Found this on Craig's list and new I had to rescue it from a fate worse then death. A beautiful root pendulus supreme with a fishing reel put on with screws the size of rail road spikes. Why this was done to this awesome piece of history and not to some beat up flea market special is beyond me.

You cant fix stupid. Probably some kid did it.

Looks like you got a nice project to begin but also got yourself some fishing gear that's a get set up if mounted other than screws.

Id drill it and through bolt it. The bows already runnied for me.

Sad, just sad.

I'd have used an AMS strap on adapter. But the damage is done now...so I'd drill the holes on out and put brass inserts in it, put a Kwikee Kwiver on and go hunting.

Nice find!

I always like reading the comments of some of you old guys. Bashing us young bucks seems to be a common theme in a lot of the threads around here. Some of us "kids" really appreciate trad archery, have a collection of great shooters and collectibles, and can shoot the high poundages you guys can't anymore (and shoot them pretty damn well....hahahah!). Remember...a lot of gorgeous bows had sights drilled into them by older guys in the 70s, 80s, etc. It makes me more thankful for all the older guys at the clubs where I shoot and on the Wall here who pass on knowledge and encouragement...not condemn us as kids. Keeps the sport from dying out.

Anyways, sorry for getting up on a soap-box and deviating from the thread.

Happy shooting!

My take is it is the owner's bow and he can do whatever he wants with it. He probably had a great time shooting fish with the bow.

There are millions of vintage bows out there and I feel it is much better to put one to use than hang it on a wall and look at it.

I'd drill and and install wood inserts, reinstall the reel, and take it bow fishing.

Didn't take long for this to go sideways

Hmmm.....I'm thinkin' if I gifted that bow to an indigenous abo hunter living on the Amazon river, I'd see a huge ear to ear smile. Not to mention teeth in need of major dental work.

First off who said anything negative you work for NBC or CNN? If I were some of you I'D get some sun on me and harden up maybe would be good.LOL

All we need is Barbie on this thread next,. LOL

Not the blonde doll either most of our daughters have.LOL

It's a bow. A piece of history? If so there's a ton of history just like it. A guy gave me a Pearson golden sovereign knight that he screwed up putting a stab insert in. It looks like crap but has been a fine fishing bow for 30 years. Use it n don't worry about it. If they're that offensive don't buy em.

Since I just mentioned abo people, and RC mentioned Barbie, here's a word for you. Hula. That's the Hawaiian word for a Barbie doll. I'm not kidding. Also the inspiration for the Hula dance, and Hula hoop. Those were inspired by the Barbie doll. I do know me some abo stuff so take my word it's true.

What burns people the most is, they can't resell them as being in MINT condition. bvd

Folks used them as tools, not art, and back in the day most of us couldn't afford to be so arrogant about such things. When you have a tool, you use it how you damn well want. That sure doesn't make that person, or any other person "stupid." Ignorance is not understanding the difference in the social culture of the sport back then versus the "trad" mindset of today. There were as many bows with screw holes for sights and quivers as there were that were not. A different generation with a different mindset. I was there and understand that. You would do well to not only relish our history, but research so you understand it rather than call someone stupid that you don't even know.

George, I was there then too. Heck its just a bow someone had and they wanted to go fishing with it. SO drill, tap, and fish without thoughts of what someone 25 or 30 years down the road will think.

Amen, George. I'll grind a screwdriver to fit a slot, drive my truck down an overgrown logging trail, and to heck with 'pristine'. ;-)

My heirs can worry about 'collector value', they're gettin' the stuff free ;-)

If you gentlemen would look up my history you will see with very little thought why I call this a pice of history. So sorry for offending so many with my thoughts. Just thought it could have been done to bow of lesser quality as the pendulus supreme and the pendulus are not that easy to find. Man some of you people are touchy.

Hey if you think that's sad then what about when the compound craze took off.?I wonder how many bows went to land fill.Some dealers couldn't give trad bows away just about.Some of the smart folk scooped up lots of cheap good bows.As time goes on we realise that trad equiptment is trendy again and all that good cheap gear is getting harder to find now.Its like my wife and me we just bought 2 Datsun 510 cars to rebuild.They were just a cheap family car but as they were fantastic sporting race cars they are hard to get now and can command up to $ 40 grand for a good one now.Just look at some of the Bear or Howatt bows who would believe how much some of those are worth now? OSR

Obviously George has "ruined" many a nice bow in his day and refuses to feel guilty about it!

Hey it's a sign of the times.George is right.Folk just did those things then and how any person could call them stupid is beyond me.The wife and me have seen it all since in our late fifties we decided to rebuild two classic cars.There is just so much that needs to be put right it's not funny.We have about 3 years work on these classic cars.That bow can come up OK and if it has no real structural damage would make a nice serviceable bow.My best shooting bow is my ugliest one. OSR

They may not be easy to find now but were no big deal when it was drilled.

People were definitely more practical back in the day and cared more about things being functional. I can remember my dad getting a new '74 Ford and mounting California mirrors, bumper guard s,a gun rack, CB radio and CB antennaes to that brand new truck, why ? Same reason he drilled his Kodiak Special and mounted a sight to it.....it was his and he wanted it to use, not admire on a bow rack or in a garage

I think the "gap in our ranks" is getting wider. Why the hell does it matter what someone did with their own bow. I drill most of mine for Kwikkee inserts, if you dont like that, dont buy my bows when they are for sale.If you own the bow, do whatever you want with it. John

Well....ya must have liked it well enough to buy it! LOl

I am pretty sure that my dad's generation started the stupidity of taking a drill to a bow. I own a 1964 Kodiak Special with sixteen holes in it. I would have been ten or eleven when that bow was new. It is disappointing to see a classic bow that has been screwed.

Good find. Hole repair is an art. Good luck with the repair.

Joey, I understand what you are saying, I was upset when I bought my Bear Tamerlane that had holes drilled in it for an aftermarket external sight, but it didn't hurt the bow and it shoots just fine, the holes were plugged.

I'm with you about what some people would do, I'm sure they didn't realize what they had when they drilled for the reel, but again it doesn't matter, no one should ever drill a hole in a bow no matter what the value of the bow, that is why we have tie-wraps and rubber to keep from scratching the finish.

You now have a great fishing and hunting bow as long as it doesn't start cracking where the holes were drilled.

AS hard as it is to believe, there was a time before double- sided adhesive tape, velcro and long-lasting rubber straps, and a wood screw was the most logical solution to adding an accessory to a bow. Tape-on was an option but the tapes of 50 years ago were far inferior to today's options...we didnt even have duct tape! A Root Pendulus is a bit heavy and long for a bowfishing rig unless the hunter is strictly boat or dock-based, but I can see how it probably was the only choice, as I am one of millions of folks who had only one bow for decades and used the same bow on the outdoor range, the indoor leagues in winter, carp and sucker stalking in spring, woodchucks in summer, whitetails in fall, rabbits, squirrels, and once in a while a pheasant in the late fall and winter. And that bow, BTW, I spray can camo'd the week I bought it new.

Now I have too many bows, some pristene but more have a few holes, and I dont curse the previous owners who took a drill to mount a sight or quiver or arrow holder.

I doubt it affects how the bow shoots. It's just a bow.

"...it doesn't matter, no one should ever drill a hole in a bow no matter what the value of the bow, that is why we have tie-wraps and rubber to keep from scratching the finish."

Yeah! And make sure you NEVER take it out in the woods where it might get banged up. Hell, I don't know what ails people that they would go around stringing up perfectly good bows and SHOOTING them, fer Crap's sake! Don't they know that these things were never intended to do anything but sit around gathering dust and appreciating in Collector Value????

On my first bow in the early 60's, I did not stop by drilling 2 holes for a sight. I carved my initials about 1" tall into the riser.

Does anyone have a Ben Pearson recurve with 2 drilled holes and intials "LS" carved into the riser? If so, let's deal.

Blisters back when it was drilled it wasn't anything special. People all the way up to the early 80's it was just an old junk bow only good for bowfishing. It wasn't a collector till later. Oh and adaptors and tie wraps n such didn't exist. If it had the bows would have still been drilled. I put up a sign and bought all recurves that came into my shop for 15 dollars each. Then sold em as carp bows for 30 or gave em away to kids for free. Would you spend the money for an adaptor to mount something on a sliver of pine 2x4? thats abauot what these old bows were worth after compounds became popular.

The bow shop I used to frequent when everyone was going from longbows/recurves to compounds, had recurves and longbows stacked up like cordwood. The owner said that he took them on trade in, and couldn't hardly give them away. I wish I knew then what I know now!

Back in the day we bought bows to use as we saw fit. We never gave a thought as to who would be trying to finance their retirement with them 50 years in the future. bvd

Sure nice to see the old fellas wake up and start griping. I agree with the OP it is a shame. It's also a shame I have a nice Kodiak and Hill longbow that I camo painted to use turkey hunting a long time ago.lol Still have them both. I don't mind being called stupid, that's the nicest thing I've been called all day.

On the bright side, those folks that make elaborate tree houses drill through the trunk of the tree and slam home huge bolts. They claim it makes the tree stronger. Granted, that bow is not living wood anymore, but it doesn't have to be a show stopper.

What's wrong with that? I bowfish

Putting a fishing reel on that bow is akin to using a screwdriver as a chisel. :) Jawge

I hate to see not just big ugly holes but sloppy ill thought out permanent modifications to any bow, but especially rare top shelf bows. When I was young things came real hard to me, money was always short so if I managed to get something nice I tried to keep it nice, my stuff had lots of good honest wear but I didn't nail anything on my bows. That said, your right, if it's yours nail away. But remember what Red Green always says; duct tape is the handyman's secret weapon :-)

Hip

Jawge, my best chisels are made by craftsman...LOL!

Not really, I have a nice set of Scandinavian chisels that are so sharp you don't need a mallet.

Not everyone knows what they have, obviously that person saw a bow and wanted to fish with it, he is not stupid, he just didn't know what he had. I used to do what Howard Hill did, loop the string in one hand, later I put a cajun spool on it with tie wraps. Those new reels look really nice, Howard also used a fishing pole, he released the string then shot then grabbed the pole and reeled it in. That is the way I would do it to keep anything being mounted to my bow.

Reading this again and I am guilty of drilling bow risers.Not on a top shelf bow but that is my go to bow and I gave it a refurb for the 4 th time in 44 years.I tackled the hole problem by putting in an insert of silky oak over the screw holes.Not the neatest work but good enough for me with my one good eye and crippled hand.If we have the urge to have pretty bows throw some work to one of the custom bowyers we are blessed to have all around the world.All my bows are goers not showers.I actually like to use my bows.Wall hangers do have their place but I like to leave that for the collectors.Yeah thank you for saving our traditional long and recurve heritage. OSR

Reading this again and I am guilty of drilling bow risers.Not on a top shelf bow but that is my go to bow and I gave it a refurb for the 4 th time in 44 years.I tackled the hole problem by putting in an insert of silky oak over the screw holes.Not the neatest work but good enough for me with my one good eye and crippled hand.If we have the urge to have pretty bows throw some work to one of the custom bowyers we are blessed to have all around the world.All my bows are goers not showers.I actually like to use my bows.Wall hangers do have their place but I like to leave that for the collectors.Yeah thank you for saving our traditional long and recurve heritage. OSR

Everyone keeps talking about "when that bow was drilled..." Well, we have no idea when it was drilled, but the bow fishing reel on it certainly isn't "vintage". I mean, that reel wasn't installed on the bow in 1970.

But that is beside the point. The original poster was just lamenting what sounds like a poorly done installation of a fishing reel on a bow that was never intended to be used for bow fishing. Sure, you can do whatever you want to your bow, but whoever put the reel on, clearly didn't know what they had.

I bet most of the guys on here posting comments like "you can do whatever you want to your stuff" have themselves despaired or belittled someone's else's modifications - jacked up trucks, low rider trucks, pink houses, classic cars modified with hydraulics, etc., etc.,

Looks good to me, OSR!

Anybody who wants to be rid of a great bow with some holes in it it, just shoot me a PM. I'll take that worthless piece o' crap off your hands for cheap....

I'd swear... I guess every man on this site must've married the president of the local V-club.... and must've been co-president at the time.

Let him who is without sin...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

That bow is a piece of history just like that. It harkens back to a time when older farts like me would drill holes in perfectly good bows. LOL! She's a gem! Don't be stupid and fix it ! LOL!

MattR you are absolutely correct. This Millenial/Kid bashing has gotten old. I'm thinking Millenials were raised by Baby Boomers. If Millenials turned out so badly, we must have done a pretty poor job of raising them huh? OSR141, that's a beautiful fix there! And remember, as Red Green used to say, "If ya can't be handsome, might as well be handy!" Jim

“They know not what they do”

Poor guy wanted to fish and didn't have the means to get another stick to do it with so that stick got hacked.

The guy had a classic stick with not just any old fishing real either. The guy knew what he had maybe.

Well the stick goes to the rescue shop and has the restore but she won't ever be the same deep scaring took place.LOL

Ur right. We don't know when the job was done. But when that reel came out that bow was worth 5-10 bucks. Maybe it was drilled later, we'll never know. He needed a fishing bow and made one, his call whether the bow was worth 5 bucks or 200.

Back in the day we used what we had ,and made it work.One bow, one rifle, one shotgun, one fly rod ,one spinning outfit,and so on if we were lucky.I sold my bear griz for 10 dollars back then to try a compound bow,and it sucked, and i could not get my griz back.I would been better off drilling holes in it, and make it a fishing bow than selling it for ten dollars.Chances are i would still have that bow.I paid 70 dollars for that bow, and was only making 84 dollars a week.Now that is what i call stupid.That year after bow season i traded the compound for a Ben Pearson Cougar, and have been shooting trad ever since.I still have that bow, and cherish it along with about 2 dozen others that i have bought since then.And life goes on.

Blisters1 you forgot that alot on the site are just sittin in front of theyr computer just waitin to start crap ,only opinion worth anything is theres.

Blisters1 hasn't been on the Wall since 10/19/17, unless he changed his handle. Maybe he was so upset that he went and entered a monastery?bvd

Ohma2's right.... so I better add my two cents.

Blisters, your a lucky man and have a mighty fine looking bow.....and reel too.

Blisters don't worry about it. Some of us get what your trying to say. I was part of a group that got read the riot act for killing a turkey with a 60 pound bow. Obviously all you need is 45 lbs.

I'm still on the wall every day. Just haven't felt the need to contribute in the threads. But thanks for bringing my thread back up so I can relive my verbal bashing:-)

Well since it's been a year, have any pictures of the bow fixed up?

Sorry but I don't have any pictures she's on the back burner still.

I'll give you $20 for it to rid you of this horrible ju-ju from this thread.

I appreciate the offer whauburger but I can deal with the bad ju- ju. I got another one just like it without the holes and I've moved on to my hunting rig so that one can hang out a little longer. I let you know if the ju-ju gets to be to much to handle.

In mint condition what would it be worth?

Blisters I think younger archers don't understand that back in the 50's and 60'some used bow sights and rather than tape them on they secured the sight with screws. It is just what they did so it stayed secure. Back then there were archery tournaments every week end somewhere. Here in Michigan we would have 3 or 4 every weekend. The archers were serious competitors and didn't want their sights to get bumped and moved around. That is why you see so many bows with sight holes in them. It is really no disgrace to do that. I bought a mint Swift Wing last summer that had a site on it attached with screws.

Now you want to see a bow that was disrespected you should see the 1967 1/5 Kodiak I was given. 9 holes in various places on the riser and then the guy took a rasp to the arrow shelf and handle. This bow is a mess.

I gotta admit the revival of this thread has been interesting. The bow was fitted with the fishing rig by the guy I got it from. He told me that he put it on. I wish I would have met him before he did it. I would have happily gave him a bow for fishing and bought that one from him. Jon Stewart.where are you at in michigan? I'm in big rapids. Kill buck. In mint condition its worth 250.00 on the high side. It's the rarity that draws me to them. As I stated 1 year ago I have no problem with bolting on a fishing rig it just could have been done on a bow of lesser quality and rarity. Thanks for all the interest whether it was good or bad. Blister1

Ya know the main thing for whoever drilled that bow was a practical solution to enable them to bow fish.Nothing more and nothing less.If your not happy with the way that owner treated his bow than so be it.Back in the day I had probably the ugliest cheapest bow one could have.Yeah I drilled it to mount a bow quiver and I actually probably abused it in some folks eyes.It did however serve my needs and whilst other folk with far better incomes than me had top shelf bows I still managed learn to be a better than average shot and hunter too.What would you rather brag about a shiny top shelf bow that has not accounted for its self in the field ,or a work horse plane jane type bow that enabled you to become a good shot and successful hunter.That was a pretty big deal for me as a young fella.not so much now .Just couldn't shoot that good anymore.If you love that bow than just try and fix it up a bit if not just use it as it is and enjoy it OSR

Im not sure the bow needed to be rescued from a fate worse than death. If I had an old bow I'd turn it into a beater fishing bow too. Looks like a nice rig.

I took a rasp to my $1000 custom recurve, I've got camo duct tape on three other bows, I regularly sand and tape grips to suit me. Big deal. I don't care what anyone else thinks about it.

Some day there will be someone feeling sorry for my poor bows and how I abused them. Sniff.

One thing to look at is that bow reel wasn't from back in the day shes a modern reel.

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