Went bowfishing for the first time today, man is this addictive. I fished for about 45 minutes and arrowed 7 gar. missed quite a few. The bohning starter kit I bought comes with 50 ft. of line. I was fishing a the shallow republican river around Ft. Riley kansas. I seen a carp that was skimming the surface but when I shot I fell short by about 30 feet because I ran out of line. Is that common? Should I put more line on or just write it off as a freak deal?

I have only 25 yards on my retriever. And yes, I'm still somewhat of a beginner compared to the others here, but even with my compound cranked up I just don't have the power to lob a fiberglass stick and heavy line out that far with any kind of accuracy. 50 Feet of line can be limiting. If you would like to shoot farther maybe a spincast reel with some light fast flight might be the way to go. You were guessing that you took a shot at a fish 80 feet out adding the 50 feet of line and 30 feet that you fell short? In the right situation I might be willing to try that far, and I'm sure many here can do it. That's a long shot!

Welcome to the obsession ccarp!
7 gar in under an hour on your first outing? Nice job!
Gar can be tough to nail since they are skinny and their armored scales can deflect an arrow that might pierce a carp.

Mark is right on track. In my experience, most shots are within 30 feet, and you'll be surprised at the number of point blank shots you get, with most of those fish taking you by surprise seeming to appear from nowhere. Then you get a good laugh now and then when you bury the arrow in the bottom right next to the fish.

I do have extra line on both my bows (I think 30 yards) for the occassional long shot at a big fish, but mainly have it as insurance in case I have to cut the line due to a stuck arrow. It doesn't happen very often where I fish, but when it does, having the extra line keeps me in the game without having to reload with new line right away

Have fun.

Hey there ccarp.

I have as much fast-flight line in my reel as it will hold. I want to say right about 50-60 feet. And I can (usually) hit stuff at that range. But, like Bulz says, I mainly have so much on there just in case I have to clip alittle here and there. You'd much rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.