bow reel??

[zr2offroad]

i am fairly new to bow fishing and i am wondering what type of reel i should get. i have a 75 acre lake in my backyard in seabrook and i tried out bow fishing for the first time.. i shot five gar and a talapia...not bad for a newbie...i dont have a reel so i just shot them with a crapy broadhead and grabbed them... any info on a reel set up...are the ones at academy any good??? thanks guys..

[StevePage]

I've seen alot with an old zebco 808 on them.

[offthehook]

zebco 808 or 888 will be fine choice to stick whatever you want.pick up at walmart or academy

[texas two guns]

AMS Retriever are good and safe.
Zebco are fine spincasters, but need to be rigged safely.
A Thumpertized (http://thumpercustomreels.com/) is even
better, but still needs to be rigged safely.
PM me and I'll explain it all to you.

[rodwade]

get a retriever. To me it's the safest way to go. I've had too many close calls with cheap zebco's not releasing the line or it getting tangled on a spin caster. My retriever was the best $70 I spent. I got mine at Bass Pro in San Antonio.

[texas two guns]

Good luck finding one for that price now. The new retrievers are called AMS Pro Retriever and are about $20 more for base model.
Like I said the spin cast reels are fine if rigged right. There are several
methods of rigging them to be safe, so I can't explain them all here.
PM me and I'll tell you your best option for the gear you have.

[bowfishrp]

Yep those retrievers are good but the new ones are more expensive. When I am not chasing large gator gar I use a Muzzy closed face reel or a zebco. Synergy makes one but I dont really like it. Sullys sells a lot of reels and might have some of the older retrievers is you are interested. Remember with a spinner you will need some type of mount, with a retriever it mounts to the sight holes.

Oh and one more thing, DO NOT TIE your line to the BACK OF THE ARROW! Use AMS slides, they are the best. I have been using them for years and have never had one break or ever lost an arrow because of the slides.

http://www.sullysbowfishing.com/main.asp?Dept=Shop&Category=Reels

[texas two guns]

Rings are better!
http://www.backwaterbowfishing.com/onlinestore/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=129

[bowfishrp]

You loser...rings are no good. ;)

[CoastalOutfitters]

never been too crazy about those zebco style rigs , if they dont release, you can take a bad arrow whiplash ..

i have an old bear hand spool rig on a recurve that works ok, but for big fish we use a boat bumper with a rubber band keeper .

[bowfishrp]

We all started on those wrap on reels....they are just slower when you miss. Get into lots of fish and you will quickly see how much of a disadvantage you are. But for ocassional shooting, why not.

For big fish I use a slotted retriever and have a Dr Pepper bottle as a jug. Shoot the big girl and it will take all your line and the bottle. Follow the bottle and position the gar for another shot or 2 or 3 depending on how large it is. The following link shows the reel and bottle....oh and a little 120 lber.
http://www.bowfishtexas.com/images/July4thGar/IMG_0736.jpg

[texas two guns]

Rings Rule, slides drool.

The spincast rigs are plenty safe if you have
respect for it.

[boxhead]

look on ebay. If you are lucky enough you can get the muzzy extreme bowfishing kit for less than one hundred. Got mine for 87.50 delivery and all. AMS pro reteiver, fish hook arrow rest, carbon fibre arrow with safety slide and muzzy carp pointed tip. I have an old bow with the 808 bowfisher reel that I have had no problems. I also use the rings. They are easy to put on the arrow and the string can be attached quickly with no problems.