Bow fishers have a saying “aim low and then go lower”. It will not take long for you to acknowledge how obvious this is. To understand and practice the lower aim method, you can follow two ways:
Aiming 6 inches lower: This is a simple yet effective way to target while bowfishing.
The 10–4 principle: As per this principle, You should aim four inches low for every ten feet of the distance for hitting a fish under one foot in the water. If the fish is twice deep in water, aim twice as low with your Bowfishing bow.
Detailed Step by Step Guide:
Here is a detailed step-by-step guide for helping you master the process.
Step 1: Check the Light
If you truly need to aim more precisely while bow fishing, it is imperative to see how light and water work together. It’s just plain obvious when light moves from the air to the water, it bends. It is known as refraction.
Step 2: Balance the Refraction
Now all you have to do is balance the refraction. When you are on a deck or a boat—You are looking at the refracted picture of the fish.
As a general rule, the fish is really in a deeper and lower spot. If you somehow do not find the actual refracted picture and discharge a shot now, you will miss it.
To balance the refraction impact, you need to begin figuring out how to aim low. Aiming low alone won’t help you to an extreme.
Step 3: Follow the 10-4 Rule for Distance
This is a dependable guideline that assists you with determining how much lower you should aim. As indicated by this rule, if your fish is 10 feet away and a foot below the surface, you should aim 4 inches lower than you might suspect you have to.
Here is what the rule says:
10 x 1: 4
By this logic, if the fish were 20 feet away and at a depth of a foot, you would need to figure 2[10×1]: 4 x 2. At that point, you would need to aim eight inches lower.
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Step 4: Follow the 6-1 Rule for Depth
If the above method does not work for you, you can follow this rule as well. This rule is easy to follow while figuring the depth of a fish. Here, you should aim 6 inches low for 1 foot of depth.
That implies that once a fish begins to swim further into the water, at that point you should aim lower.
Step 5: Position Yourself Properly
It isn’t just about where you aim when you are bow fishing. It is about where you are standing too.
You have to consistently attempt to stay around 10 to 15 feet away from your target. At any rate, ensure that you are not standing close enough to project a shadow over the fish.
Step 6: Discover Your Anchor Point
With the aim, it is about consistency. To assist you with getting more than one shot, you will have to discover your anchor point.
Thus, move back your bow and discover which position allows you to feel generally good while shooting. For example, a few people can decrease the accuracy due to their position when their pulled backhand leans against their cheek.
Step 7: Focus on the Right Parts of the Fish
After this, you need to find out what part of the fish to aim at before making an effort. Keep in mind, this is compulsory to take out the fish with one shot. You can’t offer your fish a chance to get away. Because of this, aim for the space that will do the most harm.
Here, it is the upper part of the fish’s body. This is the place where the entirety of the vital organs is.
Step8: Try not to Wait Too Long
Since you need to hit the nail on the head, it very well may be enticing to sit tight for as far as might be feasible, before allowing your arrow to fly. Remember that when fish are submerged, they can move staggeringly fast. They will be there one moment and gone the following.
To solve this problem, you need to shoot the arrow as soon as possible. Whenever you have determined how low you need to aim and which part to search for, your arrow should leave the bow.
Following all steps will surely need good practice, but it will ultimately teach you how to aim bow fishing.
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Final Words
These are the top things to remember while aiming while at the same time bow fishing. Even though it might take you some time, you make certain to transform into a precise shot.
The vast majority lean toward aiming from a surface like a deck or a boat. While this is worthy, you might need to investigate the angle of your aim. If it feels abnormal, you are probably not going to stick your fish.
You need to take care of your shadow and everything else we mentioned in the above guide.