do fish know the range of your gun?

[Marwan]

yesterdays fishing really got me asking that question, i did something like 30 dives 10-15 meters, and saw some snappers which are usually caught in aspetto, after several aspettos, the fish just sits out of the range of a 90cm speargun i was using, so i get closer very slowly and it gets further away also very slowly, its like it spotted the gun and can tell its range i wonder if i had a 120 what would have happened? they are smart after all serious that thing was looking at me like " good luck with that 90 pal"

[Pastor]

I suspect they can perceive a change in your body language. When they are out of range you are waiting but as they come in to range perhaps something about you changes and they pick up on it and don't come any closer.

[Marwan]

i know what you mean , but this was more like "hey what you got there, an omer 90?"

[Pastor]

Did they look like this?

http://www.fish-school.com/images/logo_w_background.gif

[Marwan]

yes except one of them had glasses on

[Pastor]

[miles]

Welcome to the world of mid-handles!! Imagine, you still have only 90cm that the fish can see, but the range of a 130cm gun!!

[spaghetti]

Marwan, what snappers are those exactly? Dentex?
If it's dentex you simply need a bigger gun, a 110 or more, the bigger the better with those d@mn cunning sons of a snapper. They always do the same as you reported over here, them b@strds. With a 90 it's hopeless talking for experience (and yes I hate dentex!!!).

[ashtheflash]

What u need sonny, is a camo suit!!!: Hehehe...

[Marwan]

they are not dentex, but they behave just like them..they get smarter as they grow bigger i think...
ashod, give me back my camo suit

[Newbie_spearo]

Apparently the snapper down here are the same, very smart and very fast!!! I'll have to try both my guns when they arrive and see if they can tell the difference. Maybe I'll get a reel for the 130cm and then see how smart they are. hehehe

[ashtheflash]

OK,seriously now, the shouri, is spangled emperor, and the rabag, is doublebar bream, both in english. And its true, they both do get jittery as they grow larger. And stay out of gun range, unless you manage to trick them into getting closer.......in your dreams, naturally!!!

[Marwan]

you know we've landed them before so we will land them again buddy..they just needed a 110 with double band or the mamba, next time lets try and see if the viz is as good as it was.... in my dreams they also taste very good yum

[Mr. X]

Fish certainly appear to know when they are in range! At least in the videos I've seen although, thinking about it, that it is not my experience (perhaps due to murky water). Usually the fish I encounter either: take off immediately; hide & sit tight until I am upon them then take off; are unbothered by me or are actively curious and come in to take a close look. I prefer the later two

Originally Posted by miles

...Welcome to the world of mid-handles!! Imagine, you still have only 90cm that the fish can see, but the range of a 130cm gun!!

So that's why Pastor raves about them! Once seen (or sensed) I reckon fish, and most wild animals, are pretty good at sensing when a predator is ready to strike - as you would be were it to come in range. Perhaps it has something to do with muscle tension/rigidity? If this is true, then a mid-handle won't help because you'll still tense up when it starts coming into range. Maybe yogic relaxation would help more (certainly didn't do any harm for that new, top female freediver).

[tbgsub]

after watching some PRO spearfishing videos, and experrimeting with local fish I have learned to forget that I am holding a speargun and throw up sand like i am looking for something!

the fish almost immediately relax and come in for a look at the wierd bottom feeder.

try to point your gun at the last moment moving slowly.

I have had the same problem with 110 and 130 Cm spearguns, as well as with a mid handled Andre gun that is 59" long with approximately 19ft range using 4 16mm bands and 7mm breakaway bolt and slip tip.

I am not sure how to get attention from Blue water fish except put alot of food in the water and hope for a visitor. (any special tricks other than use a flasher, I am working on a ladder flasher for near and off reef fishing hoping to land Wahoo, and Doggies)

by the way, are there any special tactics to get closer to Dogtooth Tunas?

thanks.

By the way I thiink the guys are right aout the muscle tension thing and the acting like a predator about to strike, fish are just tuned into your intentions really well. I would call that a successful 100 million years of instinctual evolution that is hard to fool when acting like a typical predator.

good luck.

TBG SUB
in Saipan.