Emma Radebaugh
Bowfishing is one of the most exciting sports out there—and innovative, too! Who would have thought that combining archery and fishing could be so fun? The most significant downside to bowfishing is the skill required to hit what you aim for.
Light refraction and a lack of experience both make the process a lot trickier. However, if you read these top ways to improve your aim while bowfishing, you’ll start skewering fish in no time!
Where To Aim
Before we talk about how to angle your bow, it’s essential to know what part of the fish is best to hit. We recommend setting your sights on the thickest part of the fish—you need the arrow to anchor securely so you can reel it in. Hitting a fish in the fin may feel like a win until the slippery fellow pulls free and swims away.
Aiming Above or Below?
Never ever, ever aim above a fish. While you may want to aim high to hit a target on the other side of a field, you’ll always miss if you aim your arrow above a fish. Why? It’s all thanks to the confusing concept of light refraction.
When you see a fish underwater, it is actually a few inches higher than it looks. Thanks to the way water and light interact, things get wonky. All you need to know is that a fish in the water is higher than it appears.
So, how can you lock onto your target if you can’t trust your eyes? Simple: trust the math. A general rule to follow is the 10-4 rule. This rule states that for every ten feet that separates you and a fish, you should aim four inches down. Then, you need to figure out how deep the fish is in the water because this changes refraction even more. You can use the 1-3 rule for this: aim three inches below a fish for every foot of depth.
Use Your Instincts
After you’ve hit a few fish using these rules, you’ll start to develop instincts. If it’s less fun to go bowfishing when you have to pull out a calculator to know where to aim, so ditch the numbers and go with your gut. Since you’ve had success in the past, your brain will do the calculations subconsciously and tell you where to aim your arrow—so let it fly!
If you want to keep the fun going, consider investing in bowfishing lights so you can break out the bow and arrows after the sun sets. This unlocks a brand new selection of fish to hunt, so you can keep things interesting!
Now that you know the top ways to improve your aim while bowfishing, get out there, aim low, and start scoring fish!
