O.K. to preface this I was only twelve... I was visiting the Pacific Northwest for the first time and was suffering from culture shock. I brought a 3mm suit with me, ah yes the advantages of pre-pubesence, but no gun. Discouraged with what my Portuguese money could buy, I devised to make my own polespear. First a trip to the junkyard/recycler was in order. Some aluminum tubing, rusty spring steel, a steering wheel(don't ask I was twelve it looked cool and went on my bedroom wall) and a stray dog later and I was ready. A previous trip to the hobby store and hardware store yeilded JB Weld, some cord, elastics, a double mill bastard file and sharpening stone.
I had already done some diving and noted that the fish were deeper here than in much of Western Europe. What was my answer, a super long polespear of course, just that much less depth to swim!
Yes this was to be a near 3 metre super shaft out of you guessed it aluminum tubing
. At each end there was a nice glob of JB Weld, one with three very sharp rusty barbed tongs fashioned into a paralyzer the other held a loop of cord to hold the elastics.
Certainly it floated and had no travel, much less hitting power, so i drilled a very small hole to fill the tube with water. I nailed a few rockfish with it(even though it wobbled like a hurtling javelin), but I was getting board with the small stuff... I swam out to the edge of the kelp beds looking for cabezon. After multiple dives I found it "the one". I knew that this would be the crowning moment for my new polespear and if I landed this fish with it my uncle would be forced to stop calling my super spear "lo spaghetto volante(the flying noodle)" I dove down and started to stretch the band and take aim when the tubing bowed dramaticly, in the excitement I streched the band farther than ever before. I looked back to see it quiver and shake. Did I let go to avoid impending doom, GOD NO I froze
I watched the pole buckle, yes you guessed it right at the drilled hole near the butt end. Still frozen I watched the JB Weld plug pull loose and leave a nice scar on my elbow and ignite my funny bone for the rest of the day.
Now my fabrication skills are much better and so is my reaction time.
I still have the scar it is just hidden under others, but that is another story.
Let's hear some of your stories!!!
