A few bow fishing questions line and boat set up

[Drew]

Well turkey season is coming quick and I'm ready for that...but I still need to get ready for bowfishing!!

I've seen guys using fly fishing line on their drum reels, what is the advantage of that over the braided line? My braided line needs to be replaced so I was wondering.


I've built a platform in the front of my boat to shoot from, and was thinking about rigging up some lights for once the sunsets. I have access to a small generator but can you run a couple lights off a seperate battery? Or would they drain the battery too fast to mess with?  

thanks for any help..

[trapperDave]

dont know about the fly line.

As for ligts off batteries, think headlights left on in your car to get an idea of how long they would last.

[ishoot4thrills]

Originally posted by trapperDave:
dont know about the fly line.

As for ligts off batteries, think headlights left on in your car to get an idea of how long they would last.

Well said. But, also consider that you'll probably be using a deep cycle battery, so that'll be even better. But, too, you'll probably be using higher wattage lights than car lights, so keep this in mind too.

[duck'n]

I ran some little 12 v "off-road" type lights off of a deep cycle battery and they lasted a while but didn't work near as well as I would have liked.  Switched over to 500 watt halogens (with 350 watt HO bulb replacement) and a small generator.  The light output was much better and offset the mess-with factor of the extra noise.  IMO this is the only way to shoot at night.  Good luck and be prepared for another addiction...the freaks come out at night!!!

[duck'n]

Oh and I don't know about fly line, I always shoot FastFlight 200 (spincast reels) or 400 lb. for AMS retrievers or hand wrap spools.

[IndianaBowman]

I don't like the noise of a generator and have always used a headlamp or a hand held spotlight connected to a 12V battery. A 1,000,000 candle power light will last me 6-8 hours on a 12V. Hand held light is for a team approach to shooting one for spotting and one for shooting. I've found the hand held to be better for spotting fish. It's a give and take.

[owlbait]

DON"T make your platform too high! Batteries will work but cut down on how long you shoot. Not a problem if your only going out for a couple hours at a time. generators are noisy, and hot exhaust, but can run more lights for a longer time. Set them at the back of the boat so it's not so noisy up front. Good luck. Braided line over flyline.