How to Kill A Cobia

[Murat]

Originally posted by Iyadiver

Now, if my fishes hang at 48 meters/160 feet, how am I ever going to shoot one on apnea ?
IYA

simple dude, you will call Erik to shoot them for ya

[Iyadiver]

Murat, may I design a 50 meter long snorkel instead.......

And for whoever the dude who bombed me with negative karma for this Cobia post....I thank you so very much...........Gracias, Arigato.......childish back stabber....ha ha ha. Sometime some people just can't take civilized arguement....my my....

[gxdoyle]

Originally posted by Iyadiver


DOYLE,

So where's the fish Datok Doyle ? Any luck yet ?

Not yet but I did nail 3 coral trout and 2 red snapper on a single dive last week. Not so big fish but very enak.

Am having a little bit of trouble getting a charter to the Cobia wreck so had planned instead to go this weekend to - a supertanker wreck in the South China Sea - but last weekend the crazy indos waited there and captured one of my main competitor's dive boats for being (allegedly) less than 0.5 nm inside their territory and at last check, still had 30 well-heeled customers locked up in Batam in the navy brig as illegal immigrants.

This has scared off charters to there so this weekend am heading to the wreck of a battleship where have also seen Cobia's but also massive sweetlips (approx 15kg) and coral trout (7-10 kg). I'll be after a couple of these. I've only seen the cobias on this wreck in mid-water, not near the wreck or near the bottom, so with nothing to hook into I probably won't risk a shot.

I have made a few changes to gear though based on all the good advice I got here. First, I crimped a line from the shooting line to the stock to take the pressure off the pigtail. Second, I crimped 2 stainless steel double-ender dog clips to either end of 15' of 1000'lb line. My idea is to roll this up secured with 2 twist-ties (like for trash bags) and clip one end to the butt of the gun (pass through the hole and clip back onto the line) and the other end to something handy on the wreck. This way I can shoot and drop the gun should need be. I figure I have a lot less chance getting entangled this way than I would if I let the fish run out 100' of line off the reel.

The other thing I am working on is affixing a 10 w HID light head to the bottom of the stock so I can light up the fishies if they are under the wreck in the dark or at night. I know you can spotlight barracudas like rabbits with a light, but i have never really tried with other fish. If that works the next thing will be a laser sight

Am super keen to come and nail some of your doggies - we take a rest during the monsoon from November - February - let me know if you've got something going.

I hope if I come all the way back to Indo there will be the chance for some ayam kampung as well as fish

[Iyadiver]

Datok Doyle,

If you don't want to get harassed here, you can try www.spearboard.com where the site is for scuba spearo. They can give you lots of advice too because they hunt the same.

Why would my Navy arrest your competitor's boat ?
Don't you guys stop over at Batam and get passport chop plus sailing permit ? Technically if you sail direct from Malaysia or Singapore without getting into Batam for immigration, the navy can suck your pocket dry cause you are violating Indo territory.
The same will happen to any Indo boat going into Malaysia or Singapore hush hush. Indo has a unique law where all foreign pleasure craft or semi commercial like dive boats must get a sailing permit. In Jakarta area it is a piece of paper with 3 months validity. In the Riau area, you get a book and it is valid for a year. I know immigration will take more time, but crossing into another country you got no choice. Even Singapore now, you must fax PSA 48 hours ahead of your arrival if on a pleasure craft. After the 9-11 everything is very tight. Now the Indo navy is buying more and more 36 meter patrol crafts, you guys will have more trouble in the later years.

The people at Raffles Marina in Singapore knows Batam Navy well. Talk to some of them to get help. One of the boss of Raffles Marina, Mr Francis Lee has made many trips to Anambas without a glitch, all with proper paper of course.

I am going to a supposedly damn hot spot this 23rd October for 4 days battle. It is 800+ miles away from Jakarta.

I go all year round, weather permitting of course but there is always a weather window even on Nov-Feb. I'll let you know.
I'm diving my Doggie Territory this Thursday. Last Friday I was there but nothing VERY big and lost two medium size Doggies. I have not eaten Doggies for months....

There is this bastard grouper of 100+ KG always waiting for a free meal there, I hate that fish but I pity it. I almost lost a complete gun because one of its another gigantic cousin swallowed my 15kg Doggie last year and taking my gun along with it. At one time there is 3 of 100kg and 1 of 200kg at the same time. It was so difficult to shoot fishes and not having fear of loosing it to these SOB. Groupers swallow, they don't bite like sharks, they swallow the shaft along, that's how we can loose a gun to them.


Dive Safe

IYA

[gxdoyle]

Originally posted by Iyadiver

And for whoever the dude who bombed me with negative karma for this Cobia post

Jangan khwatir! Aku sudah isi karma kamu lagi deh!

[gxdoyle]

Originally posted by Iyadiver
Datok Doyle,

If you don't want to get harassed here, you can try www.spearboard.com where the site is for scuba spearo. They can give you lots of advice too because they hunt the same.

OK - might try over there - have not felt really harrassed here. I mean 'you should play video games instead' what the hell kinda insult is that?

Originally posted by Iyadiver
There is this bastard grouper of 100+ KG always waiting for a free meal there, I hate that fish but I pity it. I almost lost a complete gun because one of its another gigantic cousin swallowed my 15kg Doggie last year and taking my gun along with it. At one time there is 3 of 100kg and 1 of 200kg at the same time. It was so difficult to shoot fishes and not having fear of loosing it to these SOB. Groupers swallow, they don't bite like sharks, they swallow the shaft along, that's how we can loose a gun to them.

UNBELIEVABLE (but I do believe you) - who the hell says this shit is not a sport! I have never seen grouper this big (max maybe 60-70 kg).

But I am never sure of how big a fish will be before it is no good to eat. I know with most pelagics it doesn't really matter. But a lot of guys here say that any reef fish like grouper, Snapper or Sweetlips are no good to eat if they are over about 5kg and therefore not worth shooting.

What do you think? I often get the chance to shoot groupers in the 20-30 kg range but always resisted the temptation because I did not know if it could be et.

[Iyadiver]

The typical Chinese restaurant red coral trout is good up to 5kg, however 1-2 kg is best easting. Red snapper 2-4kg is good for curry head...yum...yum.... Too big a snapper have highr risk of ciguatera. Sweetlips best at under 2 kg.

The only grouper I know which is CONFIRMED good up to 30 kg is Potato Cod, I believe in Australia this is protected. These giants grouper I am talking about is Queensland grouper, this is according to the fish data base. On this side of the planet, this giant grouper is equivalent to Goliath ( Jewfish ) abundant in the US. According to the fish data base these two are the only groupers which can grow exceeding 200kg.

I have not shot groupers in a long-long time. In my Doggie alley, there is a 10kg Potato Cod but I just like looking at it. Doggie is the name of the game there. My favourite eating is actually tenggiri ( narrow banded spanish mackerel ). If there is a 20kg tenggiri and a 30kg Doggie at the same spot, I will shoot the tenggiri....YUM YUM.

I have different places to hunt different species but lately the roller coaster ride quality with a Doggie is just soooooooooo exciting, I loose sleep over it. When a fish can spool out a 150 feet reel in 5 seconds and tow you from 120 feet to 160 feet in less than 10 seconds.....you will beg for more. This kind of rush is just so addictive, it is sometime better than sex because the opportunity for it is definitely much less. From enjoying the roller coaster tow to eventually getting scared shit as the we get towed deeper, that's when we throw the gun away...no choice.

In this supposedly hot spot, the dive guide told me on the phone that they avoid shooting doggies over 25kg because that is about the biggest they can handle on the deep bottomless wall dive........without a float. Honestly, my limit without a float for Doggies is 15kg. With a scuba gear, you can not swim up with this size of Doggie when it wants to head down. The pulling power of Doggies are just amazing.

Take a look at the 100kg grouper for size reference :

http://www.spearboard.com/forum/show...=giant+grouper

IYA

[rigdvr]

Originally posted by Nesim


i give up

Bout f*cking time. Sorry you and Miker dont run the world....If you want to continue to shoot those big dumb groupers from 8 ft like your pic how is that more sporting than IYA shooting a doggie at 180'. Like Jay, I do both. I prefer to freedive more often but still enjoy my 200 ft drops for the big boys. You've never been here, have no clue, and aren't very open minded to what others here are saying. How far do you go offshore to hunt? I HAVE to travel 30miles out minimum, mopre often I go 80 miles out. I could go on about what I do but you dont care, you just want me to learn the truth you preach for have have sinned against the spearing gods

Iya, I re rigged one of my guns with a traditional "helldivers" riding rig and will post pics soon.

[rigdvr]

oh yeah, spearboard is also a gathering place for the country's best freedivers too. GR Tarr, Blake Gaylord, Cameron Kirkonal, and a bunch of refugees like me who get tired of being berrated here. Guess what, we get along over there....

I know, I know....why I dont just stay there then...because I like to piss some of yall off here

[mjacobs]

It's a coonass thing. So let's see that riding rig.
Mark

[Erik]

Originally posted by rigdvr
I know, I know....why I dont just stay there then...because I like to piss some of yall off here

...and because we like you, learn from you and are scared of you
Salud!
Erik Y.

[rigdvr]

i really do enjoy most of the people here...even though you have to put up with knuckleheads sometimes, its worth it.

[icarus pacific]

Coonass, cobia...it all tastes like chicken.

It's been a long while since I've been able to get to where any cobia are, but the best advice I had given to me then has already presented itself here- if you can't brain 'em, string 'em from behind and through. And the gills thing? Definitely the easier way if you're given the chance to get close enough without getting burgered by those damn fins. Thing with me was that not getting to see them often, I was mistaking them for sharks in the haze, at least until everyone else started popping them. Then I woke up. Then my riding rig took off... yeeehah.

And hey, you pompous jackasses out there that think the only way to shoot fish is done on breathold, there's a looong line of people waiting to kiss my paid-for, white ass, and you just made senior membership.

As Jay and Iya and Mike have put it, in varying degrees of eloquence there are times and places where your usual or prefered style isn't going to get the job done, or at the very least be safe. as long as the local regulations permit it and you aren't an idiot about it, 'sall good. Just don't overcook it.

[Erik]

Originally posted by Murat
simple dude, you will call Erik to shoot them for ya

You first Murat! How about I be your surface support/spotter? Maybe I'd pick up a bi-valve or a starfish at best....nothing that could fight back!
Cheers,
Erik Y.

[Erik]

Originally posted by gxdoyle
I hope if I come all the way back to Indo there will be the chance for some ayam kampung as well as fish

How about ayam Jakarta? Bandung's even better.... mmm, choklat
Maybe Iya will take you to CJ's, Club Tigapuluh, or even Stadium (yikes).
Just remember, when jumping out of a plane use a parachute, therefore.... hati-hati
Hari yang baik Pak,
Erik Y.
ps, nobody should need the above translated!