approaching fish

[gage_patton]

What would you do in this situation -- you are at 900psi and about 75 feet from the anchor rope at 70 feet deep. You are making one more circle around a large piece of structure before you start your return to the anchor rope and begin your ascent. But then you see a large fish laying flat on the sandy bottom. Looks like a huge sucker fish at first but as you approach you realize it's a big cobia. You look back at the anchor rope and look at the fish and think "screw it." You go for the fish with some purpose. You think you'll glide over him about 10 feet then drop down and pin him to the bottom. But as you approach from behind, he feels you coming and slithers slowly up off the bottom and starts swimming away. You speed your pace up and reach out as far as you can with your speargun and fire. The shaft buries in the fish's shoulder meat and tears off. A few powerful strokes later the cobia breaks the spear cable and swims into the infinite deep. Your heart pounds as you feel a sense of thankfulness that you didn't really have to go hand to hand with a 40 pound cobia.

What would you do differently in this situation?

 

[Brant Emery]

Not shoot.

 

[gage_patton]

Not shoot.

Absolutely. Looking back I certainly should have let the fish go.

 

[johndiver999]

What would you do in this situation -- you are at 900psi and about 75 feet from the anchor rope at 70 feet deep. You are making one more circle around a large piece of structure before you start your return to the anchor rope and begin your ascent. But then you see a large fish laying flat on the sandy bottom. Looks like a huge sucker fish at first but as you approach you realize it's a big cobia. You look back at the anchor rope and look at the fish and think "screw it." You go for the fish with some purpose. You think you'll glide over him about 10 feet then drop down and pin him to the bottom. But as you approach from behind, he feels you coming and slithers slowly up off the bottom and starts swimming away. You speed your pace up and reach out as far as you can with your speargun and fire. The shaft buries in the fish's shoulder meat and tears off. A few powerful strokes later the cobia breaks the spear cable and swims into the infinite deep. Your heart pounds as you feel a sense of thankfulness that you didn't really have to go hand to hand with a 40 pound cobia.

What would you do differently in this situation?

I would not feel thankful that I fatally wounded a fish that will now swim off and die. You should feel bad about screwing up the shot - NOT Thankful.

 

[uncfnp]

This thread and about 25 meaningless other posts are an effort to qualify for classifieds.

 

[inquis]

If the odds are not a clean kill, don't shoot. It's as simple as that. Continue this habit and at some point, you will be sorry. (You'll either be taken for a ride, lose gear, or get wrapped up (and maybe sliced) when the fish comes at you rather than runs away.)