Did you know that there was a Bowfishing Hall of Fame? If you didn’t then you probably don’t know that a husband and wife team from Jackson Parish is two of it’s newest inductee’s. Bill and Pennie Montgomery of Jonesboro recently received the grand honor by the Bowfishing Association of America (BAA) in a ceremony held in Nashville, TN for their contribution to the sport, namely their patented invention of the QuickDraw Arrow Rest that has forever changed the sport.
There is an old saying that “necessity is the mother of invention.” That necessity is is the exact reason Montgomery developed a uniquely designed arrow rest that has proved to be the most user friendly, reliable and toughest on the market. Just as, or some would say even more important, it helps tremendously in improving accuracy. 
“I fell in love with bow-fishing on my very first trip but I missed shooting a lot of fish because I had trouble keeping my arrow on the rest,” recalled Montgomery in an interview with the Jackson Parish Journal. “I tried some of the rests that were on the market but none of them was what I was looking for so I decided to build my own.”
Montgomery spent countless hours in perfecting his patented design which led to the opening of QuickDraw Outdoor Gear. Just how good is it? When the QuickDraw Arrow Rest was first introduced in 2008 it took the sport by storm. Today, it is the most popular arrow rest specifically designed for bow-fishing in the industry and is marketed by prestigious, nationwide sporting goods outlets such as Bass Pro Shop, PSE, Darton Archery, as well as, leading on-line retailers E-Bay and Amazon.com.
“After three years of whittling down pieces of aluminum and thousands of shots, I finally got the rest to perform like I wanted it to,” said Montgomery. “I then approached my wife (Pennie) about putting it on the market and she not only quickly jumped on board with the idea but did virtually all of the compiling of product research information and helping secure the required patents and copy rights.”
What started as a simple desire by Montgomery to be better at bowfishing has opened doors and taken them places that were never before even dreamed of. It has also led them to recognized as two of the most positive influences in the sport and in the exclusive company of the select few who has been inducted into the Bowfishing Association of America Hall of Fame.
“When I started bowfishing a little over 20 years ago, I never imagined this sport would take us to where it has and be introduced to so many great people,” concluded Montgomery. “Pennie and I would like to thank the Bowfishing community for their support and to thank the BAA for inducting us into the Hall of Fame. It is an honor to be included with the other members.”