Field Tested: Muzzy Bowfishing V2 Bow Kit

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but when something is so simple and straightforward, you have to at least give it a whirl. Case in point is the new V2 bowfishing bow by Muzzy Bowfishing.

Although I’ve archery hunted for more than 30 years, I’ve never gone bowfishing. This year I thought was time to change that, so I planned an excursion on the Delaware River near Philadelphia for carp and those toothy, invasive northern snakeheads that now inhabit the river. First, however, I needed a rig that a bowfishing newbie easily could set up and get comfortable with, which is where the V2 bowfishing kit came in.

Built off previous Muzzy bow models, the V2 is designed to fit the needs of almost any bow fisherman. For starters, it’s highly adjustable, with the ability to change the draw length from 25-31.5 inches, in half-inch increments, and the draw weight from 25-55 pounds, allowing you to tailor the bow for your shooting preferences and the bowfishing situations and conditions you’ll encounter.

The best part of the V2 is that bow adjustments can be made simply and easily without the need for a bow press or any fancy tools. In fact, all you need are two Allen wrenches, and Muzzy actually includes them with the bow. For draw-length tweaks, you simply loosen the two adjustment screws on each cam. The bow has 14 draw-length adjustment positions and after loosening the screws, you just move the ‘position indicating screw’ to the proper position and then tighten up both screws (a list of the adjustment holes and corresponding draw lengths is included in the instructions).

As far as the bow itself, the V2 measures 33.75 inches axle to axle, with a rugged design highlighted by a revamped aluminum riser with what Muzzy says is “optimized geometry” to enhance aiming. The bow, which is available in right- and left-handed models, weighs only 3.8 pounds (just under 5.5 pounds when paired with Muzzy’s XD Pro Reel and mounting bracket), making it comfortable to hold and maneuver. The 7.75-inch brace height enhances the bow’s forgiveness, while the 70 percent letoff makes it easy to hold at full draw until you’re ready to release an arrow — something you’ll hopefully be doing a lot of when bowfishing.

The V2 bowfishing kit also comes with Muzzy’s Fish Hook bowfishing arrow rest, Classic White Fish Arrow with a carp or gar point and either the Muzzy XD Pro spinning-style reel or a bottle reel. The Fish Hook is simple to adjust, if needed, and features a groove in it to hold the arrow in place; the rest’s innovative arm design makes loading an arrow effortless, yet ensures the arrow doesn’t come off as you draw and shoot.

As far as the heavyweight fiberglass arrow, it’s 32 inches long and has a .313-inch diameter, with a heavy-duty tip that’s built to hit fish hard, penetrate thoroughly and hook onto your quarry thanks to the two steel barbs. Hard to miss in the water due to its white color, the arrow also has a hole drilled through it near the nock so you can anchor your line to the shaft.

I opted for the XD Pro reel that mounts on the front of the bow via the integrated mounting bracket. The reel has a large, elongated hood for smooth line flow and shooting, 3:4:1 gear ratio and an adjustable drag so you can change the tension to prevent your line from breaking when fighting bigger, heavier fish. It’s incredibly simple to operate thanks to the large thumb switch on the back, and it comes spooled with 150 feet of 150-pound-test line. Like I said, Muzzy takes care of just about everything you need to get started on the water with this kit.

After setting the V2 to my draw length and preferred draw weight, I ran over to a nearby creek, tied the line onto an arrow and drew back the bow. My first impression was that the V2 feels really comfortable in the hands — it’s an easy-to-handle rig with a smooth draw.

---

Following a few practice shots, I was ready to hit the water, even if bowfishing weather was still a few weeks away. All I can say is, “Carp and Frankenfish beware!” — Associate Editor Mark Demko