A bowfishing arrow is quite different than a bowhunting or target-shooting arrow. Bowhunting and target shooting arrows have fletchings on the nock end, while bowfishing arrows are unfletched.
While most bowhunting arrows are hollow and made of carbon or aluminum (or in some cases, both) most bowfishing arrows are solid and generally made of fiberglass.
There are some newer composite bowfishing arrows on the market as well, but they’re not used as widely as the solid-shaft arrows.
Obviously, a solid fiberglass arrow is going to weigh far more than a hollow carbon or aluminum arrow.
In fact, while most hunting arrows come in at a total finished weight of 300-600 grains, the shaft of a solid bowfishing arrow might weigh over a thousand grains alone.
Factor in a bowfishing point, nock, and safety slide, and the weight of a bowfishing arrow can easily reach over 1200 grains!
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Best Bowfishing Arrows Reviews
A heavy fiberglass bowfishing arrow travels much slower than a lightweight bowhunting arrow, but the weight of a bowfishing arrow helps it slip through the water and penetrate the tough scales of a rough fish with relative ease.
Most bowfishermen use a 5/16″ arrow shaft, which is usually 32″ long.
However, the total length of a finished bowfishing arrow (including nock and bowfishing point) often comes in around 34”.
1- Cajun Bowfishing Fiberglass Arrow with 4 Barb Stinger Point
If you’re looking for an arrow for beginner bowfishing, the Cajun Bowfishing Fiberglass Arrow may be a good option.
Pros:
- The arrow shaft design makes it very easy to remove from any kind of target
- Perform amazingly when used with a recurve bow
Cons:
- Oftentimes I’ve lost the back end or the tips when shooting these. Seems like it’s kind of luck-of-the-draw
The Verdict
Slightly more expensive, but also a very durable, long-lasting arrow. I’ve used these bowfishing arrows on several occasions, with great success and minimal required maintenance.
2- AMS A207 Fiberglass Arrow
If you’re looking for a basic, all-purpose arrow, the AMEYXGS fiberglass arrows may be a good place to start. They’re very reasonably priced for the beginning bowfisherman.
Pros:
- Overall sturdy yet lightweight design
- Because of the anchor qt feature, increased accuracy is a great help to beginner shooters
- Easy to remove the fish with just a simple turn of the shaft
Cons:
- We like everything but the price. Although having to replace the arrows as much and getting many uses out of them saves money in the long run
The Verdict
Aside from some issues with detaching lightweight fish (small gar in particular) because they spin with the tip a lot of times, this is by far one of the best arrows I’ve ever used.
Best Bowfishing Points
Bowfishing arrows can be tipped with many different styles of bowfishing points, but all bowfishing points share two common features – barbs and a sharp tip.
The barbs on most bowfishing points are held in place by the tip, which can be loosened or removed to allow the barbs to reverse for removing fish.
Once a fish has been removed, the barbs can be flipped back to their normal direction and secured in place by re-tightening the tip.
Since the tips are removable, you can purchase extra tips to keep on hand in case the tip on your arrow gets dull. This can also help extend the life of your bowfishing point, as the tip generally takes the most abuse when fishing.
1- Muzzy Gar Bowfishing Point
I’ve shot fish with an assortment of bowfishing points. If I could pick a stand-out point, it would be the Muzzy Gar Point, without a doubt.
Pros:
It has unmatched penetration potential on tougher fish- for example, grass carp
Durable to the point that I’ve released it into riprap multiple times without doing any harm to it
Cons:
- Despite the fact that the point’s little spikes and Trocar tips aren’t the best for holding delicately-fleshed fish like bighead carp or paddlefish. Complete pass-throughs on those fish with this point are a continuous occurrence. When that happens, barb size doesn’t make much of a difference
- Switching the points to expel the arrow from a fish takes about 5 seconds
The Verdict
I can’t say enough good things about the Muzzy 1320G bowfishing point. It shoots well, the points are tough, and the Nockturnal® lighted green x-nock incorporated into the design makes for easy visibility.
The Muzzy 1320G point is a joy to shoot, and I’d definitely recommend it for a great bowfishing experience.
2- Cajun Sting-A-Ree Tournament Reversible Bowfishing Point
Most two-barb points have a removable tip that can be loosened to reverse the barbs for removing fish, which means your arrow must be all the way through the fish to remove them.
This is generally not an issue, as an arrow will often pass all the way through a fish that has been shot.
Pros:
- The two-barb points allow for removal of fish with a quick twist of the arrow – no touching of the fish is required
Cons:
- On the off-chance that the arrow doesn’t pass all the way through and expose the point, you may have to manually push the tip the rest of the way through to loosen the tip and reverse the barbs. Not a big deal, but pretty counterproductive
The Verdict
The Cajun Sting-A-Ree’s design is perhaps the most popular style of bowfishing point- the two-barb point.
A two-barb point provides a small enough profile for good penetration, yet gives enough strength to ensure solid holding power on big carp, gar, and other rough fish.
I’ve never had a bad experience with it.
3- AMS 3 Barb Grapple Bowfishing Arrow Point
The AMS 3 Barb offers an additional barb for extra holding power, and is strong enough to handle big game fish while still lightweight enough in its design to handle more casual bowfishing.
Pros:
- The 3-Barb feature can be a handy time-saver, especially if your arrow doesn’t penetrate all the way through a fish. Simply twist the arrow until the barbs release (make sure the fish is over your fish bucket, not the water) and the fish should slide off with ease.
Cons:
- One potential downside to this particular point is that the tip must be completely removed to reverse the barbs and remove the fish.
The Verdict
The AMS 3 Barb is probably one of the best bowfishing arrow points on the market today, because of the sheer versatility it offers.
I’ve never experienced any issues with the point flying off on impact, and it shoots very accurately every time.
The AMS 3 Barb is a solid performer, and definitely not easily outdone. I’d highly recommend it.
Wrapping it Up:
Hopefully, this guide to the best bowfishing tips and arrows will serve to help you make an informed decision!
Bowfishing is a whole lot of fun, but believe you me, having shoddy products can really put a damper on the whole experience.
Because bowfishing is so fast-paced and requires split-second timing, it is important to have the best quality bowfishing gear at all times.
Until next time, readers!
