Fish stringer: bad loss!

[blaiz]

Originally Posted by irtrogdor

Nice float BTW. It looks like you ripped that one off a spearo website, but if yours is close to that, nice job.

This picture is off of a website Hanapa'a Fishing

My float is the same exact set up. The DIY part is just the float line and my kui.... and all the ad ons to the float itself

The vinyl tubing is a little stiffer than rope or twine so it doesnt tangle as easy. The floatation is key... one is to save from getting tangled on the reef and two a sinking line will definately scare fish... at least hear in hawaii.

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by blaiz

... I use a hard lifeguard flot (kinda looks like a torpedo w/handles) and its very streamlined. You can feel it but it doesnt add much drag. ... The only hassle with a float and Kui is that the fish add a little more drag. But drag due to a good catch isnt really a reasonable downfall.

Fish on a stringer does seem to attract other fish in. Consequently, I'm usually keen to get a fish on my float stringer a.s.a.p.. I imagine the effect of a belt stringer is even better (if no sharks around), as it will tend to draw the fish directly to you rather than your float & offer some fishy camoflage. A bag of crabs/scallops hanging from your float drags much more than fish, being unstreamlined (but still worth it ).

BTW I know somebody selling their lifeguard float. I think it is still new & unused. As best I can recall it does not have handles like Blaiz's but instead it has an anchor hole at each end & some rope. It was bought specifically for spearing & diving but never got used in the end. PM me if you want it.

[irtrogdor]

Originally Posted by Mr. X

Fish on a stringer does seem to attract other fish in. Consequently, I'm usually keen to get a fish on my float stringer a.s.a.p.. I imagine the effect of a belt stringer is even better (if no sharks around), as it will tend to draw the fish directly to you rather than your float & offer some fishy camoflage. A bag of crabs/scallops hanging from your float drags much more than fish, being unstreamlined (but still worth it ).

BTW I know somebody selling their lifeguard float. I think it is still new & unused. As best I can recall it does not have handles like Blaiz's but instead it has an anchor hole at each end & some rope. It was bought specifically for spearing & diving but never got used in the end. PM me if you want it.

Can you ship to Mexico? By the time I pay for overseas shipping I might as well have just bought a nicer float off the interwebs. (not to mention that by the time it gets here I might have moved!) I think DIY will always be the way for me.

The only thing about having a stringer on your belt is it seems like the fish would get a little annoying. I don't know about the UK, but here in mexico we don't generally shoot a fish unless its at least a foot and a half long. (Although I did rig up a belt stringer for myself the other so that I can load my gun again and maybe take another shot on the way to the float).

Has anyone ever used clear 200-300 lbs mono for a float line? Or would that just be a pain in the @$$? I'm thinking about going to the local fishing shop and buying a small hard foam buoy (like for nets or whatever) and about 20m of mono for a float to drag off my speargun. Good idea or bad idea?

[blaiz]

The clear mono would make a good float line as long as its inside some tubing. It is critical that your line float! especially if you are towing it around as you are diving! Pluss the mono unprotected will just get nicked and cut on the reef or rocks. They do sell a marine line that works really well as a float line. Its a blue braided line that floats. Alot of the spearos in Hawaii us it.

[irtrogdor]

ok, so i'll have to figure out where to get some of that tubing.

Quick question though - doesn't the tubing scare away fish? I mean, even if you are hidden behind a rock and big floating line sort of gives away your position...

[Sarnian]

Fo what it's worth, as a relative newbie of 3 years, for UK ( well Channel Island) spearing in shallow water, with no sharks etc., I have evolved this float and stringer arrangement on the KISS principle, but also following the advice of very experienced local spearos.

Float line is washing line. The weight is a lead sash weight, which can be unclipped from the back of my weight belt to anchor it if I'm going into thick weed. The float was a small swimming float and the flag was given to me by a dive shop - it had been taken back as it broke off an Omer inflatable float. Stainless bungee straps from a marine shop.The stringer is an Omer one replaced with nylon line.

[blaiz]

Originally Posted by irtrogdor

ok, so i'll have to figure out where to get some of that tubing.

Quick question though - doesn't the tubing scare away fish? I mean, even if you are hidden behind a rock and big floating line sort of gives away your position...

if you use a clear tubing and a clear mono than its not so bad. Alot of manufacturers of float lines actually make black lines. My dive buddy uses one and never takes it off of his gun. He shoots alot of fish too. I personaly anchor my float close to where Im taking drops (by close i mean no more than 20 ft away) and when I move on I grab it and keep going. I used to have a skirt (squid trolling skirt) on my weight so that I could use it to attract fish. Worked pretty well but after a few years of use it tore off and I havnt replaced it yet.

Another plus with using a personal float is that when Im diving a spot and the current is fairly strong I will anchor my float and hang on to it in order to get a proper breath up. You will be amazed at how well this works when you dive partners are breathing up and kicking at the same time, Your down time will probably double theres.

[Sarnian]

Hmm ... perhaps I'll re-think the green washing line!

[blaiz]

Originally Posted by Sarnian

Hmm ... perhaps I'll re-think the green washing line!

Thats a great DIY float though! You should post it in the DIY threads. I think there is already one going with another bloks version of a float. You could add to the ideas!

Using the washing line is interestisn. Does it float? maybe if you sealed the ends it would?

[irtrogdor]

Originally Posted by blaiz

if you use a clear tubing and a clear mono than its not so bad. Alot of manufacturers of float lines actually make black lines. My dive buddy uses one and never takes it off of his gun. He shoots alot of fish too. I personaly anchor my float close to where Im taking drops (by close i mean no more than 20 ft away) and when I move on I grab it and keep going. I used to have a skirt (squid trolling skirt) on my weight so that I could use it to attract fish. Worked pretty well but after a few years of use it tore off and I havnt replaced it yet.

Another plus with using a personal float is that when Im diving a spot and the current is fairly strong I will anchor my float and hang on to it in order to get a proper breath up. You will be amazed at how well this works when you dive partners are breathing up and kicking at the same time, Your down time will probably double theres.

How heavy is your anchor? I vaguely remember you saying somewhere that its only a pound, is that really enough to hold you?

[blaiz]

Originally Posted by irtrogdor

How heavy is your anchor? I vaguely remember you saying somewhere that its only a pound, is that really enough to hold you?

I usually wedge it inbetween rocks. Its heavy enough to anchor the float. We usually make special anchors for our floats by pouring 1 lb of lead in a stainless fishing pole butt. Ill see if I can find a pic.

I wouldnt want to use a weight heavier than that as it would be a pain to carry around.

[blaiz]

Here you go, you can see the pins on the bottom of the anchor for holding in the rocks.

Once again, yes, this is off of another website, but is exactly what we do when we build our own.

[Sarnian]

Don't know if you have any old houses with the old sliding wooden sash windows where you are, but these are the counter weights which have to fit inside the narrow sash box and are therefore conveniently long and thin. I think they're 1lb.The older ones were bigger and much heavier but I think made of iron so wouldn't last long ...

Can't remember if I already posted this in a DIY thread but I suppose I could post it anyway.

[irtrogdor]

Originally Posted by blaiz

Here you go, you can see the pins on the bottom of the anchor for holding in the rocks.

Once again, yes, this is off of another website, but is exactly what we do when we build our own.

Ah, that's cool. The anchor I use is probably over five pounds, so its on the heavy side. But I do have a platform style float so it really doesn't matter.

on a side note, I went out today with my brother and friend to kill fish. It was a success I ended up going to a fishing store and buying some tuna clip things and some nylon line so I could rig the float on to my speargun handle. I was very impressed with it until I had two or three fish on the stringer. It felt like I was dragging around a lead weight. Not to mention my buddies shot a few fish to go with my three, so it got really bad. Honestly I wouldn't have been able to keep using it except my friend's gun broke so we did one up one down with one gun and the guy on top fed the bottom man float line. I really don't see how it could work otherwise. To much drag.
The only part that was really annoying was that I haven't had time to find out where to buy that vinyl tubing, so my line sank. Not to bad in open water, but once we got back to shore in the waves and rocks... It was messy.

Oh yeah, don't let trigger fish bite you. It hurts.

[thornton]

Sarnian, Regarding your belt stringer setup, do you worry about the spike stabbing you or do you cover it with something?