Whats your budget allow?

 

I can afford a nice bow, but I'm sure there is diminishing returns after a certain point. Want to make sure I'm not paying $500 more for something for only marginally better shooting

 

Compound for sure, shooting big heavy fiberglass arrows you’ll get better performance and speed shooting deeper and further with a compound...... a regular recurve is good IMO for wading springtime carp spawn in reefs and cattails where your shooting very close fish that are shallow with backs out or almost out of water

My son and I both shoot Oneidas, our fishing buddy and his son both shoot mission craze’s.....

 

It's all personal preference, I've shot everything from $20 pain shop ancient compounds to recurves to modern bowfishing specific compounds to $1k custom lever bows. They'll all kill fish, but I definitely prefer a lever bow over anything else (I'd rather use my 30ish year old onieda h250 than any bowfishing compound or recurve I'd something happened to my g-rex or invasion.) Plus lever bows are the coolest.

 

So it seems the consensus is that a recurve is good for beginners and shallow water shots and a compound or lever is better for deeper water (higher arrow speed/possible better accuracy).

Anyone just like shooting a recurve because its a bit more "man vs nature"?

 

Recurves are nice for shooting from shore because the are long and super light. They arent that great from a boat because they are so long. So if you are just shooting from shore, which i did for 10+ years before ever going on a boat, then hell yeah get yourself a recurve and send it!

I have had pawn shop old bowhunting compounds and an older oneida and I am now shooting a pse elation. They are wildly different styles of bows but they both kill a lot of fish.

Best thing you can do is pick one and give it a try. If you dont like it or what to try something else go for that too

 

I love shooting recurves, but when it gets later in the yr and fish tend to be deeper I love my lever or compound then.

 

I prefer a recurve since it's simpler and uncomplicated, period.