FredT
Guest
Pole spears are good for smaller to small medium fish that you can somewhat approach, and in reduced visibility. Flounder and reef fish that tend to hole up are the primay push pole targets. A sling is good for approachable small to medium fish over a reachable hard or firm sand bottom. Properly used a sling is more accurate than a pole spear, and as fast or faster to reload since several pansized fish can be stacked on the spear.
A speargun, freeshaft style, is an effort to extend the range and prey size of the sling, but requires the same bottom conditions and extends the visibility requirement a bit too. Slows down the reload a bit, but not much.
A speargun with a traditional lineshaft brings the prey size up to medium large fish, is suitable for any bottom type except shooting into a wreck, but reduces the range of the freeshaft a bit.
A speargun with a Riding Rig makes the taking of any fish that possible but not necessarily wize.
Wreck divers tend to use a shorter gun than open water or reef divers to aid in manouverabiliy and limit penetration of the steel in the case of a fish miss. Points are also different between the two. For flounder I use my gun as a pole spear, which allows the possiblity of catching the snapper or grouper attracted by the wounded flounder.
Open water rig guns tend to be VERY heavily overbanded affairs, with a stainless steel riding rig lineshaft system. The fish targeted are in the 40+ pound class, with chances at a century fish not really uncommon.
The only thing consistant about spearfishing techniques and equipment is the certainty that whatever is optimized for use in one location is the wrong gear and technique to use 50 miles down the coast!
FT
A speargun, freeshaft style, is an effort to extend the range and prey size of the sling, but requires the same bottom conditions and extends the visibility requirement a bit too. Slows down the reload a bit, but not much.
A speargun with a traditional lineshaft brings the prey size up to medium large fish, is suitable for any bottom type except shooting into a wreck, but reduces the range of the freeshaft a bit.
A speargun with a Riding Rig makes the taking of any fish that possible but not necessarily wize.
Wreck divers tend to use a shorter gun than open water or reef divers to aid in manouverabiliy and limit penetration of the steel in the case of a fish miss. Points are also different between the two. For flounder I use my gun as a pole spear, which allows the possiblity of catching the snapper or grouper attracted by the wounded flounder.
Open water rig guns tend to be VERY heavily overbanded affairs, with a stainless steel riding rig lineshaft system. The fish targeted are in the 40+ pound class, with chances at a century fish not really uncommon.
The only thing consistant about spearfishing techniques and equipment is the certainty that whatever is optimized for use in one location is the wrong gear and technique to use 50 miles down the coast!
FT