which bowfishing reel?

[Stone Knife]

Originally posted by motorhead7963:
forget about the slides and tie the string on the back of the arrow as they are designed and they are idiot proof as for arrow snap back.

That is foolish advice given the fact that almost all the fishing arrow manufacturers have warnings against this very thing. NO FISH IS WORTH AN INJURY OR DEATH, not one.

[motorhead7963]

if you read the instructions that I gave and use the close face reel you cannot draw the bow without pulling the arrow off the string if you DONT RELEASE THE BALE, it is in your best interest to read before you speak...THERE IS NO RISK OF ARROW SNAP BACK WITH THAT METHOD.

[Stone Knife]

How about if the string gets tangled after the draw? By the way I did read it.

[motorhead7963]

If you are just getting into bowfishing then I would recommend the AMS setup.

[motorhead7963]

Thats simple dont release the arrow!!!

[Stone Knife]

Originally posted by motorhead7963:
If you are just getting into bowfishing then I would recommend the AMS setup.

I would totally agree with that.

[macbow]

I've seen the slow motion video where snap back accrued.
I've also talked to a couple of friends that had it happen.
In one case the arrow nock stuck in the guys head above the eye. Others were worse.

If you shoot a AMS reel a slide is a must . These reels are the most dangerous with the tie to the back of the arrow. What happens is as the arrow is drawn the string pulls out so easily that it can flip back and tie a,half hitch around the bow string.
The heavy arrow leaves then hits the end of the string and comes straight back.

With closed face reels, using a slide allows you to,shoot without pushing the button and can cause a similar problem.

I shoot the closed face and tie to the back.
It is less likely to have the string do the half hitch with these reels but it is possible. Also the reel can malfunction and tangle inside and and it is possible for the arrow to come back.

So both reels have advantages and disadvantages.

For leisurely bow fishing the AMS is fine. For fast fishing the spin cast reels are faster.

[JamesKerr]

I would vote for the AMS reel. I have probably ruined at least eight zebco 808's in 3-4 years. When I have taken them apart to see what went wrong the little ceramic pins that wind the line around the spool almost always get broken off when fighting a good fish. That's why I know use the AMS even though you have to pull the fish in by hand it is a much more durable type of reel and the safest I know of.

[stalkin4elk]

The following is copied from the Muzzy site under the description of their reel. I was a bit surprised by both statements. Anyway, I had the same questions as the OP and am also leaning Muzzy.

 ****Attention: This reel is designed specifically for 200# Brownell Fast Flight line or 150# Braided Spectra Line Only. Other lines will not function properly and cause damage. **** Muzzy does not recommend the use of arrows with Safety Slides with this Reel

AMS Retriever reel for me.

Bisch

[LC]

Zebco and tie to the back for me! Seems idiot proof to me but like my buddy always says "you can't make the world idiot proof they keep making better idiots"

I've had a lot of buddies who after "reading" internet stuff buy and try the AMS bottle types but after a few outings they show back up with closed faced.

I think the term snap back with injury only came into play with AMS retriever with guys using 400lb line. They was using that poundage line so the squeeze grip would work better. Problem is with AMS the line comes out so freely it happens every time you lower the bow to shoot. The folks I've seen use them for carp can't reel them in or takes forever ever to retrieve after a miss. Trust me your gona miss bow fishing.
Your mileage may vary!

[macbow]

For those using the closed face reels.  I like to set the drag half way loose. That way if the reel would trip to the retrieve state during the shot ( it can happen) the arrow will use up it's energy against the drag.
I tighten up the drag after shooting the fish.

[tarponnut]

An old Bear wind-on reel works pretty nice. I would send the thing back to the manufacturer for them to reassemble.

[tarponnut]

Cade used a Zebco, that thing worked great.
I think he shot 17 fish!Some I had for dinner(Tilapia).

[beaunaro]

Well, prior to buying a replacement reel, I read a bunch of reviews and it seems neither the AMS nor the closed face reels are foolproof. One is slow, and the fish shouldn't be fought with it...the other seems to break the internal pins when you use it a lot, but it's faster.
So Jim is probably right...just use the old style wind-on manual reels (or an old cut down liter bottle) pull the fish in by hand, then reel up the line.
Sure it's slower, but way more reliable esp when loaning out to clients.
Personally,  after reading about a lot of new defective Muzzys and Zebcos, and then the broken pins...I changed my mind and reordered another AMS. I just won't use it to fight the fish. Now that I think about it, it's probably why the line ended up in the gears.
Re: slide or not...I will always use the safety slide...but that's just me.
Thanks guys for all the discussion. I learned a lot as usual.
Great input on this site!  

[bofish-IL]

I shot fish for 20 years or more used the old hand wrap type. For the last 15 years I have used the AMS Retriever. I finally wore the wheels out and had to replace them after 13 years.

Bought the Muzzy Extreme last month and it lasted a whole 2 days before it quit reeling in. Found out the threads were bad on the shaft.

[beaunaro]

I just received my new AMS Pro Retriever reel.
It's got the blue bottle, a different  mount, and comes with two nocks and two sliders.
It looks to be way beefier than my old white bottle reel.
I'm hoping it works as good as it looks...now just have to find some spots to wade for carp in S. WI. I don't have a boat.
Anyone willing to share some spots?