Whats a good spincast reel?
What kind of line would you recommend?
Thanks
Zebco 808, check them out at 3Rivers.com Shawn
Go ahead and buy two. Bowfishing is hard on equipment, but it is worth it!
I agree with Gregg. If you're going to shoot a spincast, buy two. Most people I know seem to burn through them relatively fast.
On the other hand, I'm still shooting the same AMS Retriever I bought back around '93 or so.
save your money up and go with ams retriever reel I garantee you will thank yourself . dad and I shoot them and its a no hassle reel very durable and fast retreival of your fish or if you was off a little your arrow . :D
Yup, Get yourself a Zebco 808 or 888...K-Mart
has them.
I would say AMS, definately the best system out there for bowfishing, bar none.
BD
Anyone ever tried an open faced spin casting real for bowfishing?( blatant thread snatching attempt!)
Check out the new Muzzy spincast reel, I spend 3 years helping design and build that reel and it is made for bowfishing. Put some spectra line in it and you will be good to go. Mark
on the ams there are no tangles or hang ups like on the fishing reels . plus you dont have to worry about pushing the release button on the reel before shooting . which sucks when you do forget to push the button I know from experiance .
I have tried them all and have settled on the AMS. Trust me, this is the one! :clapper:
AMS all the way. It will save you lots of arrows, lots of headaches...oh and your EYES, lol
Kyle
I am not exactly sure what kind of reel I have, but it has a little canister that holds the string and has a reel on the side that you can reel in when you pull in the trigger. It is very durable and you can unscrew the plastic can and dry out your string so it last longer. It takes nylon string that is rated for about 50 lbs. you can get stronger, but I have no reason to. I have had the same on for going on 4 years it's never let me down. I haven't put it on a traditional bow, but I bet you could rig something up so it would work.
How are you guys mounting the zebcos on your bows. That is something I have never heard of, but also sounds like a good idea.
Check out Sullysbowfishing.com . They will have pretty much everything you will need for bowfishing.
www.sullybowfishingstuff.com (http://www.sullybowfishingstuff.com)
you have a AMS Retriever reel Matt.
use the retriever reel no tangles and VERY easy to use.
DO NOT use a Zebco reel, the plastic pick up pins that wind the string on the drum fall out and catch your line, they also will not shoot far or deep, same reason.
if your bow has the stabilizer hole in the front then you just screw a bracket in it (you can get one from www.3riversarchery.com (http://www.3riversarchery.com) ) if your bow does not have the stabilizer hole then you can get a adapter bracket from 3 River also.
DO NOT use a open faced reel, used one in a pinch one night, realized why they dont sell them, the string get tangled REALY easily. it worked but just barley.....
used a Muzzy reel on a guided bowfishing trip, it worked A LOT better than the Zebco, but you still have to push the button, dont have to do that with the AMS reel, they are the best!
message me if you need anymore questions answered
go to www.backwaterbowfishing.com (http://www.backwaterbowfishing.com) they have some good stuff too, nothing fot trad but still good stuff for bowfishing
Thanks
I did have a AMS.. I just didn't like it..
I"ll think I'll go with Zebco...
My nine year old has an AMS retriever and he can shoot it and get it back into action pretty darn quick. He shot several mullet a week ago and had a big time doing it.
Personally, I use an old bear tape-on spool most of the time.
I have a friend that is blind in his left eye from a misshap with a zebco reel. The reel locked and the arrow popped back and hit his eye. bad deal.
Do you guy use your Recurves to shoot fish?
Or do you buy a old UGLY compound? :bigsmyl:
I have a 40# Recurve would that poundage be OK?
Thanks for your replies...
I may try a AMS again is sounds safer!
I have shot a lot of gar with a 40 pound bear kodiak magnum and a tape-on reel. My son was shooting mullet with a 25 pound intranature. Last week at 2:00 AM, I looked down at the black-widow recurve in my hand and thought, "If this thing goes overboard, I am out some serious coin!"
I have a compound I use at 60#. I was told that it would warp the limbs if I used a wooden traditional.
i Have used a 45 lb grizzly for years and my limbs are straight as they come . dont believe that story . matt_mo
I'm just getting into this so I really don't know if it will or not. The guy who I get all my equipment from told me that it is ok to use a wood bow, but if you get it wet that your running a chance of ruining a good bow, and I just figured you are going to get it a little wet. I don't have a longbow yet, but when I do get one I really don't think I will be using it that often to bow fish. Mainly just personal preference b/c sometimes I have to hold it back for a while if I loose sight of a fish. Maybe if the bow I get is around 45# and if it doesn't cost me an arm and a leg I'll try and use it but who knows. Like I said I am still in the process of trying bows to figure out which one I like
We bow fish for mainly buffalo and some carp and gar. We use the AMS reel and safety slides. As far as bows go I got a PSE Kingfisher last year to fish with and LOVE it. It is a magnesium riser/total fiberglass limbed takedown recurve. It is 45#@28" and I draw 30". It is about $100 new. It seems to take a LOT of abuse (that seems to be normal in bowfishing) and likes it...LOL I would also suggest the nogloves on the string.
As far as points I like the Muzzy points REALLY well, but they are a pain to unscrew the very tip sometimes to get the barbs to flip. I found the Sure shot(i think) that takes the same muzzy style tip but you turn the barbs and tip to get the barbs to flip. This allows you to get ahold of the barbs like a wingnut and lets you turn it easier than the muzzy.
good luck and have fun!!
citori
I really do not want to get into the spincast vs. AMS debate here, but you can go to www.bowfishusa.com (http://www.bowfishusa.com) and do a search and you will get all the info you ever wanted.
I can tell you that I basically bowfish professionally since I am responsible for bowfishing promotions with Muzzy and the only reel I use is a spincast and the reason why I spent so much time and effort working with a manufacturer to come up wiht our own reel. There were alot of problems with current offerings and that was something we wanted to improve on to offer a spincast reel that would actually hold up to bowfishing.
I can say that the 1 time I do use a retriever is when we are shooting sharks and alligators and have to use a float system, then we use the slotted retriever models, as you definitely do not want to be tied to several hundred pounds of very angry, dangerous beast.
If anyone wants to PM me I would be glad to elaborate on my feelings on those different reels and what I feel are the pros and cons of each. Mark
mark, do you know Brian Hughes from Gurley Alabama? hes works with/for Muzzy with the bowfishing stuff. BackwaterBowfishing.com has ALL the Muzzy gear that youll need for bowfishing, he (Brian) does this as a side gig and he has guided trips too, book one and go sometime, just hold out for the big ones. he fishes Lake Guntersville (as do i) and has quite a good bit of knowledge on the topic. only problem is that he used Onieda bows....
ive got a 50# Kingfisher and i want a 55#er so i can get better penetration on carp. i use a saftey slide and Sting-a-Ree Replacement Tip points. also use the No-Glovs, im thinkin about tapping my Kodiak Mag so i can mount the Retriever reel directly to it, ive got the adapter bracket but i want it attached straight to the bow.
I use and like both the AMS Retriever and a couple of push buttons. When my Zebco and Synergy give it up, I'll get the Muzzy PB to replace them. The PB is a little faster to use, but nothing shoots as nice as the Retriever. :thumbsup:
I use and like both the AMS Retriever and a couple of push buttons. When my Zebco and Synergy give it up, I'll get the Muzzy PB to replace them. The PB is a little faster to use, but nothing shoots as nice as the Retriever. :thumbsup:
Either way, you're gonna have a bunch of fun!
Jacob, have you been to Bryan's website? I know Bryan very well, in fact he and I are partners in the guiding business and he is my partner in tournaments. We fish together all the time! If you go to his website and look up the guiding information you will see our picture in there along with pics of our boats. We are going down to Eufaule this Sat and fish that shoot down there, plus we will fish the Muzzy Classic, World's and several of the club shoots around N AL. I fish Guntersville alot. Mark