Posted: 5/26/2006 12:21:58 PM EDT
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OK... the time has come for my brother and I to get into spear fishing. We are avid divers and have been for years and this is something that we have talked about for a while. My brother is desiging and building a new sled that will be pulled behind the boat and used to search for good hunting grounds (the old one he had during his sponge diving days is gone). Any gear recommendations concerning which makes/models etc of spear guns that are good and bad would be appreciated. Any tips concerning spear gun size, style, functions, etc is greatly appreciated. As with any "new hobby", there are things you learn the hard way and that is what I want to avoid. So ANY info or opinions is appreciated. Thanks........ |
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hi well i have not spearfished in years i cant help with that but i do quite a bit of fossil diving at Venice beach and always looking for new dive buddies and dive sites, so i will be interested in what people have to say about different sites. heari have been wanting to try some gulf diving my self. trying to get a dive set up for memorial day. Venice probably but open for suggestions |
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Well, we don't have any specific sites either. That's why we will deply a sled and "fly" along and mark good bottom areas. Years ago my brother did this while operating a small sponge diving operation. This lets you cover a lot of ground and see things the bottom finder won't show. Anyone else??? |
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when I was stationed in HI, my buddies and I would go night-diving several times a week. Our setups were the very low-tech sling-type spear. For what we hunted they worked great (3' fish and smaller), and there were no lines to tangle or tips to lose. If you blunted one of the tines on a rock, you just sharpened it up with a flat file. Also, if you tagged a fish and it fought a bit too violently, you could just let go of the sling and let the fish tire itself out trying to swim with a 5' spear sticking out of it. Spear guns were probably a better option, but they were more $ than my enlisted salary would allow. It's a great sport, especially when you end the night with ice-cold beer and fresh-caught grilled fish on the beach. |
I've been spearfishing for 20+ years now and used to teach it as a specialty course back when I was an active scuba instructor. I use an older model JBL .38 Special that I have modified to suit me (cut down, trigger job and weight adjustments for balance). Any of the AB Biller or JBL spearguns will do the job (they use rubber bands). Get a 3-band model, but only use 2 bands at a time. That way when 1 breaks (and it WILL, trust me), you have a built in spare. If you're thinking pneumatic guns, stay away from Mares- they're moving offshore and their quality has fell in the toilet. Go with Cressi for a pneumatic gun. The thing to remember is if you're using scuba, you DON'T need a long gun- a gun that is 30-48" long will do just fine. The long guns can be a real bitch to handle with all the other gear associated with scuba, especially if you do any beach or night diving. If you're free-diving, then you'll want the longer guns (48-72") Line retractors are nice additions, but be careful buying... some are real pieces of shit. I personally don't use them, but I have friends that swear by them. You'll want 2 types of spear gun tips: A round or triangular point with folding "wings" for grouper, snapper and similar fish and a trident or "paralyzer" tip for hunting flounder. Practice loading and unloading the gun on land and you can shoot it into an archery target as long as you use 1 band only. Remember the sharks, blue fish and other predators are gonna want your fish, so DO NOT carry any speared fish near you. Use some sort of float and stringer system or better yet, hand the fish to someone on the boat. Have fun. Feel free to IM me or email at FB41M@ yahoo.com if you have any other questions. |
Thanks, this is just the info I needed. I have seen many styles, sizes, etc for sale but did not know the difference between them as far as performance. So, when using SCUBA, go with a shorter gun (30-48), get a three band model but use 2 bands (keep 3rd for spare), use a "folding wing" tip design for Grouper, etc, and don't keep speared fish nearby.... Thanks. Oh, and of course, practice, practice, practice.... |
Yep, you are correct. I've heard that it applies if you are standing or wading 50' or more from shore and at any time you are in a boat- unless the vessel has a commercial fishing license- and anytime you are spearfishing. |