Arrows fishtail due to multiple factors, including but not limited to sloppy release, weak spine, improper tuning, spring tension in the cushion plunger, off centershot match, drawing the bowstring with too much pressure, hand torque, nock height, and fletching contact.
Tiger Archery 30Inch Carbon Arrow
- Length:30", Outer diameter: 0.309 inch. Fletching with 2 black 1 white vanes. For draw weight 35-60 pounds recurve, compound, or long bows.
- They are solid & well made. Precision carbon hunting arrows made for extended durability and long lasting target practice.
- Colored plastic fletching make flight always pointed the right way. The tips are nickel plated stainless steel which is perfect for target practice & outdoor shooting.
- With replaceable nocks for free. Nocks are not fixed by glue. It can be adjustable for your bow.
- The arrows came extremely well packaged and the quality is also impeccable.
Arrows fishtailing is one of the various arrow flight problems you can encounter in archery. It refers to the side-to-side flexing of the arrow, making it appear wobbling while in flight.
If you feel like you have been shooting arrows everywhere lately except the bullseye, you might be having a problem with your arrows. It can be an unusual movement toward the target, such as an up-and-down or sideways motion.
It can be challenging to spot since it may look like the arrow is flying through the air straight because it is moving so fast. But, instead of flying mid-flight straight, the arrow actually turns right and left, causing you not to hit the bullseye. You can also tell that you are experiencing an arrow fishtailing problem if there is an indicated and obvious horizontal tear in the paper you shot when tuning.
What causes an arrow to fishtail?
Among the causes, the most common is the sloppy release. If you use the wrong approach to releasing an arrow, it may reflect your arrow’s movement mid-flight, causing you to miss the bullseye.
Remember also to be careful in concluding too fast that you are experiencing an arrow fishtail because falsely doing so can worsen the problem instead of solving it.
Therefore, always be mindful of the causes mentioned above to help you spot the possible arrow problems you are encountering so you can solve them as soon as possible.
Pointdo 30inch Carbon Arrow Fluorescence Color Targeting and Hunting Practice Arrows
- Material: Carbon fiber. Full of shaft length:30", Outer diameter: 7.8mm. Spine 500 For 25-60 pounds recurve, compound bow
- The Shaft and fletching is fluorescent, 2 yellow and 1 white and easy to find
- 6pcs Nocks for Free. The nock are not glued, it can be adjustable for your bow. 12pcs O-Ring for Locking the screw tip.
- They are well made. The arrow good for target practice and hunting.
How to fix arrow fishtailing
You can fix arrow fishtailing by adjusting the tension on the plunger, the rest assembly, or the bow’s brace height, practicing the proper releasing of arrows, aligning the arrow rest, or replacing your arrow spine. However, how you fix the arrows will depend on what caused them to fishtail.
Since various factors cause arrow fishtailing, it is wise to identify the cause first before trying to start fixing your arrow. You must learn that there are different approaches to treating an arrow fishtail, so you must be careful about what method you should use.
Below are the common causes of arrow fishtail and how to fix them:
Incorrect arrow spine match
Before anything else, you must know that arrow spine matching is essential to ensure your arrow has a stable flight.
You can tell the stiffness of the arrow by its spine. In other words, the arrow spine will help you determine the flexibility and stiffness of your arrow.
For example, an arrow that bends too much won’t fly and hit the target correctly, which similarly happens with arrows that are too stiff—either of the two results in an arrow fishtail that will hurt your shooting accuracy.
In case you are uncertain whether you are using an arrow with a spine that is too stiff or too weak, you must first identify which one it is before fixing it by following the steps enumerated:
Step 1: Set up a target at a distance of 20 yards, aim, and then fire two or three fletched arrows in that direction.
Step 2: This time, shoot with two or three unfletched arrows at the same distance and target.
Musen 28"/30" Carbon Archery Arrows
- The arrows are equipped with TPU rubber vanes. Keep a good balance and a straight flight path when shooting. Have good performance in various weather conditions in the wild environment.
- The removable field point is made of stainless steel, which is perfect for targeting practice and hunting. Screwed-on 100-grain arrow tips are tight enough and can be replaced according to your personal needs.
- The well-inserted nock is not fixed by glue. You can adjust the orientation of the nocks to fit for recurve bow and compound bow.
After the steps above, approach the target and see which spot your arrows landed. Only two results arise from the actions you performed, and either your arrow has a weak or stiff spine. To diagnose carefully and to fit it accordingly, please refer below:
Stiff arrow spine
You can tell your arrow has a stiff spine if the unfletched arrows hit the target to the left of the fletched arrows. To fix this problem, you can choose among several solutions:
- Start by re-centering your arrows and bringing the arrow points closer to the bowstring. To do this, you can either decrease the tension on the plunger spring or move the rest assembly toward the riser.
- You can replace the existing arrow points with heavier ones if you do not have a rest assembly or plunger. For instance, if you have an arrow point with a 100-grain weight, try replacing it with 125 grains.
- If none of the first two options work, this time, try to increase the brace height a little. But, if none of the previous solutions work, it is time to consider getting new arrow shafts with a lower spine number or stiffness than the ones you are currently using.
Weak arrow spine
To know if your arrows have a weak arrow spine, look at the target and see if the unfletched arrows hit the mark to the right of the fletched arrows. If it does, you’ll likely have to do a reverse to see if any of these solutions will help:
- Similar to solution #1 mentioned above for the stiff arrow spine problem, you can fix this problem by trying to re-center the arrows and bringing the arrow points further away from the bowstring.
You can do this by accelerating the tension on the plunger or moving the rest assembly away from the riser.
- If you do not have a rest assembly or plunger, try replacing your current arrow tips with slightly lighter ones.
- Likewise, try to decrease your bow’s brace height this time by 1/8″ – 2/8″ and see if it helps.
- Nevertheless, if none of the previous solutions works, you will have to get new arrow shafts with higher spine numbers and stiffness than the ones you currently have.
Bowfishing Arrows
- Specially designed to pierce and catch fish, unlike other arrow types that are used for hunting or archery.
- Heavier and more durable than other arrows, which makes them ideal for penetrating deep water.
- Bowfishing arrows are barbed, which helps to prevent the fish from escaping once it has been caught.
Suppose you have to replace your arrow spine with a new one; you may wonder how to figure out the correct one you need. Here are a few tips to note:
- Consider using a spine selector to aid you in finding the exact arrow spine size fit for your bow.
- Remember that longer arrows mean a higher spine number.
- The heavier the arrows, the higher the arrow spine number needed.
- Shooting broadheads longer than a field point may require a stiffer arrow.
It is better to use an arrow spine chart to help you determine the exact spine number you have to buy. To use the arrow spine chart properly, follow the steps:
- Begin looking for the draw weight and point weight (grains) from the arrow spine chart.
- Measure your arrow’s length from the nock throat down to the end of the insert.
- Next is to find the correct group number in the chart.
An arrow with the correct spine size will help you reduce arrow fishtailing because the perfect spine size should prevent the arrow from bending or becoming stiff. It will also give your arrow an accurate flight and less possibility of encountering the “Archer’s paradox.”
Sloppy release
Your arrow’s flight is also dependent on your shooting skills. A sloppy release will lead to arrows fishtailing. If you are still a beginner and have yet to figure everything out, don’t be too pressured, and take your time mastering the basics of archery first.
Since a sloppy release causes arrow fishtailing, it is understandable that you want to correct it to yield results and improve your accuracy of hitting the target. Here are the practical and essential tips you can follow to help you avoid sloppy releases:
- Relax and avoid releasing the arrows fast. Archery isn’t a race; it’s more about technique, proper execution, and precision.
- Before shooting, always ensure that the bow’s brace height is not out of whack and is appropriate.
- After releasing the arrows, follow through and observe if you keep missing the target repeatedly.
- More importantly, practice makes perfect, so do it as much as you can. The more you practice, the more you’ll learn how to release the arrows properly.
Aluminum Arrows
| Material | Aluminum |
| Strength | Good, but less strong than carbon for the same weight |
| Stiffness | Stiff, but flexes more than carbon |
| Fatigue resistance | Moderate, can weaken over time with repeated use |
| Vibration dampening | Moderate, transmits more vibration |
| Spine consistency | Good, but can vary slightly within the same set |
| Tailorability | Moderate, fewer options available |
| Durability | Good, but can bend or dent more easily than carbon |
| Weight | Heavier for the same strength and stiffness |
| Cost | Lower initial cost |
| Environmentally friendly | Less sustainable, limited recycling options |
Releasing the arrows might seem simple; however, doing so requires proper form and enough experience to avoid firing arrows sloppily. Therefore, try to master an appropriate arrow release first to isolate the cause that results in an arrow fishtail.
Off centershot match
Another thing that causes arrow fishtailing is an off centershot match. It refers to aiming and positioning your bow to the center of the target for a center shot.
However, doing a centershot match isn’t easy since arrows can experience the “archer’s paradox.” Because of this, your centershot match will be off, resulting in arrow fishtailing.
Additionally, an incorrect arrow spine affects your centershot match effort. That’s why the spine of your arrow must be flexible and stiff enough to hit the bullseye. If it isn’t flexible and rigid enough, you won’t be able to hit the target bullseye because of the “archer’s paradox.”
On the other hand, if it is stiff and flexible enough, the arrow will correct its flight path down to the target. Here are the ways to try to fix an off centershot match:
- Open-handedly hold the bow so the back of the handle lines up with the string line of the cams and the riser’s centerline.
- Observe if the arrow is to the right or left of the bowstring.
- Adjust the arrow rest if it seems slightly off to the right or left.
- If you have a fractured bow, fix that first.
Hence, a correct arrow spine and right releasing arrows are crucial in achieving a centershot match to avoid and fix the arrow fishtail.
What are the common arrow flight problems?
The common arrow flight problems you can encounter besides arrow fishtails are arrow porpoising and arrow corkscrew. You can differentiate the two by the arrow’s movement mid-flight. Arrow porpoising exhibits up and down movement, while arrow corkscrew does clockwise.
Carbon Arrows
| Material | Carbon Fiber |
| Strength | Exceptional, high strength-to-weight ratio |
| Stiffness | Extremely stiff, minimal flexing |
| Fatigue resistance | Excellent, retains performance over many shots |
| Vibration dampening | Very good, reduces noise and hand shock |
| Spine consistency | Highly consistent |
| Tailorability | High, wide range of shaft diameters and wall thicknesses |
| Durability | Excellent, resistant to impact, corrosion, and weather extremes |
| Weight | Lightweight |
| Cost | Higher initial cost |
| Environmentally friendly | More sustainable, recyclable material |
There are three common arrow flight problems that archers experience: arrow fishtail, arrow porpoising, and arrow corkscrew.
Since we already have talked about arrow fishtailing, there are also two other common arrow flight problems you should be aware of if you run into such issues.
Arrow porpoising
Arrow porpoising usually occurs on recurve and compound bows. Like an arrow fishtail, it shows an unusual movement on the arrow that leads to missing the bullseye. The main difference with arrow porpoising is that the arrow wobbles up and down in flight.
It is hard to notice mid-flight, but you can determine by looking at how the arrow hit the target when paper tuning because you can see a vertical tear in the paper. The reason behind arrow porpoising is the incorrect nocking point position.
It happens when the arrow’s nock point is too low or too high on the bowstring. You can try to fix arrow porpoising by adjusting the arrow’s nock height.
Arrow corkscrew
The difference between arrow corkscrew from arrow porpoising and arrow fishtail is that the arrow flies clockwise instead of straight to the target.
As a result, you can notice that you have an arrow corkscrew problem if the arrow starts to wobble in flight clockwise.
Knowing that such arrow flight problems exist allows you to quickly determine if your arrow flight has something to do with your inaccurate shooting.
Arrow fishtailing is only one of the problems you may face in archery that causes you to shoot inaccurately. There are, however, a variety of solutions you can try.
Thus, knowing those arrow flight problems will help you address inaccuracy issues efficiently, even if they aren’t as common as others.
Fiberglass Arrows
- Low cost: Fiberglass arrows are very inexpensive and often cost as much or less than wooden arrows.
- They are a good choice for beginners and youth archers who want to keep the initial investment in archery equipment low.
- Durable: Fiberglass arrows are more durable than wooden arrows and can withstand continued use and reuse.
Leave a Reply