Perhaps you have wondered to yourself if you could use a whisker biscuit while bowfishing. This holds the arrow securely on the bow, and at the same time, it makes you ready to take shots at the fish as they swim into view. The biggest advantage of using a whisker biscuit is that it helps with accuracy, which is why some people might be wondering….
Can you use a whisker biscuit for bowfishing? You can make use out of a whisker biscuit for bowfishing, but you have to choose one carefully because soft bristles can make the arrow flop out of the whisker without it having much effect. Bowfishing archery differs from other kinds.
Specialized Whisker Biscuit
To get the right whisker biscuit for bowfishing, you may want to choose one specifically tailored to bowfishing to make sure it works. I’d recommend the Cajun Bowfishing Biscuit Arrow Rest. This whisker biscuit was specially designed for bowfishing. That matters because not all of them will work for bowfishing.
If you already have a whisker biscuit, you might take it out on the water to see if it works, but if you don’t have one already, your safest bet is to buy one specially tailored to bowfishing to make sure that it works. Some people report that the arrows fall through the bristles, otherwise.
For bowfishing whisker biscuits, you want to have hard bristles because this will hold the arrow in place.
Why Bowfishing Arrows Don’t Work in a Normal Whisker Biscuit
The reason that bowfishing arrows don’t always work in a whisker biscuit comes from the fact that these arrows weigh more than traditional arrows to penetrate the water better. In addition, bowfishing arrows don’t have fletching on them.
With a whisker biscuit specially designed for bowfishing arrows, you will have no trouble using one. With that said, these types of whisker biscuits shouldn’t be used with regular arrows because the fletching can damage the biscuit, or it could damage the arrow itself, which makes it dangerous to shoot.
What’s the Difference between a Bowfishing Whisker Biscuit and a Regular Whisker Biscuit?
The chief difference between the two choices is that the bristles on a bowfishing biscuit will be 300x stronger. That can damage the fletching of a regular arrow, but because bowfishing arrows have no fletching, it doesn’t make a difference.
The bowfishing whisker biscuit can also hold broadheads better than what a regular whisker biscuit can because these arrows also tend to be heavier. Along with the bristles being stiffer, they also made them waterproof. That matters when your arrows will get shot into water….
Everyone will eventually get tired of standing, and you do this a lot in bowfishing. However, the whisker biscuit will firmly hold the arrow in place so that you don’t miss your shot because you felt tired.
How to Use a Whisker Biscuit
You know that you can use a whisker biscuit for bowfishing, but you may find yourself wondering how to use a whisker biscuit for bowfishing. Let’s go over this so that it will make your experience easier when you get to bowfishing with it.
Appropriate Arrow Size
First, you will need to choose a whisker biscuit appropriate to the arrow that you have chosen. After you have the appropriate size, you will choose noise cancelling pads. This will make your shots with the bow silent but deadly as you target the unsuspecting carp. You don’t necessarily need this, but it can be helpful.
Next, you mount the whisker biscuit to the raiser part of your bow. You want to have about a quarter of an inch for the mount. In the next step, you put the biscuit closer to the middle of the bow. Before you use it, check to see that the biscuit remains firmly in place. You don’t want any wiggling around because this can endanger you or someone else when you go to take the shot.
Loading the Biscuit with the Arrow
In this step, you will load the arrow onto the biscuit. You have two different ways to do that. First, you can simply take the arrow and load it through the back of the biscuit. In the second method, you take the arrow and load it through the opening of the biscuit.
Manufacturers have designed the opening in the biscuit, and this makes it much faster than the other route. You can do it the other way, but if a carp suddenly pops up in the water, you don’t want to take too much time.
Take the Shot
In the final stage, you take the shot. The biscuit stabilizes your arrow, and it silences the shot so that the fish never sees it coming. After that, let your fingers loosen on the string and let the arrow soar when ready.
Should You Bowfish with a Whisker Biscuit?
We have established that you can bowfish with a whisker biscuit, but with that said, should you? I used to shoot with a whisker biscuit because I liked the accuracy that I got from it. In fact, you have multiple pros and cons of each that I will highlight to guide you in the decision-making process.
Pros
- Improves accuracy
- Silences your shot
- Faster shots
- Holds the arrow securely
- Simple and reliable
Cons
- Full contact with the fletching
- Never learning how to shoot
- Slows the arrow down (truth or fiction?)
I stopped using whisker biscuits when bowfishing because I wanted to learn how to shoot accurately without them. With that said, I don’t blame or criticize anyone who chooses to use a whisker biscuit.
I’d like to bring up the final con that I mentioned where I said that the whisker biscuit slows down the arrow a lot. Does this really happen? In truth, it might slow down the arrow 2 FPS, but it doesn’t slow it down enough to matter, despite what some people say.
The other thing here is that bowfishing arrows don’t have fletching that you have to worry about. Granted, you would have to worry if you shot traditional arrows because the whisker biscuit can especially be hard on them with a lot of shots. With that said, you won’t notice any difference with bowfishing.
When Can’t You Use a Whisker Biscuit in Bowfishing
You do have one case where you couldn’t use a whisker biscuit for bowfishing. For example, if you don’t have a modern bow that will let you install it easily, you may not be able to use a whisker biscuit. You may have a roundabout way that you might put a whisker biscuit on a recurve bow, but you can’t do it easily like what you could with a compound bow.
To sum it up, yes, you can use a whisker biscuit in bowfishing. In fact, some bowfishermen prefer this because it helps them once they get tired. They don’t have to worry about keeping the arrow on the rest as much and lowering accuracy as they get tired. The shot always finds its mark.
Anyone who’s interested in bowfishing may want to have a look at my article that covers the best bowfishing bows. It’s also fun to just look.
