I'm bent on finding out what the spine of these things are, I have a white Bohning arrow. I'm surprised that there hasn't been a spine specific fishing arrow out there yet as a "one size fits all" motto doesn't always fly. I always seem to get crappy flight with these, like the arrow is way too stiff. I know most bow fishing shots are super close, but better arrow flight benefits everyone, no matter how close you are.

I experimented with modifying a 2018 to use as a fish arrow a few years back. I took the cable slide stop off the fiberglass and tapped a hole in the aluminum. It flew SO much better than the fiberglass, the draw back being rust. I also used a field point with one of those star shaped small game heads that fit behind the point.

Anyway... I think it's time for companies to start getting spine specific with their bowfishing gear. Bowfishing has grown large enough for it to be a profitable avenue.  

I'm with you buddy!  I had a really hard time with a 45# straight longbow last year.  Those arrows are a little too stiff for her.  A weaker spine would be nice for us longbow folks.

make a longer one--they sell 48" pieces[driveway reflectors] at the depot--add point wieght--

wow...Awful demanding       :eek:  

I've got news for you, the bowfishing industry has been profitable for a long, long time....you make it sound like all of a sudden bowfishing is big...

How long have you been doing it bud?

Mike's right on...make your own....

They've made a lot of money of me this year! 2 bowfishing bows, new reels, arrows, points, motor, etc. Guess it would be less profitable for them if I kept my boat right-side-up. I like the yellow jacket shafts with the carbon spines. Stiff but they seem to be straighter. Play around with different points and how you align them. You might get better flight that way too.

Well I bareshaft and tune my fish arrows just like any other arrow.I use centershot when possible to adjust so I can leave them full length but often have to trim them back a little to get them stiff enough.

I have some that spine around 40-50# they were manufactured in the 1960's solid glass shaft however they were not fish arrows but actually solid glass heavy weight hunting arrows.The problem with getting the spine down to what you want even around 50-55#'s is the diameter of the solid glass shaft is to thick.The one's I have are 5/16 = less spine do to diameter.bd

Most fiberglass shafts normally spine around 50/55 on the scale, but they have anywhere from 250-550grs of point on the end of the shaft, so they normally come out a little weak.  For my mid-50's# bows they normally shoot very well full length, but when I use to shoot bows in teh 60's I did have to cut them down just a little!
Normally with BF arrows, if is getting them stiffer not weaker that is the problem for most people, but if you need to weaken up the spine, look at using a heavier tip like our Stingray point, that 1 is 550grs and the heaviest pt we sell.  That would do it.  Mark

QuoteOriginally posted by Guru:
wow...Awful demanding          :eek:      

I've got news for you, the bowfishing industry has been profitable for a long, long time....you make it sound like all of a sudden bowfishing is big...

How long have you been doing it bud?

Mike's right on...make your own....

Whoa!! Were is my helmet, I'm going to be stoned to death!Not trying to be demanding, just pointing out something that could help everyone. Don't wanna be executed for thinking.        I e-mailed Muzzy to see what they have to say about it. Heck, maybe it's an untapped market that I should cash in on, LOL!

I have bowfished for over 40 years.  Seen a lot of fads come and go.

My best success is with a solid aluminum shaft - no fletch.  I do use the sliding ring with the line connected near the point.  The shaft exceeds 90# on my spine scale.  It has never been an issue for accuracy under 10 yards.  I never shoot at a fish farther than that.  I like the very thin, very sharp fish points that screw off easily so fish removal is not a problem.  I tried some of those fancy big barbed heads - they just bounced off the carp.

I use 200 lb line.  Not so much for the size of the fish - more for the size of the stump when I miss a fish and have to pull the arrow out of the muck!

Once again - I think the secret is short shots on fish that run shallow.  Just like all Trad archery - I will take a good hunter over a good shot any day - brings back more game, less likely to try a low % shot.

Mark..thanks for the info    

I guess I have been lucky..I just shoot them the way they are and have had no problems.

What spine is the aluminum BF shafts???

Aluminum shafts may be the way to go to get the right spine for some of you guys.

Arwin, if you can meander over to the Saginaw Bay side of the state around mid May, I'll be up in Linwood withthe camper. Great carp shootin, and great walleye fishin within walkin distance of the campground. You're welcome to pop in,and if ya wanna spend the night, you can do that too.

I think what Arwin was saying is that bowfihing is big enough that if they were to market spine specific fishing arrows, that the production of those would be profitable.

Thanks John!! That would be a ton of fun. I have only caught one walleye and would like to catch more. John Vasos lives near ya I think and he has said it's great bowfishing.

Yes, that is what I was trying to say, bowfishing has exploded and I think it would support a company getting specific with their bowfishing set-ups. We've had the same choices of gear with few innovations.

I have stuck my fair share of carp and suckers with what I use, but a better flying projectile could help everyone. I think it would really help in the kids department. My daughter has a 24 inch draw with her recurve and using a full length fish arrow is kinda akward. Having an arrow cut to the normal length she uses would help.

I spined two of my old ones from the 60s/70s.  The Bear arrow was 75# x29"x11/32" and the other unidentified arrow 48# x27.5"x5/16".

Well guys I may be the only one who dose this but I have been playing with wood shafts with feathers and vanes on then.. They did work fine for me.. But then I went to the old glass that I picked up at a yard sale witch fly nice... But now a days I been shootin old fish arrows from the 1960s witch fly better then the new fish arrows....I don;t know u just need to play with every thing to see whats works...

Shot some solid aluminum arrows, many years ago, but they bent way too easily.  The latest versions that were out a few years ago were 2040's and they were very stiff, never measured them, but they shot pretty well out of heavier bows, but still would bend.  We have a laminated aluminum/fiberglass shaft in our Predator arrow, but it would be too stiff for most bows unless you shoot 65# or more and they are about 400grs heavier then a fiberglass arrow.  They work great in our Gator Getter setups and for heavy bows and deep water fish.
Some new carbon arrow varieties are coming out on the market but most of them are stiffer then standard fiberglass arrows and usually do not work well on normal weight recurves, most of them are setup to shoot off compounds and they do pretty well.  But as far as making a specific shaft in varying spines for different bows, there is just not enough market to substantiate the cost of production, packaging and marketing to facilitate that.  We are the largest supplier of bowfishing equipment to dealers and dist in the country and still the numbers on bowfishing arrows we sell is not a drop in the bucket compared to hunting shaft sales.  There is a tremendous cost in producing a new product and the sales have to substantiate that effort.  
For example, the brass inserts, took me awhile to convince everyone on the value of offering those inserts, but fortunately they did take off and have done well for us, but definitely not a big money maker by any means, but it had another value as offering more people a better method of using our broadhead on their arrows, so that contributed to the value of the item.  If bowfishing continues to grow and the demand becomes substantial enough, then new products and specific products can be warranted.  Thanks, Mark

Good stuff bud    

Ha guys take a 2018 arrow cut to what you want add slider and point then fill with great stuff fome spray to get air out of shaft .works great You can do this to what ever arrow you need.it will waight around 600 to 750 gn. works like glass it wont flote..

I threw one of the new fishing arrows I got on my spine tester. It spines at 100# Give me a break! I'd have to put a bowling ball on the end of that to get it to fly decent. I thought about making some up with aluminum shafts, but hit one rock and you'll bend it.

I have a few fiberglass Microflite shafts, but now way am I going to use those shootin carp.

Mark said there is not enough market demand to justify the production costs. The entire market is stuck shooting these overspined shafts- and apparently there is enough market for those to justfy thier production. It would seem to me that if a better shaft were produced, there would already be a market (bowfisherman) in place to buy them. you wouldn't need a huge variation in spine. 35-50#, 50-65# would probably do it. You could shoot one or the other of those out of pretty much any bow, and I'd bet they fly much better than the current 100# shafts.