Has anyone tried underwater fishing before?

[Thalassamania]

We did sume hand lining while scuba diving to catch and tag cichlids in some lakes in Nicaragua. It worked fairly well and did much less damage than bringing the fish out of the water for tagging.

 

[Ron Brandt]

I just used to take a catch bag down with me. The fish would come over to check it out,I'd open it up,the fish would go in,the bag was then shut....

Ron

 

[ZzzKing]

Spear fighing count? I don't see why you couldn't fish underwater, except maybe the fish can see that it is you trying to catch them. Most people that fish underwater shoot them with spear guns. You can get a good spear gun for about $150, sometimes you can find them for $75, but those tend to be not as good. My buddy paid $20 for one at a garage sale a couple weeks back. Just don't kill anything you don't intend on eating, that is not good sports.

Kind of hard to practice catch and release with a spear gun...

 

[wreckchick]

Kind of hard to practice catch and release with a spear gun...

True, but that's not really the point either

Rachel

 

[Santa]

I wholeheartedly support the idea of catching fish under water. I tried for a full day to catch some in Death Valley but only a few stones moved and I went away dehydrated and asking myself existential questions.

These days however we usually knife flounders whenever we can be bothered. There's a 100 dollar fine but hey - In sweden they take all your dive gear if they catch you.

Under water or not.

 

[Guba]

Two events...
While diving a lake I found a nice lure with about three feet of line still attached. I turned to show my buddy (an avid fisherman) by dangling it at arm's length. One of the half dozen or so bluegill that had been shadowing us struck the lure and hooked himself. I was so surprised I didn't react other than to hold on. The little fish went ballistic and was all over the place until it wound the line around my hand in tighter and tighter circles. In an instant it was so close it finned me and, startled, I let go of the line. The fish swam off with the lure, but I was left with an "aha!" moment.
I asked a Texas Parks and Wildlife officer about the prospect of fiishing underwater. He checked the regs and got back to me. He said..."the fishing code says you have to have a line or pole and a license...it doesn't say the pole has to be ABOVE the surface." Hmmmmm.
While we haven't gone at it in earnest, last month my partner and I were diving another lake and found another hook and line. You guessed it. My partner hooked (and released) another little fish, a perch this time. It would definitely work, I'm certain.

 

[Thalassamania]

Yeah, but noodleing catfish is more fun<G>.

 

[Bob3]

I used to go after the big perch with a little Zebco 404; if you were fishing from the surface, all the little guys would nab the bait before the hook had a chance to sink down to there the big guys were. If the bait was hidden in my hand underwater, I could "hand" it to the big fellas I wanted for dinner. It worked great.

 

[MyDiveLog]

About two years ago I was about to enter the water on a beach dive. A guy came up to me and ask if I was a scuba diver ("duh," I thought, given that I was standing there all geared up and heading for the water). His friend had been fishing the night before and a fish pulled the rod out of his hands. "If you find the rod and reel, would you bring it back?" he asked.

About ten minutes into the dive, sure enough, the rod and reel was lying right beside the bottom of the reef. I picked it up and started to disassemble the end of the rod to make it easier to carry with me during the rest of the dive ... and the rod began tugging back. Sure enough, an 18" sea bass was still attached to the hook. So there I sat, underwater, pumping and reeling away, fighting a fish. My dive buddy cracked up! I released the bass once I reeled him in and gave the guy his rod and reel back.

 

[DennisS]

I had a friend who tried it years ago in the keys. He had a hand line, "cuban yo-yo", and caught a baracuda. The cuda took off this way and that way and he ended up wrapped in line and had to cut the fish loose. He decided it was a bad idea.