Ihuntandfish

I just started bowfishing last year, and I bought a simply bowfishing package that included a drum reel. It works ok, but every so often, the line will wrap around the bolt attaching it to my bow, and snap my line off. It really gets annoying when that happens, and I'm wondering if there is any way I can avoid that. Because I need to have extra slack in my line, it sometimes is able to get looped around that bolt. Do you think that a safety slide on my arrows would make a difference? Is there anything else I could do to my reel to make it more reliable? Thanks in advance for any advice, and good shooting everyone.

Mark S

That could be a dangerous situation if it catches and your line doesn't snap. That arrow could come back at ya! Safety slides would probably solve your problem since you wouldn't need that slack to draw back. Any reason why you don't try a spincast reel or retriever, besides the cost of them of course?

HNI_Christine

Drum reels are notorious for losing arrows. A slide might help but other than constantly watching your line, there's nothing that will really make it more reliable.

My biggest suggestion is to switch over to a retriever reel. It's a much bigger cost than the drum, but you'll save money in the long run by not having to replace a bunch of arrows. Not to mention it's much faster and less tedious to reel line back in.

Johnny b

Congradulations on starting your bow fishing career. You will find it is very addictive. Most of us started with the drum reel like you are talking about. You would be well served to switch to a spin cast reel or if you are really rich and have lots of patience a Retreiver reel. A retreiver reel will cost you around $60.00. A zebco bow fishing reel is around $35. Plus you get to reel in the fish and actually have fun doing it. I once had a retreiver reel and gave it away, after using it only once. But it comes down to personal preference. Like between Ford and Chevy's.

buffhntr

go with a retreiver and you wont have to buy a reel again these are almost bullet proof. If you are interested in bowfishing supplies scott can hook you up. www.bowfishingextreme.com By the time you get done buying arrows for your drum reel you could pay for a AMS reel.

robow7

Back in the early 80's,while using an old drum reel ona windy day and in the heat of the battle, my slack line got blown around and caught uponthe holding clip. I unknowingly released and the line went out a ways and then snapped back and took a chip out of myfriend's fiberglass boat hull. He wasn't very happy with where it hit but I sure was. For safety , get a real reel.

HNI_Christine

Retriever reel = $65.00
Bolts onto bow and is ready to go.

-or-

Spincast reel- $35.00
Reel Seat - $20.00
Line - $10.00
---------------
Total = $65.00 (plus they don't last as long as a retriever and you'll lose more arrows with 'em)

Johnny b

I never seen such stretching of the truth to get her point across. I just looked it up and a reel seat is only $15.95 not $20.00.

Ihuntandfish

Like I said, I just got started last summer, and wasn't sure if I would like it or not. Stupid question right. So yeah, cost was the reason. Thanks for the replies guys. How does the ams retriever work exactly? Is there a reel on it, or do you just stuff the line inside? Thanks again for the input.

HNI_Christine

There are no stupid questions in bowfishing.

I still have my original drum reel somewhere around here.

The retriever reel has a plasticbottle that holds the line. It comes out when you shoot the arrow with no buttons or anything to push ahead of time. When you want to reel the line in, there's a lever you can squeeze with a finger or two (while still gripping the bow) and a handle you crank with your other hand to reel the line up into the bottle. It doesn't have gears like a spincast so it's a tad slower to reel in compared to a spincast.
Generally, if you get a decent sized carp, it's best to just pull the line in by hand like you would with a drum reel. Then, once the fish is on the stringer, just reel the line up into the bottle and you're ready to shoot again.