How to Make a Bowfishing Bow

Almost any standard archery bow can be made into a bowfishing bow with a few modifications. Bowfishing is an ancient North American sport that combines fishing and hunting with a bow and arrow. Typically, a bow used for bowfishing takes more stress than one used for hunting game, so you have to bulk up the arrow rest while attaching the reel to the bow. Bow fishers use special arrows to catch carp, gar and even large, saltwater fish. You can find the accessories you need at any large sporting good or fishing supply store.

Things You'll Need

  • Archery bow
  • Bowfishing reel
  • 2 bowfishing arrows
  • 2 bowfishing arrowpoints
  • Bowfishing arrow rest
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Instructions

    • 1

      Choose your bow. Most archers use an older bow that can stand some abuse and that can be easily replaced if lost in the water.

    • 2

      Choose a reel. You can use a standard reel, a retriever reel or a shoot-through reel. Most bowfishers use a retriever reel, which has the fish-line stuffed into a bottle. The line flies out easily without altering the flight of the arrow. A standard reel works just like a fishing reel while a shoot-through reel is a notched ring that attaches to the front of the bow with fish-line wrapped around it that you literally shoot through. Whichever reel you choose, the manufacturer has mounting clips to attach it to your bow. While the shoot-through reel is the simplest to make yourself, it is the most obtrusive in altering the balance and flow of the bow.

    • 3

      Get an arrow rest specifically designed for bowfishing. The arrows used in bowfishing are heavier than normal archery arrows and must pull fish-line during their flight. If you use a retriever or standard reel, there are arrow rests designed both to stabilize the arrow and to help in mounting your reel. A fish biscuit, or whisker rest, helps stabilize the flight of the arrow but does not make mounting a reel easier.

    • 4

      Select bowfishing arrows. These are heavier than normal arrows, have holes where you can attach the fish-line and allow you to attach different styles of bowfishing arrowheads to the tips. They come in fiberglass or wood shaft models.

    • 5

      Attach the arrowheads to the arrow shafts. Bowfishing arrowheads are designed with barbs that, after the fish is hit, open to keep the fish on the arrow. Some of these barbs are reversible so they can easily be removed from the fish. Others can be closed after passing the full arrow shaft through the fish after you have retrieved it.