second AJ, 33 lbs

[BIG C]

I shot the second at 122 feet on scuba. He weighed 33 pounds, and I gave him to a non spearfishing friend on the boat.

[Alison]

Pah its old hat now LOL those two fish alone weigh as much as my entire catch this year
again, nice one

[LaJollaFreedvr]

scuba?

[mishu1984]

scuba is cheating dude! but hey as long as you practice it within certain boundries and dont go on rampages killing fish left and right...but still its not fair

[miles]

Hiya Big C

Nice fish!!!!! Bet you had loads of fun spearing them!!!!

Mishu1984 & LaJollaFreedvr, thats no way to welcome a new member

Regards
miles

[BIG C]

spearing those 2 aj's was the most exciting diving that i have done to date! It was really a challenge to fight those big fish. i know alot of you guys prefer freediving, but that is not an option for me yet. (i just started spearfishing, and these were my first big fish) besides, shooting at 98 & 122 feet is where the aj's were. probably too deep to freedive anyway. plus, one of those fish took 8-10 minutes to subdue and string up. i could not believe how hard these things can pull. i was really glad that i had a rig leg to hang onto. cant wait to go back. we should be heading out again on 07/24. the forecast blew us out for this weekend. hopefully wil find a bigger fish this weekend! i have some friends dying to grill up some 3 inch filet's!

[ajwaverider]

OH no! Here we go again. Welcome back Big C.Why are the AJs
staying so far down ? I remember diving a couple of barges in the gulf at about 65 feet and they were everywhere. Water here is
pretty freaky ,mid to upper 70s temp, bad thermocline and no fish to be seen .What do you use to subdue the fish?Last time you said you was going to give freediving a try, i'm going to hold you to it buddie.

[BIG C]

we were out 42 miles south of grand isle in 188 feet of water. both dives, the schools were under 100'. lately the vis has been terrible because the mississippi river is around 12' over norm and it is pushing dirty water into the gulf. even though we were 42 miles out, we still did not see blue water! we are hoping that the river goes down so we can start diving blue water again, instead of this horrible murk. (it sometimes will clear up at 60', 100' or never, you just dont know until you dive that particular rig) I know i said i woul try freediving, but i am not set up for that yet. i am still using a riding rig. besides, one of those amberjacks took 8-10 minutes for me to subdue. i could not believe how hard those things pull! it seemed like forever before i could string the fish. i just cant see myself freediving yet, too new of a spearfisherman right now. ( more excuses later) were heading out this weekend, hopefully more big fish. i will let you know.

[rigdvr]

mishu and lajo...get over it. Its legal and harder than you think. I gave up tanks about two years ago but have no problems with what big c is doing. You have never dove here, have no idea about the conditions ect. Ever try freediving in the offshore currents of the mighty mississppi river? I have. Makes the gulf stream look like a playground. I freedove last week and there was a 60' murk layer with reverse currents underneath...had I not been able to make 80+ foot drops I would have never seen a fish much less shot one. This isnt south florida mishu. You cant see fish swimming on the bottom in 40' and our average trip is 55-90 miles offshore...along way to go to find out conditions are undiveable.

aj...the barges you dove are much different than the rigs of mississippi and louisiana. This time of year the fish are deep.

As for scuba being cheating...arent you the one moving up here to go to Tulane? Better get used to the tanks b/c you will hardly ever get out if you cant deal with that. Thats is your only ride usually. I freedive while my buddies tank dive and the first time you call one of them a cheater they will...well it wont be pretty. Check out my clubs site to see some of the fish and guys Im talking about www.helldivers.org

Big c, keep it up. Good work and stay safe. Im telling you...go to spearboard.com, this site has sucked for about a year now.

[mishu1984]

Originally posted by mishu1984
scuba is cheating dude! but hey as long as you practice it within certain boundries and dont go on rampages killing fish left and right...but still its not fair

rigdvr: if you took notice you would be able to see that i wasnt as harsh as many other people could be.
and honestly i have no problem seing people spearfish on scuba as long as it is done with moderation
i have seen too many time too many people who dont take the time to learn about the fish that they are spearing and just strap on a tank and go on a killing rampage.

yes, my personal belief is that scuba is cheating, but i find it acceptable as long as it is done in a smart and ecologicaly friendly way. i do recognize that there are circumstances in which it is requiered the use of scuba equipment.

[ajwaverider]

Originally posted by rigdvr
this site has sucked for about a year now. [/b]

WTF?// and still he returns.

Listen Big C,if you are a person that can't think for yourself or
has trouble voicing your opinion even against the majority you
will fit in there. But on the other hand nobody made me click on your post so feel free to post what you want.I like reading your post even if you use scuba to spear as long as you don't waste what you shoot. Being new to spearing you seem to be progressing so maybe you could take a trip one state to the east
and show them whats going on in the world.

thanks for posting.

[BIG C]

rigdiver, my hat is off to you if you dive with the hell divers. I have seen some of their fish (78 pound amberjacks!, 133 pound stingray, etc.) those guys are awesome! i dive with the aqua aces, i just joined a few months ago. I am learning alot by diving with them, but you diving with the hell divers, man, you are diving with some really brave divers. diving with them will certainly give you an edge and encourage you to go deeper and bigger. i think that it is great that you are able to freedive the rigs. you are right when you say that it is not even close to diving in waters like florida, caribbean, etc. i think alot of the freedivers on this site would be surprised at how chalenging it is in the gulf, especially when the river is up and there is no blue water for miles. i certainly agree that most of those guys would not come up with many fish. i know i would only see spade and trigger fish if i freedove. i am having a great time diving to 100+ feet and fighting these huge fish in water that has a current and is not so clear. it is a real challenge and adventure! we are heading out this weekend, and i am hoping to shoot my first lemon fish, as well as shooting a bigger amberjack so i can share him with some friends. once again, i am new to spearing, and not ready to freedive, which most of you understand, and i appreciate it. if i were in florida in clear 40 foot water, i would consider diving down to shoot a fish, but not offsohre at the rigs. there is no way i could do that. besides, you always have at least 2 foot seas. ever try to relax before ascending while floating in 3 foot seas, kicking against a current while holding on to a barnacle encrusted rig leg, hoping not to be slammed into it while planning to submerge through water that you cant see through! boy i have respect for someone who can do that. remember, it is real easy to dive down and come up and never see the rig. then you could be pulled out to sea. i am not ready for that nightmare! sorry for the long post, but if you can freedive in the gulf, you are the man, if you can freedive in florida you are a good freediver. by the way, i am not the man for that challenge. if yo disagree with me, maybe you can take a trip with rig, i would like to hear you opinion as to the differences in freediving both areas. just a thought. big c

[mishu1984]

Originally posted by BIG C
rigdiver....133 pound stingray....those guys are awesome!

jeez i guess we should also start shooting pandas and koalas since we are shooting stingrays...
its sad the level that people will sink to with a tank straped on their back.

[BIG C]

just an example of the level of diving that most people cannot achieve. did you miss the part about the very large amberjack. for the rodeos, they shoot some of the biggest fish that I ever saw. It is an amazing example of some very brave and skilled divers. Some of them even dive bluewater with a buoy system for even larger pelagic fish. most of us dont have the luxury of having the equipment to do such extreme dive that far offshore.
you would be suprised, and i dont think you would criticize if you saw firsthand what those guys are doing out there.

[Alison]

I think the scuba veres freedive fishing has been done to death, and its becoming dull to say the least. Both aspects of the sort have they're own techniques, problems and successes, I really find it hard to understand the conflict here! Why cant the two exist in harmony?
I cant say I agree with this "brave" business though, at the end of the day its a sport and one in which we should be promoting the saftey side, especially on public forums such as this. Ive looked at another forum where scuba fishing is the main topic and find it very disturbing the open talk of 40M bounce dives; which lets face it are a bit on the dodgy side to say the least. Yes I admit I'm on my high horse again but its something I really feel strongly about! These forums are open for all to see, the wise and the stupid, I'd like to think that at least some of those who post on them are at the top level of their sport and it is these people that should be setting the standards for us all to follow! Those who proffess to be "ACE" divers (of either faction) should not to my mind be glorifying unsafe practice and leading the impressionable astray.
This is not an attack on any individual (or aspect of the sport) but a general observation and thankfully not a frequent one. Its the responsibility of us all to stamp on dangerous practice either in the water or on script such as this.
A fool and his life are soon parted