I'm not a bow fisherman, but my friend knThoughts?ot traditional and he wants my input. He and his son hunt with wheels and want to try out traditional and bowfishing at the same time.

Here's what he said:

Whats your opinion of which recurve fishing bow you'd
recommend for 1)(Son) he pulls 45 lbs on a compound bow and 2) me, I pull
70. We want to use recurve to learn a new piece of equipment and have fewer
working parts to mess up while fishing

Thoughts?


Thoughts.

Anything cheap around 45-50# will work.  I prefer Zebco or Shakespeare crank reels. If you do it enough, your equipment will get wet and banged around in a boat. Do a search on here. there's a lot of info.
Since living in Canada I don't do it much any more.
I used to take a lot of kids out. The best way to get them started in bowhunting IMHO. When carp are spawning it's a blast!
I miss it.

Thanks for the feedback.

The son shoots a 45# compound bow. Should he shoot the same weight in a recurve? I've never shot compound but I thought you'd drop some weight.

dad - 45#
son - 35#

i shoot a 53# recurve for hunting, but use my 45# Martin Hatfield for bow fishing. you'll get tired as crap pulling  a heavy bow 100 times a night!

The best bowfishing bow ever is a Bear Kodiak Hunter. Pay attention to the magazines and see how often one of those shows up.  Unfortunately they're not out there by the dozens for $60 like they were 15 years ago.  

A nice, used recurve of 45 to 50# is plenty for 25# carp and smaller fish.  60" or shorter is easier to work with in a boat.  And the AMO threaded stabilizer fitting makes attaching a reel easier.

If your son is at a 45# compound you should drop a bit for a recurve.  To 40# or so.

This is really helpful. Thanks.

Bowfishing is one of my favorite things to do. Been doing it for many years. In fact that's what got me into bowhunting. I've always used traditional equipment. I use to use 65lb bows but in the last 15 to 20yrs. I've been using 45 to 50bl bows. The lighter weight bows makes it easier to pull those missed shots out of the mud (because there will be a some) and has been plenty of poundage for carp and small gar. I really enjoy taking young people out. I have more fun watching them than shooting them myself. Good luck.

Shorter is better especially in a boat. I use a Bear Super Mag 48, 40#@28 is all I've ever needed and I can pull it all night long. The sure-grip is a must have when wet, the beaver balls not so much...    

       

If you can find a bear 76er in decent shape, they have solid glass limbs and are pretty much bullet proof. Some of the Martin line are good too and I believe they have a package deal just for bow fishing

I have an old 45# Shakespear metal riser takedown. I paid $20 for it at a flea market. At that price I don't care if I drop it, get carp goo on it, or let it sink to the bottom.

Make sure they use safety slides on their arrows, so if a line tangle or reel spool button is not depressed before the shot, it doesn't come back nock-first into their face or body.

What part of bama you & friends from, Ranger?
I'm about an hour west of H'ville and have some recurves (in those wt ranges) they can pull to get an idea of what will work for them if they want.... let me know.

I think Stumpkiller is spot on.

I think 40 might be a little much for the lad, but I think he would grow into it.  Besides, not all bowfishing adventures include a bazillion shots.

When they do, your excitement may override fatigue.

Personally I find 50lbs to be an ideal bowfishing weight for me.