Open ocean pole spear hunting.........

[neil burnie]

Have just had two great days in the water as a novice spearo.....Today had a nice male Hogfish and got to hunt a black grouper for a while before he disappeared into the reef and then witnessed my teacher Odilio nail a 64#
Black grouper with his Manny Puig pole spear...which of course it bent!!
Odilio is pretty fit and strong and was able to control this extremely powerful fish on it's first explosive run ,before wrestling it to the surface where we despatched it with a knife to the head and removal of a gill arch.
Two days ago I was swimming in the chum line some 10 miles offshore with ELEVEN Wahoo in my sight....!!! I had a polespear but no floatline attached so didn't even try a shot but I know that I had fish within about 5 feet on more than one occasion. SO HERE ARE THE QUESTIONS.....

1. If I build a 12 ft long spear is there anything other than latex to make a band from that will stretch from 15'' to about 6 feet and give me a long and powerful acceleration of the spear.....?

2.Is it better to have a detachable tip that goes only to the float line. or do I let the tip stay on the spear wire and attach the polespear itself to the float line.....?

3.I read that Wahoo are curious and will follow a diver in front of another armed diver , but do they come up for flashers also....? My plan at present is to anchor some form of livebait in 15 feet and try to hang out close by...the fish the other day were following my friends' live speedo but wouldn't eat it as I'm sure they could see the wire leader...visibility here at present is over 100 ft.....( and by the way, any fishermen reading this, be aware that 40# fluorocarbon leader is extremely visible to the human eye underwater! )

Thanks to the guys at BLUE WATER HUNTERS.....I may order a 4 ft graphite tip for my Henley, but at present I'm still experimenting with propulsion ideas......

Hoping to go after a Black Grouper for myself tomorrow...wish me luck!

Neil

[BananaMan]

Hi,

For Blue water we use longer Pole Spears, 8-10 feet long, we also add a stronger pole spear rubber and a detachable tip. Also we attach a 80-100 ft float line to fight the fish.

I usually use our local JBL brand of Pole Spear but I recently bought Two Lance Ohara Pole Spears, they are more powerfull and quicker. Two part graphite and Aluminum. Check them out at www.hawaiiskindiver.com

Good luck hunting

[Ronioc]

Use some spectra cord as "line", coil it up in your band hand, and tie one end to the end of the pole spear, and other end to the floatline. Make sure your fingers don't get caught in it when you stick a powerful fish, or you will be along for the ride, or without a finger. Wahoo loves flashers, let it dangle at 25-35ft and wait for them to come in closer. 10ft+ polespear minimum, with short strong band (so that you dont have to be close to the tip, fish don't like human body too close - but are not that afraid of the tip alone). Also, chumming makes fish get stupid (feeding frenzy, curiosity), but also attracts sharks....keep the chum pieces small

[neil burnie]

So far I have a 30'' Spectra loop thru the slip tip replacing the wire...
this loops onto either a float line attached to breakaway bands on the spear, or to a short length of reinforced polypro for pulling directly on Hogfish, snappers or groupers inshore....Should get out tomorrow so will keep you posted.

Neil

[ROBERT REYES]

You can only spear with pole spears in Bermuda?
Wahoo meat is really soft.

[neil burnie]

Yep, anything else is a firearm..........!! No knives over 2.5'' blade, no handguns, no wrist rockets........
I've taken plenty of wahoo with fishing gear and I can't wait to see that explosive first run from under the water....

Neil

[robsteroo2000]

Neil - it is only by the merest fluke that I saw your post.

Long experience of seeking assitance from the master of all forms of fishing should have sent you to England for the answer to your questions.

In future - even when wrestling with groupers - or wahoo in the chum trail - you must ask yourself.... "What would Rob do?"

Actually - your mrs might also like to ask the same question on the 19th tee - as I have taken up golf.

Might I suggest that you always include a Revell Variant on your spear tip - success is then totally and utterly guaranteed

PS - don't forget barbless spear tips then you can adapt your techniques to UK carp fishing and return the fish (almost) unharmed to the water

[Fondueset]

Just a question from the uninitiated. What is the effective range of a polespear - of course I know there are different lengths and whatnot - just a general answer would be dandy.

[sickbugs]

lol from reading about it, seems to be about... the length of the spear maybe???


how about something like a 10 - 12 foot long thin, dense wood polespear, thats rigig but will bend before it snaps (purpleheart would fit the bill perfectly here) rigged with a sliptip??? is there any reason for not using wood polespears?

[ROBERT REYES]

Neil, you dont really need too much range if they are in groups,
they wont be afraid of you as long as you dont swim after them.
While waiting for the biggest one, I have had them so close that I could almost touch them.
Use a slip tip, and a bungie/float combo.
It sure will be a hell of a time shooting them this way.

[Ronioc]

Fondueset, range is about 8ft on average pole spear. That means you need MAD STALKING SKILLS to some close enough for a shot on trophy fish.

On longer polespears range remains 8-10ft or so, except you place additional distance from your body to the fish.

Wood is not used because it would not be able to withstand repetitive load of the band. Even thin aluminum polespears bend when loaded, so you have to twist them as you load them in order to "wrap" stretched band around the lenght of the spear so it stays straight.

[laminar]

Could someone post an open water pole spear story? It would be a great read!

[Fondueset]

In my humble waters I have pretty good stalking skills. Generally well inside of a meter. Same when I was out west. My problem is when I get that close I prefer to take pictures... People think my shots of lake trout are cropped because they normally move to the edge of visibility - 40 feet and more during their season.

Pete - any word on the pole spear you guys were designing? I have some ideas of my own that might be of interest.

[Pinggene]

Fondueset,

From experience, I think that the effective range is slightly shorter than the pole spear. I think by that time, most of the speed is gone due to the friction on your hand and the stretch being gone from the rubber cord.

I use a pole spear mostly for smaller fish, but I'm sure it could be used for larger fish close in with the right tip as suggested above. I like the pole spear due to the "quick reload". One can get 10 shots with a pole spear to 1 with a spear gun...possible more.

Peace,

Gene

[neil burnie]

/Users/neilburnie/Desktop/hoggie2.jpg /Users/neilburnie/Desktop/hoggie.jpg