliers to help twist tips, to release fish. I take a pair of cutters, for cutting the heavy line when an arrow is damaged or ruined. Take extra arrows, I broke or lost 5 in a single day one time. I hate hunting along rock banks, but sometimes that is where the fish are. Polarized glasses are a must! They allow you to clearly see the fish in reflective situations. Don't try to bowfish with out them, even a $5 pair from the gas station will save a trip. That is pretty much it. I can put together a total package for no more than $250. $125 for new bow, $70 for retriever, $15 for roller rest, and $10 each for arrows. Thrifty shoppers might get the full summer of fishing for less than $100. With prices like this who can't afford to enjoy bow hunting in the summer months?
I will talk more later about best times of year, scouting, seasonal changes in fish movement, types of fish and boats.