yellowtail gun

[kkam]

hello im looking into getting a gun for yellowtail hunting in the kelp pattys off the socal coast and around the islands im looking at the aimrite venom in 110 to 130 cm is this a good start or should i look for something different

[Bill McIntyre]

I think the Venom would be a good start, although 110 would be a bit short.

After you chose a gun, the next decision is whether to use a reel or a floatlne rigged as breakaway and with a float on the end. Since you will be in water over 1000 feet deep, its obvious that you are not following the fish to the bottom. The breakway float line has the obvious advantage that a float will fight the fish while the gun is safe in your hands. The disadvantage is that getting a float line in and out of the water every time you stop on another paddy can be a pain in the ass, and its even more so if you have two or three guys going in the water at once. The float lines have an uncanny way of finding each other and tangling.

The reel is much easier to deal with, but of course if a fish is big enough to take all your line, you might lose your gun if you were unable to cut the line in time.

For what its worth, most guys who dive from my boat use reels. As long as you have 150 to 200 feet of line, its extremely unlikely that a fish that you spear can take your gun.

If you do go with a reel, you have to make sure that your gun will still float after the shaft has been fired. I know that Daryl Wong is installing the new Rob Allen composite reels on his guns, and I think his partner Rick is doing the same on the Aimrites. Those reels are very light for a reel that can hold 200 feet of Q-Power Spectra line. In any event, he would be able to advise you on what length gun would float with which reel. And if you do go with the Venom and do decide on a reel with it, I would advise you to get him to install it before he ships. That way you know its done right.

[kkam]

ive always liked the concept of a breakaway floatline like the ones from neptonics i would hate to lose my gun but ive never used one i think that i saw a post from you or one that you commented on, on spearboard about reels and and rigging your line to break away when spooled it involved a knot and a ziptie is this a good rig for open water or is it more for kelp beds were you can retrive your line

[Bill McIntyre]

Rigging the line to break free from the reel would be equally applicable in open water or in a kelp bed. If it breaks free in a kelp bed, its is highly unlikely that you will ever see it again. A friend shot a big white sea bass this spring and had his reel torn off of his gun, probably due to a backlash or tangle. He couldn't find it even with a reel on the end of the line.

[kkam]

wow thats nuts better a shaft, line and reel than your whole gun- if thats a possibility than wouldnt a breakaway float line be a better choice for large fish- i guess its all about personal preferance and your abilities

[Bill McIntyre]

Originally Posted by kkam

wow thats nuts better a shaft, line and reel than your whole gun- if thats a possibility than wouldnt a breakaway float line be a better choice for large fish- i guess its all about personal preferance and your abilities

Yes it is. There are pros and cons to both choices.

One thing to consider is that if you ever hunt white sea bass in the kelp, you can't use a float, or at least can't use anything but a tiny float that just serves as something to grab when all the line has been pulled through your hand. Most people are not willing to use a float line over 100 feet long, but I sure wouldn't use one any shorter. You might think that all you need is a line as long as the water is deep, but you can't get over the fish. It goes to the bottom, zig-zags through the kelp, and takes up line. A friend of mine shot a 60 pounder with a 100 foot line in 25 feet of water and was being pulled straght down. He almost had to turn loose of the line to get up for air but the boat arrived and he was able to grab the swim step.

On the other hand, I have 200 feet of line on the reel of the gun I use most often, so that is twice as much before I have to turn loose.

But of course with the breakaway, even if I turn loose of the line, at least I have the gun in my hand still.

And of course being realistic, if you put a lot of pressure on, you can almost always make a white sea bass turn and wrap up in the kelp before it takes all your float line.

Confused? Well, those are the things to think about in making your choice.

That attached photo shows the typical float used in the kelp.

[kkam]

awsome all this has been a huge help thank you

[Bill McIntyre]

Tony replied to my email and said you are good to go on Spearboard.

[kkam]

yea just got the email from him thanks for the help