# Building a Bow Fishing Bow



## SeeMont (Jan 18, 2011)

I have been reading till my eyes are crossed. Help? I am building a Bowfishing rig for carp. Ill be putting an AMS reel on the bow. Question, What bows are you folks using? Recommendations? Thoughts?


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## warrbuk (Dec 2, 2009)

You can use about any old (free) bow you have that has strings and cables. I'm using a late 80's golden eagle. Backed off to 55 pounds. There are new bows that are designed for bow fishing also. The carp don't care if your shooting an antique or brand new


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 22jdub (Feb 22, 2006)

There are some really cool video's on how to make a 60lb pvc recurve on youtube. I know a lot of guys use these. I've made light poundage ones for my kids, its pretty simple and lots of ways to customize it.....best of all its cheap


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## buckman2591 (Feb 6, 2011)

Seems easy enough. Posting so I can find later


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## Tunaboy (Oct 3, 2004)

Yes I would think one of the DYI PVC homemade bows would be a fun project. If it gets wet or beat up no big deal. If I had a place to shoot I would make one. I think you can build one pretty cheap. When you find a good plan let us know. I might build one too.


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## GrayTech (Jan 29, 2013)

Tunaboy said:


> Yes I would think one of the DYI PVC homemade bows would be a fun project. If it gets wet or beat up no big deal. If I had a place to shoot I would make one. I think you can build one pretty cheap. When you find a good plan let us know. I might build one too.


Check the backyardbowyer on youtube for loads of PVC bow ideas. 
Here's the link to his channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/BackyardBowyer


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## GaryZ (Jan 29, 2009)

I'm using my old Onedia Strike Eagle(long paid for) with the $60 AMS bottle rig, a $15 Muzzy arrow/tip, and a $19 muzzy Banana rest(that's not the real name?????). If you shoot anywhere near a rocky bottom, do yourself a favor and get a few replaceable tips and a spare arrow. It kinda ruins the day when you have to leave because your tip broke.

Check out this site, if you already haven't...
http://bow.fishingcountry.com/forums/forum.php
You'll get all the info. you need plus the classified section is pretty good too.


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## GaryZ (Jan 29, 2009)

Oh, and aim low. The deeper the lower...You'll see what I mean.:wink:


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## b0w_bender (Apr 30, 2006)

OK after a long day of fishing it will have bounced off the bottom of the boat several times and be covered in fish slime. So what ever you use don't be too attached to it. I use an old Indian Wood riser compound. Don't be fooled into thinking it will float with a wood riser though. (they don't) So I've also strapped a couple of floatation devices to the side of it so when we flip the boat or I just plain drop it because of the fish slime it won't go straight to the bottom.

Good luck with your project!


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## SeeMont (Jan 18, 2011)

Thanks for the input. Gary: I ran into an old Onedia Strike Eagle at a local pawn shop and they still wanted a fortune for it. They wanted $150.00 and it was pretty beat, are they out of line????? I bought a old Martin Warthog Magnum for $10.00, it looked like new. went out and shot it, What a sweet old bow, no way I can take it oout to the water, so pretty that I am going to hang it on the wall. Bender: The float idea is super, I wonder is some of those foam tubs they us in pools would work?


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## SeeMont (Jan 18, 2011)

What are some other OLD compound bow that I should be looking for?


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## wheelie (Mar 2, 2009)

I bought a brand new 2012 Mission Craze by Mathews for $250. bare bow. Spend thousand on a hunting bow so whats a little money on something good for bowfishing? Get what you pay for. Major ajustments on the Craze


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## SeeMont (Jan 18, 2011)

Wheelie: You treat your fish pretty darn good up North, shooting something fancy like that. I see you shoot fingers, do you get any pinch with a short bow? I guess I was told that a person needed a longer bow when finger shooting.


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## GrayTech (Jan 29, 2013)

SeeMont said:


> What are some other OLD compound bow that I should be looking for?


You don't want anything with too much draw weight as you will tire too quickly, I recommend under 40#, nor should the bow itself be too heavy. 
A lot of let-off is a big bonus too as its easy to hold at full draw. 
Other than that, any bow will work just great, whatever you can get for a good price.


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## Blue Knight (Apr 4, 2003)

Had a mathews q2 that wasnt selling at the time so I said what the heck.I ordered some 50 lb limbs and sold my 70 lb limbs.been shooting it ever since. Works great!


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## Jmn3235 (Feb 19, 2013)

Bought a Jennings micro carbon extreme at my local shop for 30 bucks








Threw a spraycan paintjob and an ams retriever on it. Best bowfishing bow I've seen in my area


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## bsw12181 (Aug 31, 2011)

I use several types to be honest i love the oneidas for bowfishing does not hurt them to snap shoot ( quarter draw shooting) however just need to be comfortable shooting alot..35. To 50 pound anymore and you tend to drive arrows through the fish into the mud or into logs or cat tails making it difficult to retrieve arrows.. Any compound or recurve/longbow with tapped riser will work .. Have fun carry extra arrows shoot straight


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## SkippyPVCBows (Mar 7, 2012)

Here are a few of mine.... But I enjoy bowfishing more then bow hunting so I tend to spend a little bit on the bows I shoot... Yes they get used .. but you dont have to beat one up in a boat. I dont know why people assume you will toss your bow around in a boat and step on it lol. I have a padded deck i can lay the bow on or put it on a piece of carpet under the front deck on my boat. they hold up good and look great. If you want a great starter bow ... an old oneida is perfect... I would go for one of the H riser models vs the strike eagle as they are a little lighter and awesome finger shooters. here are some pictures of my bows..


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## SeeMont (Jan 18, 2011)

Skippy: I found an old Onedia in a pawnshop, they are asking $200.00 for it and the best I could get them down to is $125.00. I thought that was to much for an old bow. What do you think? Your bows are beautiful, do you fix them up yourself? Thanks.


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## GaryZ (Jan 29, 2009)

After doing a couple of quick searches on the net...it seems $125 is in the middle/high of the price range on the older Oneidas(bare). One thing I didn't mention is the Strike Eagle is a heavy bow with a wide grip, alot of people don't like shooting a bow that weighs close to 9# when all rigged up. For me that's a big plus(to each his own), but these bows draw like butter even at a higher draw weight. That's important when shooting all day/night. Either a smooth draw or lower draw weight(or both).

One thing about Oneida Archery( http://cponeidaeagle.com/ ) is they back their bows and are more than happy to answer any questions. And they've been around longer than alot of today's most popular bow companies.


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## SkippyPVCBows (Mar 7, 2012)

SeeMont said:


> Skippy: I found an old Onedia in a pawnshop, they are asking $200.00 for it and the best I could get them down to is $125.00. I thought that was to much for an old bow. What do you think? Your bows are beautiful, do you fix them up yourself? Thanks.


An oneida in shooting condition to a bowfisherman is worth $100-$200 easy ... almost any model except the strike eagle and Aerofoce ... although they are great bows they are pretty heavy and do not sell as fast. The H series bows and tomcat, phantom, screaming eagle all work excellent for bowfishing. IMHO they are some of the best bowfishing bows available. You can snap shoot them and you do not need a press to work on them... just a tape measure and some allen wrenches. ... to answer your question ... if the bow was a h riser bow... I would have bought it in a heartbeat for $125


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## SkippyPVCBows (Mar 7, 2012)

I don't mind spending the extra coin on a bow I am going to shoot 300+ times a night .. but thats just me lol... and yes I fix all of my bows up myself... I do send them off to be dipped or I paint them but I tear them down and put them back together myself... its a great hobby, and I am kind of a lever limb addict!


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## smidy51o (Jul 7, 2012)

Dont mean to steal but i got a simular issue i just bought an old darton sl30 off Craig's list for 30 bucks buy to my surprise it makes out at like 25lb and the draw is kinda short the draw dont worry me to much but only 25lb? Would it do the trick? I was hoping for at least 40


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## dwagoner (Sep 27, 2007)

you can get sammick sage takedown recurves for around $130 new and up to either 55 or 60# setups, i love a recurve for BFing myself, plus at that price its very affordable


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## SkippyPVCBows (Mar 7, 2012)

dwagoner said:


> you can get sammick sage takedown recurves for around $130 new and up to either 55 or 60# setups, i love a recurve for BFing myself, plus at that price its very affordable


Also an excellent idea!


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## SeeMont (Jan 18, 2011)

I also found an old Darton SL50, they look the same. The cams have me confused I only paid $10.00 for mine.


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## sawicki4x4 (Jan 2, 2013)

Iv got an old jennings super model t that was handed down to me that iv been tossing around the idea of using it for bow fishing. but up here in mass im not sure if anyone even bow fishes for carp. What do you guys do with the carp anyway. I cant see eating them but maybe you all know something i don't.


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## ScubaSteve1111 (Nov 27, 2012)

+1 for the mission craze. Me and two of my friends actually got a sponsorship through mission for our bowfishing team when we were shooting in WI. I had a friend that worked for Mathews that hooked us up. We got a few free bows, reels, arrows, and other miscellaneous things. I've shot a lot of bows bowfishing and the craze is one of the best. The short ata makes its super easy to maneuver and make tough shots in a boat. It's really light and tough as nails. You can actually back the limb bolts off far enough to put a string back on without a press if it derails(anyone who has bowfished a lot knows why this could be useful).

Bottom line is you want a short, light bow that you can shoot quickly and accurately. I have shot them all and a prefer a bow with letoff even though all of the big bowfishing companies put a big emphasis on their no letoff bows. I don't like them. Right now I'm shooting my old mathews MQ-32. Perfect bow for it.

p.s. Don't ever use a release!!


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## hollywood88 (Feb 9, 2009)

Im building my own this year. Ive used an old parker challenger for several years at 24" draw and killed many carp with it but its time for an upgrade. Will be using a pse thunderbolt with diamondback limbs and martin furious cams with hl mods. Will make for a lightweight 37" ata with smooth draw,plenty of speed and loads of dl adjustment


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## SeeMont (Jan 18, 2011)

I have this old Darton SL30, I am thinking of making a set of PVC limbs for it and attach to the riser. I have seen in searched were people are making wood risers and then building limbs. Does anyone have any experience doing this. I just want 35 lbs pull.


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## Davy C (Aug 29, 2006)

I use an old Hoyt Spectra 1000. The high brace length,round wheels and 50% let off make it smooth to draw because for about every 3 times I draw, I let down 2.


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## A_White (Nov 24, 2009)

My rig. PSE Nova, AMS retriever. I stripped the riser, sprayed bed liner on the limbs. Has a super glued whisker biscuit on it now and lime green no-gloves. Works perfect for me.


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## smitty_d_09 (Oct 30, 2012)

I actually took a 1 liter Mt. Dew bottle and cut the bottom out. Then I ran planer board line around the neck and enough around the bottle to run to my arrow and have enough slack. Then I have enough room to run my stabilizer through the bottle to attach it to the bow. It actually works pretty well.


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## mwing (Jan 8, 2020)

warrbuk said:


> You can use about any old (free) bow you have that has strings and cables. I'm using a late 80's golden eagle. Backed off to 55 pounds. There are new bows that are designed for bow fishing also. The carp don't care if your shooting an antique or brand new
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Hey, that's what I am using!


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