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Fletching and vanes

Fletching, the fins at the back of an arrow, steers the shaft and forces the point forward so the arrow flies nock-behind-point instead of tumbling.

Feathers and vanes

Traditional fletching uses natural feathers, which are light, grip the air well and forgive contact with an arrow shelf because they fold and spring back. Modern target and compound archers mostly use plastic vanes, which are waterproof, consistent and durable but need clearance from the rest.

A shaft normally carries three fletchings spaced evenly, or sometimes four. One, the cock or index vane, is set to a known orientation so the archer nocks the arrow the same way every time and the fletching clears the bow.

Straight, offset and helical

Fletching can be glued straight along the shaft, at a slight offset, or in a helical twist. Offset and helical fletching spin the arrow in flight, which averages out small imperfections and stabilises a broadhead, at the cost of a little speed from the extra drag.

Target archers chasing speed and a flat trajectory often use short, low-profile vanes set straight or with a slight offset; hunters use longer or more steeply helical fletching to steer a broadhead. The choice follows the job the arrow has to do.

Clearance and the rest

Whatever the fletching, it has to clear the arrow rest and riser cleanly. Contact between a vane and the rest as the arrow leaves the bow throws the shot off and tears vanes, and it is a common cause of unexplained fliers.

This is where fletching meets the rest fitment question: the rest has to drop away or offer clearance for the fletching used, which is part of setting a bow up rather than a detail. A launcher or drop-away rest exists largely to give that clearance.

Related

Sources: Wikipedia: Fletching · Bohning: vane selection