[Jon]

What's you prey?

For panfish you want a small shaft- Euro gun is good for that. OF carp and other rough fish it doesn't matter how a big a hole you put in the side of them so it doesn't matter- pneumatic with a slider ring would certainly take out anything you want.

It sounds like you have a pretty clear lake that you're diving in so a mid handle wouldn't give you as much of an advantage- they really are nice in low vis as it allows you to use a longer shaft without all of it hanging off the front of your arm.

So far guns that I've had a bit of luck with include: Rob Allen (75cm), Riffe MTO ( custom wood equivalent), Mares Cyrano (great for rough fish but to big for panfish), Pole spear, Hawaiian sling (the current favorite), OMER (60-75cm).

I've owned other guns but some of them were just too long to use around here on a regular basis. I did meet a freediver from Arkansas who was using a 11cm, but he had big fish in a very clear, man made, lake that he was going after. Our lakes are very clear right now, but they will all green up in another month and we'll be playing hide and seek in the weeds once again until fall comes around to clean it up again.

I know that Fondueset had a Riffe MT0 he was looking to sell and that would be a very good choice.

One other thing to keep in mind is that guns to balance out as well in freshwater as they do in salt- the water density does make a difference and having something weighting down your wrist gets tiring after 6-8 hours in the water. The mid handles don't have this issue- at least mine doesn't.

Here's a few pics of the different guns local divers use.

Jon