spear tip question

[SHdiver]

i'm relatively new to spearfishing, and have a question about spear tips. The tip i am currently using has 2 "flappers" on it to make sure that the spear does not come out of the fish... the flappers are kept partially open by a black rubber stopper that runs through the tip... there is also a metal ring that can be used to keep the flappers flush to the spear, which obviously makes it easier to pull the spear out.

my question is this - should the metal ring be pushed up to keep the flappers flush to the spear before firing? i'm wondering if in this way the tip will penetrate, and the ring will be pushed off causing the rubber stopper to push open the flappers? my fear is that the flappers will be pushed open before the spear goes through the fish though (especially on a girthy fish like a striped bass)... or the tip will go completely through, but it will blow a barn door out the back side of the fish...
on my last spear tip which i recently lost i just pulled the rubber stopper out in order to keep the flappers flush w/o using the ring... would it be better to keep the stopper in and just use the ring?

any thoughts or advice are appreciated

[blumon]

I was recently polespearing for lobster in 25ft of water at Samana Cay (Bahamas out-Island ... ENE of Crooked Island) when I took a shot at a bug deep inside a cave. I hit it from the side after which it went into series of somersaults and actually unscrewed the tip from the pole.I lost the bug and the tip on that dive and went back later to retrieve both with a sling - I got my dinner but could not reach or see the tip (lobster was 11lb's).
Anyway, long story short ...I later rummaged around in the tackle boxes on board the boat and found a replacement tip just like the one you describe...the rubber stopper was old and the rubber was 'perished'. Removing the old, I managed to substitute it with a rubber 'O'-ring. The way it works is that when you close the twin flappers down against the shaft, the metal ring is designed to retain those flappers while the compressed rubber creates pressure - in essence forcing the flapper to open out. As you then take the shot at whatever prey you're hunting, the metal ring will be dislodged and the flappers deployed as it passes thru the body of the fish/lobster. I gotta admit that I was n't crazy about the set-up, but it worked ok and got me and my polespear back in business for the rest of the trip. I was happy to use it as a back-up, but I have since gone back to the original tip.
Happy hunting...B