Bowfishing is a method of hunting fish that uses specialized archery equipment to lethally shoot and retrieve the animal. Fish are shot with a barbed arrow that is attached with a special line to a reel mounted on a bow or crossbow. Historically, bowfishing was practiced for subsistence, but in the 21st Century it has increasingly become sport, mostly practiced in the USA. Sport bowfishing is mostly unregulated as of 2023, but is increasingly gaining attention and study. Equipment Bows Traditionally, bows were usually very simple. Most did not have sights, and aiming was executed by line-of-sight judgment down the arrow. Modern sport bowfishing mostly uses sophisticated compound or lever-action bows, some of which are fitted with laser sights. There are a couple of types of rests including the hook-and-roller rest, and the whisker biscuit. Most bowfishing bows have little to no let-off and are typically designed for 40-50 pounds (18–23 kg) of draw weight. Some other bows can have as much as draw weight. The crossbow is also sometimes used in this manner and has its own advantages, including the use of a reel. See Recreational fishing. Arrows Bowfishing arrows are considerably heavier and stronger than arrows used in other types of archery and are most commonly constructed of fiberglass, but solid aluminum, carbon fiber, and carbon fiber reinforced fiberglass are also used. Bowfishing arrows generally lack fletching, as it can cause the arrow to flare to one side or another underwater and they are not required at the relatively short ranges associated with bowfishing. Lighted nocks, and other custom features for arrows associated with night bowfishing are commonly available. Line is attached to the arrow by tying to a hole in the arrow shaft or through the use of a slide system. Line Bowfishing line is often made from braided nylon, Dacron, or Spectra. Commonly used line weights range from eighty to four-hundred pound test, with six-hundred being used when bowhunting for alligators. Line color is normally either lime green, white, or neon orange. Reels Three types of reels are commonly used in bowfishing: Hand-wrap, spincast, and retriever. Hand-wrap reels are the simplest reels; they consist of a circular spool that line is wrapped onto by hand and then secured in a line holding slot. When the arrow is shot the line comes free from the line holder and feeds off the spool. Fish are caught by pulling