OK, first of all ...... this has got NOTHING to do with looking for dingle berries .....
Here we are looking more at hiding places for fish rather than for the spearo. In other words, places that fish hide in ..... the fish's own home, as well as other holes, caves, piles of rocks or cavities that some types of fish use as hiding place or as "student's flats" during the mating period.
A couple of things to consider ........
1.) The type of fish being hunted here
Normally reef - type fish. Slow moving, hard heads etc etc. Also eels, sometimes small skates and rays.
2.) Type of gun used
This is where my favourite "Cave Gun" comes in. It's a super short 65cm gun with 4 rubber bands - not the powerfull 20 mm variety but a very subdued surgical tubing around 12 mm with 2mm sides. It also uses a heavy 7mm spear with a screw - on tip. The tip can be replaced when it gets bung up on the rocks, and the spear won't get bent in a hole or cave - especially since the gun is fairly slow. Being less powerfull also reduces the risk of the spear bouncing of the rock and tagging the spearo. Not a nice way to spend a couple of weeks - trying to dig a spear outta your you know what.
3.) Light
When standing in front of a hole, the spearo is silhoueted against the light from the background. This makes it easy for the fish to see you, and not the other way around. One way out of this is to use a torch. This will however use up both your hands .... where's the knife gonna go if need be ?
4.) Nasties
Face it, you don't want some Moray to have your hand for breakfast .... or your head ! Don't stick anything into holes - as my dad always put it "Keep your thing out of holes and your hole out of things"
Okay, so there's two variants to this technique: Canyon and hole dives
Canyon dives are pretty cool. They're a variation to the ambush theme where one would hide next to the entrance of a canyon or hole where fish might come through and monitor a certain section.
Hole dives (that doesn't sound too good) includes cavities, caves and rock piles. What might happen during normal dives is that fish will lead you to their hiding places .... all you need to do is ambush from the side - preferably out of view. If a cavity is big enough to see into clearly, and a fish can be seen, it has not got that many options. Play dead, or swim out. Make your pick where and when you want to shoot it.
Words of warning: Caves are dangerous. They can snag you, your gun, your line, just about anything, they can fall in on you, you can get trapped in a funnel, you can get trapped trying to turn around, you can get washed into one by a surge of water or wave - BE CAREFULL. Dive with your head, not your heart.
Ciao,
R
