6 Best Bowfishing Bows for Both Novice and Seasoned Shooters

The water is glass under the boat lights, turning the murky bottom into a stage. Suddenly, a shadow detaches itself—a big common carp, moving just below the surface. This is the moment where gear, instinct, and opportunity collide, and having the right bow in your hands makes all the difference.

Disclosure: This site earns commissions from listed merchants at no cost to you. Thank you!

Choosing Your First (or Next) Bowfishing Bow

Standing on a rocking boat deck or a slippery creek bank isn’t like sitting in a treestand. Bowfishing is a fast, instinctive, and often chaotic sport. You don’t have time to use a sight, check your anchor point, or wait for the perfect shot angle. You see a fish, you draw, and you shoot.

Because of this, a bowfishing bow isn’t just a hunting bow you’re willing to get wet. It needs to be simple, incredibly durable, and built for repetitive, quick-draw shots. Forget the fancy accessories; you need a workhorse that can handle being dropped, covered in mud and fish slime, and still fire true when that gar surfaces three feet from the boat.

The biggest decision is between a dedicated bowfishing rig and a converted hunting bow. A purpose-built bow is often lighter, simpler, and designed for the snap-shooting style the sport demands. A converted bow can work, especially for trying it out, but it might be heavier and have features that are more of a hindrance than a help in the fast-paced aquatic environment.

Cajun Sucker Punch: The All-Inclusive Starter Kit

If you’re staring at a wall of gear and have no idea where to begin, this is your answer. The Cajun Sucker Punch is designed from the ground up to eliminate the guesswork for new bowfishers. It’s a complete package—bow, reel, arrow, and rest—that gets you from the box to the water with minimal fuss.

Its greatest strength is its massive adjustability. With a draw weight range that can go from a beginner-friendly 15 pounds up to 50, it can be tailored to almost any shooter, from a teenager to a seasoned adult. This makes it a fantastic bow to share among family and friends on a weekend outing.

Is it the highest-performing bow on the market? No. But that’s not its mission. The Sucker Punch is about accessibility and value. It provides a reliable, functional, and complete setup that allows you to focus on learning the sport, not on piecing together a compatible kit.

AMS Water Moc: Simple, Durable, and Ready to Fish

Imagine a bow you can toss in the back of the truck, leave in the bottom of a jon boat, and never worry about. That’s the AMS Water Moc. It was born and bred for the harsh realities of bowfishing, prioritizing rugged simplicity over complex features.

This bow is a true workhorse. It features a simple, smooth-drawing cam system designed specifically for snap-shooting, meaning there’s no jarring "hump" or hard back wall in the draw cycle. This allows you to draw and release fluidly the moment a fish presents a shot. It’s built to integrate seamlessly with the legendary AMS Retriever reels, creating a balanced and intuitive setup.

The Water Moc is an excellent choice for both novices who want a dedicated rig that will last for years and veterans who need an ultra-reliable bow that just plain works. It’s not flashy, but its performance and bombproof construction have made it a staple on waterways everywhere.

PSE Kingfisher: A Classic Recurve for All Skill Levels

For those who value ultimate simplicity and a more traditional feel, the PSE Kingfisher is a timeless classic. Stalking carp in clear, shallow flats is a perfect scenario for this bow. A recurve has no let-off, which means the weight you’re holding increases the further you draw, allowing you to release the arrow from any point in the draw cycle.

This feature is a massive advantage for the quick, reactive shots common in bowfishing. There are no cams to tune and very few moving parts to fail when exposed to water and grit. The Kingfisher’s takedown design—where the limbs can be removed from the riser—also makes it incredibly easy to pack for a fishing trip or store in tight spaces.

It’s an outstanding platform for learning instinctive shooting, as it forces you to feel the shot. Plus, its affordability makes it one of the most accessible entry points into the sport. Don’t mistake its low price for low performance; this bow has been putting fish in the boat for decades.

Muzzy Vice: Compact Power and High Adjustability

Shooting from the tight confines of a small boat or a brush-choked riverbank demands a maneuverable bow. The Muzzy Vice delivers with its compact frame and short axle-to-axle length. This is a bow that won’t get hung up on branches or tangle with your buddy’s gear when things get exciting.

Despite its small size, the Vice packs a serious punch, with enough power to handle tough-scaled fish like alligator gar or deep-water buffalo. It’s a compound bow that offers a wide range of adjustability in both draw weight and length, allowing you to fine-tune it for comfort and performance. This makes it a great option that can grow with a shooter’s skill and strength.

The tradeoff for this power and compactness is the added complexity of a compound bow. However, for shooters who need high performance in tight quarters, the Muzzy Vice is a specialized tool that excels in its element.

Oneida Eagle Osprey: The Ultimate Lever-Action Bow

For the dedicated bowfisher who spends countless nights chasing trophy fish, the Oneida Eagle Osprey is often considered the pinnacle of performance. This isn’t your standard compound or recurve; it’s a unique lever-action bow that combines the best attributes of both designs.

The Osprey delivers the raw power and speed of a compound but draws with the smooth, consistent pull of a recurve. This unique design allows for finger-friendly shooting without the need for a mechanical release. Most importantly, it provides a fluid draw cycle perfect for snap-shooting, allowing you to release the arrow at any point without being locked into a specific draw length.

This level of engineering and performance comes at a premium price. The Osprey is an investment, best suited for the serious enthusiast who demands the smoothest, quietest, and most powerful platform available. It’s the kind of bow you buy when bowfishing is no longer a hobby, but a passion.

Bear Cruzer G2: A Versatile, Do-It-All Compound

What if you’re a bowhunter who wants to try bowfishing but isn’t ready to commit to a specialized setup? The Bear Cruzer G2 is your answer. Marketed as the "one bow to do it all," its claim to fame is its staggering range of adjustment, from 5 to 70 pounds of draw weight.

For bowfishing, you can dial the weight down to a comfortable 30-40 pounds for a long night of shooting without fatigue. Outfit it with a reel and a fishing arrow, and you have a capable rig ready for the water. When hunting season rolls around, you can crank the weight back up for big game.

The compromise is that it wasn’t built exclusively for the water. It may be a bit heavier and have more accessories than a dedicated bowfishing bow. However, for the archer who wants maximum versatility from a single investment, the Cruzer G2 is an incredibly practical choice that can serve as a gateway to a new outdoor pursuit.

Key Factors: Draw Weight, Let-Off, and Brace Height

When you’re looking at specs, these three terms matter most for bowfishing. Understanding them will help you choose a bow that feels right on the water, not just in the shop.

Draw Weight isn’t about brute strength. For bowfishing, less is more. You’ll be taking dozens, if not hundreds, of shots in a single outing. A draw weight between 30 and 50 pounds is more than enough for most freshwater species and will save your shoulder from burning out early in the night.

Let-Off is a term for compound bows, describing the percentage of weight that is reduced at full draw. While high let-off is great for hunting, low or zero let-off is ideal for bowfishing. You need to shoot fast, and a bow that lets you release from anywhere in the draw cycle—without needing to pull through a "valley" to a hard "wall"—is a massive advantage for instinctive, reactive shooting.

Brace Height is the distance from the deepest part of the grip to the bowstring. A longer brace height (think 7 inches or more) is generally more "forgiving." It means the arrow stays on the string for a fraction of a second less, which helps correct for minor flaws in shooting form—something that happens a lot when you’re off-balance on a boat.

Ultimately, the best bow is the one that gets you out on the water. Don’t get paralyzed by the specs. Pick a reliable, comfortable bow that fits your budget, and go make some memories.