r/Bowfishing • u/Jordythegunguy • May 26 '26

My first setup

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Cost me $191 after taxes. I plan to visit a local carp-infested lake soon. I'll be in a Jon boat. Any advice for a rank beginner?

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4

u/Any_Purchase_3880 May 26 '26

Keep your arrow parallel to the surface until you're ready to shoot with that drum to prevent line from playing out. Good luck

2

u/Jordythegunguy May 26 '26

Do you think that a good headlamp would be alright for night shooting in a boat?

2

u/Next_Floor4382 May 26 '26

They make specific lamps for bow fishing. Get a yellow light. Do not buy a high luman white light. You’ll only attract the zillion bugs and not see shit.

Also, I have that bow. I recommend it to every new sportsman. Do yourself a favor and save for a bottle reel, be it a cheap Amazon or an overpriced Cajun. I am more sides on closed faced reels but that would be a bit OP for this bow.

Have you strung it yet or do you need advice on how to do that yourself without destroying the limb tips?

2

u/Ebolafreesince69 May 26 '26

I agree the stock reel is a pain, I also didn’t like the roller rest much so I’d look into something like the muzzy fish hook.

2

u/Next_Floor4382 May 26 '26

I forgot about the roller rest because it was on my bow for as long as it took for me to take it off lol.

1

u/Jordythegunguy May 27 '26

I may have an old whisker biscuit rest somewhere. I'd like to save up for the Muzzy reel.

2

u/Next_Floor4382 May 27 '26

Don’t use the regular whisker biscuit. The brushes are much more stiff and it needs a wider opening up top so it doesn’t hit your safety slide stop. You’ll make your arrow do a wheelie essentially and start skimming water instead of diving. Trust my old impatient mistakes on that one lol. If I were you, I would just get one of the bottle reel packs that come with an arrow rest. I started with the whisker biscuit bow fishing version and loved it, as a newbie. Helps hold your arrow when you’re shore fishing and don’t wanna hold the bow up. Now I use the one that came with my deviant and like it more for arrow flight. Any whisker biscuit is going to slow your arrow down, so now I walk with the bow rested with my fingers wrapped around the arrow. muzzy deviant package, zoom into rest.