Spear fishing anyone

[pescador775]

Originally posted by sdexcalibur
Would a spear through a fish destroy or mess up the cut of the meat or fish if you prefer . How can you fillet a fish with a hole in it's side:tanker:

Don't worry about the small hole made by a spear. This has no bearing on fileting or cooking. The meat is not ruined. A fish which has been speared will taste better than one which has been hooked because a speared fish will bleed out.

Find a picture of a fish and study it. The fish in profile is quite interesting. You will see a line which traverses the length of the fish. This is the lateral line. This line follows the spine of the fish. Now look at the area behind the head; the line rises slightly and passes above the pectoral fin to terminate at the gills. Shoot the fish just above the pectoral fin. This will kill the fish instantly. Remember to shoot at this spot and not at the fish. If in doubt it is better to shoot a bit high rather than too low.

 

[sdexcalibur]

OK now bare with me because I never shot a spear gun but am really interested. Now your down their you see a fish you take aim and FIRE!. You miss. Do you lose a lot of spears. How far does it travel. Is their a big difference between phenumatic and rubber band guns.:mgun:

 

[WreckWriter]

OK, first off there is generally a line attached to your shaft to prevent loss (or loss of poorly hit fish). Shaft loss is more likely from bending than actually losing, particularly if you hunt grouper in rocky areas as they tend to "rock up" if your shot doesn't stone them (kill instantly). I've seen big black grouper rock up so hard that a steel shaft actually snapped rather than bent when the fish hit his house after being shot.

Although some folks prefer to "free shaft" I don't recommend you start out that way (or you WILL lose a lot of shafts). Range depends on your gun but say a max of about 20 feet (really 15' is what I consider max effective shot range with a good gun).

As for the difference in pneumatic and sling guns, in my opinion sling guns (large and properly fitted) are more powerful, more accurate and quieter. Pneumatics also lose power as depth increases. Obviously I prefer sling guns. I also prefer wooden guns (due to the difference in sound when fired and bouyancy characteristics). My own guns have always been AB Biller, mostly 48 Specials.

Tom

 

[FredT]

Originally posted by WreckWriter
I'm not claiming it can't be done but where I did most of my hunting (Keys) the bigger fish take off real fast when they hear a scuba diver coming.

I'm well aware that there are people who hunt on tanks and are extremely good at it but I still believe that (in reasonable depths with decent vis) a good freediver will outdo most tank hunters.

Tom

Freediving on a GoM oil rig is a good way to both loose wounded fish, and make yourself dead!

That said a lot of the better hunters I know all freedive with tanks. We just start at a different "zero depth". Exhale before the stalking dive, inhale after the shot and before the fight starts.
BTW Check my profile for decent fish shot while "freediving on scuba." My largest fish boated was over 150 pounds bled out and gutted.

FT

 

[WreckWriter]

Freediving on a GoM oil rig is a good way to both loose wounded fish, and make yourself dead!

Definately agreed! In that case you're looking at a completely different environment from what I'm used to. I should have prefaced my earlier remarks with something like "in open water without obstructions" or something.

At 150 you've got me beat easily. I've gotten sharks around 100 but nothing close to 150.

Tom

 

[jan]

sdexcalibur go for it, spearfishing for Stripers has already started in RI, Tautog will be legel on the May 1st. I spearfish a lot at Sakonnet point and Newport and do very well.Striped Bass can not be shot in MA but RI and NH are both ok I go to NH at least 2-3 times a week in season and I must say I have never seen so many fish until I started free diving I am not saying one is better than the other and could not give one up over the other but try it.
you will never know until you try.
good luck
Jan

 

[JustAddWater]

Halibut and sheephead are my favorite fish to hunt. There are some other kelp bass that are very tasty. I've never shot a fish that I would consider trophy size, but that is fine, because my intentions are to hunt enough to make a BBQ. I am pretty wary about hunting in large groups, and prefer to hunt with a buddy I know well and trust. (Hunting on land likewise)
I'm curious as to the dangers of hunting near rigs. What are the risks?

 

[WreckWriter]

Originally posted by JustAddWater
Halibut and sheephead are my favorite fish to hunt. There are some other kelp bass that are very tasty. I've never shot a fish that I would consider trophy size, but that is fine, because my intentions are to enough to make a BBQ. I am pretty wary about hunting in large groups, and prefer to hunt with a buddy I know well and trust. (Hunting on land likewise)
I'm curious as to the dangers of hunting near rigs. What are the risks?

I'm sure Fred will answer this in much more detail for to my thinking you're looking at a semi-overhead environment, likely lots of mono and hanging hooks, remote location, etc.

Tom

 

[FredT]

Rigs off the mouth of the Mississippi hold some of the largest concentrations of BIG fish to be found anywhere in the world. The local divers will harass any non-newbie for shooting "babies" if he brings up anything but triggers and snapper that weigh less than 40 pounds. Cobia and AJs commonly run 50 to 100 pounds, and 'cuda can be over 8' long. Nassau and other grouper (not jewfish) are taken over 100 pounds on a regular basis. Jews are making a major come back though and may have a population capable of sustaining a limited harvest in 10 years or less. With any luck the Feds will open that fishery again before I retire.

The rigs are barnacle covered structure running from 70 to 100' above the surface to the bottom up to 2000 feet below. The gridwork is often covered in life 1 to 3 feet thick. This life snags spear lines and cuts synthetic line as fast as any knife. Shafts are tethered with 316 stainless steel cable, and NOT tied to the diver! The bad side of this is that SST cable is impossible to cut with a knife if the fish wraps you to a leg with the shaft line.

The mouth of the river can also create tricky currents and visibility layers. It's not unusual to find 5 to 7 different layers of water on a 150' deep rig, and all are moving in different directions. Visibility will vary from 200' to 2" on the same dive depending on which water layer you're in. Most of this area is "bottomless" as well. The indeterminate bottom is a zone 3 to 40 feet thick or more where the water just gets thicker. This consists of partially suspended clay and particles. Somewhere down in this muck is a "mud mat" used to support the rig jacket when it was first installed. If a large fish pulls a diver under this mat it's equivalent to having to feel your way out of cave with no lights. The advantage here that SOMEWHERE the mat will end If you can swim in a straight line in the dark with no reference you may get home, if you have enough air. Compasses are useless under a rig, unless you want to know where the nearest leg is. North is NEVER north under a rig.

OTOH it's the only place I've ever been where a structure 20' away in 200' horizontal vis is impossible to see, because there are just too many fish in the way. Those fish will vary in size from under 1" long to over 5' long. Having a school of a couple hundred foot- long "lookdowns" suddenly appear 10' in front of you in 100'+ vis when they suddenly turn 90° is an awesome sight, one that will never be forgotten even after you get your heart working again. :scared:

Of course the breadth of the base of the food chain supports some pretty awesome top predators too. Dropping out of the upper murk into a school of several hundred tiger sharks will do wonders for your heart rate.

FT

 

[100days-a-year]

FredT,you keep pumpin' up the fishin' out there and I might make a road trip your way this summer.You make it sound like fun.We only get 1 thermocline.The Labarador current can drop temps from near 90 at the surface to 46 on the bottom with a 5-10' vis organic soup.It's only a periodic visitor tho.My wifes favorite fish are lookdowns and thier cousin moonfish.