I suppose I could’ve conducted a test of the best bowfishing reels by carrying them all to a pond, shooting arrows at floating targets, reeling them in, and then recording the observations in a spreadsheet. But that might be the only way to actually take the fun out of bowfishing.
Instead, I invited each of the major bowfishing companies to send me their best reels. Then, on a searing hot August afternoon, my son and I gathered up as many bows as we could and hit the river for some silver carp shooting. On a hot, still day with no boat traffic, the invasive fish amass in epic schools and feed just under the surface, where they’re easy pickings.
We hit it on just such a day and were able to shoot multiple fish with every single reel we received. We shot 50 or 60 carp in a few hours, ranging in size from 5 pounds to 25 pounds, and we went home with sore shoulders, blistered shooting hands, and a filthy boat. But we also got a good look at how each reel performed under pretty harsh conditions. One takeaway is that they were all pretty good, and not a single one of them outright failed. But there were a few hiccups and definitely some standouts. Here’s the scoop.
Best Bowfishing Reels of 2024
Editor's Choice: MegaMouth 2.0
Best Bottle Reel: AMS Retriever Pro
Best Spincast Reel: Muzzy XD Pro B
Best Value: RPM M1 Spincast Reel
The Rest of the Best Bowfishing Reel
How We Tested the Best Bowfishing Reels
As mentioned, we used a variety of different bows over the course of this test. As this was a test of the reels, and not the bows themselves, that didn’t matter much. Still, we used a mix of both dedicated bowfishing rigs, like my personal RPM Nitro and a Muzzy LV-X Bowfishing Lever Bow, and a couple compounds adapted for bowfishing, including my 10-year-old son’s Hoyt Kobalt and an old PSE Silverhawk Compound. I shoot with fingers when I’m bowfishing, while my son prefers a wrist-strap release aid.
The arrows we used included standard fiberglass bowfishing arrows with Muzzy Carp points, as well as several of the newer Muzzy Lighted Carbon Composite fish arrows, also with Carp Points. These were equipped with Lumenocks and safety slides. Some of the spincasting reels required reel seats, so I used the RPM Bowfishing Vise for that. The shooting was conducted during the daytime from my War Eagle boat with polarized sunglasses.
Best Bowfishing Reels: Reviews & Recommendations
Editor's Choice: MegaMouth 2.0
Pros
High-speed arrow retrieval
Smooth operation
Easy to use
Built with top-quality components
Cons
Price tag. This reel costs more than twice as much as the next-most expensive reel we tested
This was my first time using this unique reel design, but it was easily my favorite bowfishing reel of the test. It sits on a reel seat, like a spincast reel, but it mounts with a rigid picatinny rail design. It provides the high-speed arrow retrieval advantages of a spincast reel (this one’s actually faster than any of the spincast reels I tested), but with the constant free-spool advantages of a bottle reel.
Take this reel apart, and you can just see that it’s made better than the rest of them. It has 9 ball bearings for a smooth action and dual stainless-steel gears. You pull on the T-bar clutch to retrieve the line, and it works great when fighting big fish. It seemed to be a near-flawless design, as it should be for the price.
Best Bottle Reel: AMS Retriever Pro
Pros
Reliable and durable. I’ve been using mine for more than a decade
Cons
Slow arrow retrieval compared to the competition. Big fish are best pulled in by hand, meaning the line can gather and tangle at your feet
I bought a Retriever Pro over 10 years ago and have since used it to shoot thousands of fish. Bowfishing is a big deal in my neck of the woods, and this is undoubtedly the reel most people use. The Retriever Pro is a bottle reel that’s flawlessly reliable. Pull the “trigger,” and the reel engages the line to retrieve it. When the trigger isn’t pulled, the line is in constant free spool, which greatly minimizes the tangles and snap backs that can occur with a spincast reel.
The Retriever Pro is slow to retrieve compared to a spincast reel and requires two hands to operate, but that’s never been an issue for me. It’s the bowfishing reel I hand to my son because it’s safe to use and essentially bulletproof.
Best Spincast Reel: Muzzy XD Pro B
Pros
Beefier construction than the spincast competition, and the built-in reel seat is a big plus
Cons
You need to bring along a hex key to keep the bolt tight in your bow’s stabilizer port
The biggest issue I’ve had with spincast bowfishing reels usually isn’t with the reel itself, but with the seat, which often becomes loose after a few tussles with hefty carp (the RPM Bowfishing reel seat that I used in this test was a sturdy exception). The Muzzy XD Pro B has an all-metal reel seat built onto it that’s exceptionally sturdy, as is the reel itself. The guts are of metal construction and saltwater-rated. Plus, the drag was smooth and reliable, and I had no line feed or backlash issues whatsoever with this reel. Of course, being a spincast, it provides good arrow flight and rapid line retrieval as well.
Best Value: RPM M1 Spincast Reel
Pros
A great spincast bowfishing reel for the price, and easily the best value of the test
Cons
Operation wasn’t quite as smooth as the Muzzy XD Pro B
This reel was easier to use than the RPM trigger reel (next on the list) and, a great overall performer, especially for the price. Its operation was flawless, and the drag was smooth. And I really put that drag system through the wringer while trying to horse in a particularly large silver carp. This reel performed almost as well as the Muzzy XD Pro B, but at a lower price (though it should be noted, the Muzzy has a reel seat built in, but you’ll have to purchase one separately for the RPM M1).
The Rest of the Best Bowfishing Reels
Muzzy Bottle Reel
Pros
Provides the free spool operation of the AMS Retriever at a cheaper price
Cons
Poorer quality than the AMS Retriever
Maybe this reel is licensed from AMS or built for Muzzy by AMS, as it’s a near clone of the Retriever, minus a few bells and whistles seen on the Pro version that we tested. The Muzzy Bottle Reel worked just fine, with the same free-spooling advantages of the AMS Retriever and tangle-free operation. But, compared to the AMS, the reel itself—and especially the mounting system—was of lower quality. Reeling in arrows after a shot was rough, and the product just seemed flimsy overall. I’d spring for the original or the Cajun Winch if I was shopping for a bottle reel.
Cajun Winch Pro
Pros
Faster than an AMS Retriever, but less prone to tangles than a spincast reel; the design allows you to use the reel and bow to pull on bigger fish
Cons
Line tangles can temporarily disable this reel. Before shooting, remember to push the button and disengage the brake
This is another bottle reel, similar in appearance to the AMS Retriever but with some notably different features. The Winch Pro has a push-button brake, similar to a spincast reel, but when disengaged, the line feeds freely out of a bottle. Roller guides on the face of the reel allow for smooth feeding, and the brake allows you to rapidly reel in arrows with one hand, and also to put tension on the line and pull against a fighting fish, hence the “Winch” name.
The reel is well-built out of aluminum and easy to mount and adjust. It seems to be more susceptible to line tangles and knots than the AMS Retriever, but I think part of that problem is in the white braided line that comes on the reel from the factory. I shot an older generation Cajun Winch quite a bit and had fewer tangles when I replaced the factory line.
Cajun Spin Doctor
Pros
Simple to use
Reliable
Quick arrow retrieval
Cons
Drag system did not work on my test sample
The Spin Doctor is a standard large, push-button, spincast fishing reel adapted for bowfishing. It’s designed to be mounted to a reel seat, and it works best with small-diameter bowfishing line. The Spin Doctor uses dual pickup pins and a metal internal assembly. It was a smooth shooter that worked without tangling, but I couldn’t get the drag adjustment to function on my test sample. I had a few fish pull off as a result, though tripping the spool to feed line when fish ran pretty well solved that problem. There’s nothing too exciting about this reel, but there are no red flags either.
RPM M1-X SS Trigger Reel
Pros
Offers the arrow flight advantages of a spincast reel, but is in constant free spool
Cons
This was the only reel tested that gave me some reliability issues, though it worked as intended after a backlash was cut out of the spool
Like the MegaMouth, the MX-1 SS stays in free spool unless the t-shaped trigger is pulled. My test sample tangled into an epic backlash on the very first shot, and eventually, I had to cut the mess out of the reel and re-rig my arrow. After that, it worked pretty well, with smooth feeding for every shot. Engaging the spool to reel the arrow back in was a little rough, and I wasn’t able to put as much leverage on fish with this reel as I was with a regular spincast reel. Between this one and the M1 SS Spincast, I’d choose the spincast and save a few dollars.
Best Bowfishing Reels: Final Takeaway
Editor's Choice: MegaMouth 2.0
Best Bottle Reel: AMS Retriever Pro
Best Spincast Reel: Muzzy XD Pro B
Best Value: RPM M1 Spincast Reel
You can bowfish successfully from shore in a pair of old tennis shoes or from a $100K airboat rigged up with state-of-the-art lights. The accessibility of this sport is half the fun. Investing more money in high-end equipment can definitely lead to more success—but you can kill fish with a string wrapped around a coffee can, too. I certainly have.
As for the reels tested, the AMS Retriever Pro is still a tough one to beat, both for the money and for its stellar reputation for durability. It will remain my go-to. But plenty of shooters (including many tournament shooters) prefer spincast reels because they believe they provide truer arrow flight and more rapid line retrieval. My experiences with older spincast reels admittedly weren’t good, but I was pretty impressed by this crop. They all shot great and were mostly trouble-free.
If you have the money to spend—and take your carp killing very seriously—the MegaMouth 2.0 provides the best of both worlds and is one of the more impressive new products of any category that I’ve tested in a long time.
