1. Lever bows are smoothest but I like compounds too

2. Definitely use fingers

3. 30lb for #s and 40-50lb for big fish

4. No they are both good reels just depends if
U prefer spinner or bottle reels

 

Its really what you prefer. I shot a compound for several years and switched to an Oneida bow which is a lever bow this year and I love it. Majority of people shoot fingers. Draw weight depends on the water you shoot. I shoot mostly in 3ft or less my bow is turned down to 35# and is more than enough. As far as a reel I started on a ams "bottle" and switched a few years ago to a muzzy and haven't looked back....

 

Welcome to the forum :wave:

And to answer your question, it's all personal preference.

I like compounds and in my opinion the best bang for your buck is a PSE Discover 2. I know I've abused mine and its still going strong. My bow is set at a 29# draw and I have never had an issue with penetration. My dad shoots a recurve since he has shoulder issues and doesn't seem to have any problems sticking fish either. His bow is a PSE Razorback with a 30# draw.

You will definitely want to shoot fingers for bowfishing. Pick up a set of finger slix for your string or if you want to sample the kool-aid get a Gargod Custom string. (highly recommended :tu

Everyone that shoots with me uses retrievers. We don't shoot numbers tournaments, so we have no real need to use spinners. Plus you can't beat the reliability of the retrievers.

 

Best advise is don't invest a lot (aka buy used) your first few setups until you figure out what you really like and what works for you. Hopefully if you buy stuff on a deal, you can sell, trade, try different stuff without taking a big hit to the wallet.

Also remember, a $75 Bear Blacktail 40-60# bow turned down to 35# will get you on the water killing fish and enjoying the sport until you settle in to what you really like and want.

Lever bows are smooth, kind of the preference and kind of expensive...

Hopefully you can borrow, beg or steal a few options to try first.

Welcome to the Addition!!

 

Welcome to bowfishing. The addition only gets worse!!!!

 

Best cheap bow = Pse discovery 2
Best mid price bow = cajun sucker punch
best expensive bow = oneida osprey.

Shoot fingers and about 35 pounds.

Best reel setup no matter what bow you choose is a muzzy reel with woody wire line on a f&D pro reel seat with a TJE shoot through rod

 

However any cheap bow will work that will get below 40 pounds to get you started. I shot with a recurve for 2 years when I first started and got plenty of fish. Dont try to go cheap on the reel though. an AMS retriever will work but a muzzy with the above mentioned setup will result in a lot better arrow flight resulting in more accurate shots and is also faster to reel in

 

Hello all

I'm wondering what kind of bow is better a recurve or a compound short ata or long ata I shot a compound when I went but just wondering if one is better than the other
Fingers or release
What is a good draw weight
Is one kind of real better than the other AMS or Muzzy

1shotJoe, hello there.

I have shot a recurve for most of my bowfishing. Mine is older than me, a bear black bear, glass powered bow. Not a takedown, no centershot - just a lightweight 45 lb recurve with a stabilizer hole that I used to mount a custom (homemade) lightweight (wood dowel) reel seat. I have shot that for many years, and I hit very well with it. It does not throw a picture perfect arrow, but it puts that arrow pretty close to where I am looking. I was out solo just this week on a nice sunny day and shot a limit of fifty carp with it. I thought it might be a bad day due to recent rain muddying the water. As it turned out, I could see about a foot deep and with the cloudy water the carp were slow to react, allowing fairly close shots.

So, a good recurve can hold its own, especially in the shallows. What I really like about a recurve is the light weight and that there is not much to tangle on in case it gets windy. I have tried a 35 lb recurve as well but I found that to be underpowered. I have never been a fan of "normal" compounds with wheels and crossed cables, so I don't have much experience with them.

For much of the last couple years I have shot an oneida I bought used here on BFC. I had to see what the hype was about; there is definitely something to them. They are very nice shooters with almost no handshock and easy to tune for a more or less perfect arrow. There is only the string from limb to limb, without cables crossing. Mine is set around 30lb and still buries arrows in the mud, often pinning fish or letting them swim off trailing line away from the buried arrow. The bow weighs a whole lot more than a recurve and I do tend to get tired of holding it after a few hours in the sun. Of late I have taken to using the recurve during the day and the oneida at night, and it is working out really well. For me, not the carp.

Spincast reels are great with 200lb fast flight. That is the braided spectra line that has been around for a number of years. It is extremely durable and allows shots out to 20 yards or a little more. Not that I hit that far consistently. There are a bunch of new lines that have come out in the last 4 years or so. The biggest innovation with spinners though are the short rods. Short rods take a lot of stress off the reel.

The disco 2 mentioned is a decent bow but it does have a very short and narrow grip area. If you wear XL gloves I don't think you will find it very comfortable. My brother has that bow and I can't shoot it long without getting hand cramps. He also has a retriever on it and honestly I can't stand that thing - it is so clunky compared to a spinner. Everytime I see him relent and put the bow down to pull the fish in by hand, I just shake my head. With a spinner, most fish get reeled in and whipped into the bucket with hands never leaving their proper positions.

 

Thanks for all the advice
I won a bow at the local bow shop my daughter shoots at with 4H it's a mission riot I bought the last 3 raffle tickets for $10.00 each I took it home and threw on a biscuit and a set of ams string things and set it at 35 pounds and shot it a few times I think it will be ok for now and if I don't like it I'll give it to the 4H for the kids to shoot
I'm going to oder a muzzy reel a F&D reel seat and that shoot through rod and some of that woody wire for it today

Joe

 

I was wondering if I could use spiderwire braid in 80 pounds because I have some left over from relining my fflathead rig

 

80 lb is light for bowfishing, I use at least 150 lbs.
Welcome to BFC :wave:

 

Looks like F&D carries woody wire so I suggest getting that when you order a seat and reel rather than using 80#. That line will be pretty thin and hard on your hands.