Bowfishing isn’t just a weekend pastime—it’s a pursuit that demands grit, gear resilience, and split-second accuracy. It’s long nights under floodlights, boats drifting along backwaters, and the adrenaline spike of seeing a gar or bighead carp roll just inside range. For many of us, it’s not just about pulling fish—it’s about dialing in performance with the same precision we expect from our hunting rigs.
At Innerloc®, we’ve seen how the average fiberglass arrow and two-piece tip can’t keep up. After decades spent engineering broadheads and bowfishing gear to survive real-world abuse, we launched the Unity™ arrow and Grapid™ tip—a pairing designed to take everything the water dishes out, and ask for more.
The Problem With Traditional Bowfishing Arrows
Old-school fiberglass arrows have remained relatively unchanged for decades. But while the simplicity of a 5/16″ shaft might appeal to newcomers, seasoned bowfishers know the design has two major flaws:
Structural Weakness at the Slide Stop Hole
Most arrows are drilled through the fiberglass to install slide stops. Unfortunately, this process removes material and creates stress risers—points of weakness that split under high loads or after repeated shots. Especially when shooting heavy fish like grass carp or bowfin, the arrow can crack exactly where it’s supposed to hold strong.
Threaded Tip Problems
Threaded inserts on fiberglass shafts are known to work loose. As the arrow vibrates or impacts hard surfaces (like rocks or submerged logs), the tips can slowly unscrew. Even worse, some traditional barbs jam with slime or debris, forcing you to carry pliers or spend precious time retooling between shots.
For years, the best workaround was to glue tips or upgrade to expensive aluminum shafts. But Innerloc redefined the problem and solved it differently.
Unity™ Arrows: Built as One
The Unity™ arrow was designed to eliminate the classic failure points while enhancing performance and modularity. Here’s how:
Taper-Loc™ Construction
This proprietary system fuses a stainless steel rear section to a fiberglass shaft using a reverse mechanical taper. No glue, no resin, and no threads. The result? A single, seamless unit that eliminates separation and flex. The mechanical compression strengthens the joint under load, exactly when you need it.
Reinforced Slide Stop
Unlike typical fiberglass shafts that drill into the body, the Unity™ arrow machines the slide stop hole into its stainless steel rear. This removes the fiberglass from the equation entirely at the most vulnerable location, dramatically increasing arrow life and impact survivability.
Lighted Nock Ready
Unity™ arrows accept both standard and illuminated nocks thanks to a deep, machined rear cavity. For bowfishers running night lights or chasing big fish after dark, visibility matters—and Unity delivers.
Grapid™ Tips: Fast Reloads. No Tools.
Any bowfisher knows the pain of trying to unhook a fish from jammed barbs while juggling a bow, boat, and flashlight. That’s why Innerloc took their proven Grapple tip and re-engineered it for fast reloading with a feature that sets the Grapid™ apart: the control stud.
Twist-to-Release Mechanism
The Grapid™ tip uses a built-in control stud to rotate between two modes:
- Fish-Hold: Barbs are backward and toggle open for massive holding power upon penetration
- Fish-Release: A simple twist allows the tip to unscrew slightly, folding the barbs inward for effortless removal
This means no pliers, no disassembly, no messing with tools in the boat. You get off a shot, land your fish, and reload in seconds.
Anti-Vibration Sleeve
The Grapid™ includes a polymer anti-vibration o-ring that cushions the tip during flight and contact, reducing rattle and protecting threads. It stays secure, even in turbulent or high-impact conditions.
Proven Durability
With hardened stainless steel components and reinforced barbs, Grapid™ tips are built for tournament seasons, rocky riverbeds, and high-volume bowfishing. They’re available in both 5/16” and 22/64” sizes to fit most modern shafts, including all Unity™ arrows.
Tested in the Harshest Waters
From flooded timber in Mississippi to the tangled banks of Oklahoma’s river systems, Unity™ and Grapid™ gear have already proven themselves. One Louisiana guide logged an entire spring tournament season with Unity-Glow arrows and reported zero failures, despite hundreds of shots and dozens of gar, carp, and buffalo landed.
Others have praised the Grapid™ system for its no-fuss reliability in weedy or rocky water, where traditional barbs often jam. Innerloc’s test crew logged over 1,000 successful shots across three states without a single tip loosening or arrow splitting.
This isn’t marketing. This is real bowfishing, with real shooters who don’t have time to babysit their gear.
Why the Innerloc® System Wins
So what makes this combo different from just upgrading your arrow or switching tips?
Modularity and Integration. Unity™ and Grapid™ are designed to work together, eliminating fitment issues or mismatched tolerances. You get:
- Unified centerlines for clean flight
- Matched weight balance for arrow flight
- Replaceable parts and field-repairable components
- Stainless steel construction for maximum corrosion resistance
More importantly, both are made here in the USA and engineered by bowfishers who understand what it means to shoot all night and expect zero failures.
The Ideal Setup: Unity-Glow + Grapid 3-Barb
If you’re building a night rig or just want maximum visibility and toughness, the Unity-Glow arrow combined with the Grapid 3-Barb tip is a game changer. You get:
- A glowing shaft visible from bow to fish
- Fast reload capability without tools.
- Rugged construction that laughs off hard shots
Whether you’re targeting invasive species in shallow bays or chasing bigheads from a trolling platform, this setup delivers consistent, accurate, and efficient performance.
Final Shot: Built for the Bowfishing Elite
You’re not out there to miss. And you’re not out there to fix gear between every other fish. Unity™ arrows and Grapid™ tips were built for people who shoot until the tank’s dry, not just until the sun sets.
With Innerloc®, you shoot more, fix less, and bring back bigger stories from the water.
Upgrade your setup. Trust the evolution. And never look back.
