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British (UK) Polespear.

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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myfish

Well-Known Member
Apr 29, 2007
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After much research I find there is virtually zero information on British polespearing. If you read a few threads on here or on other boards, sure, people sometimes discuss them but in general, here and across Europe, it seems they aren't a fishing tool of choice.

Why ?

Well, that begs the question doesn't it.

I can tell you, with complete confidence that polespearing is challenging, sometimes hard work but always rewarding, catch or not.

The man with a gun 'might' catch more but, a man with a polespear can too and, give that man a gun after a season with a polespear and watch that catch rate improve !

No joke, I firmly believe, any spearo who has an interest in getting 'better', should at least give a polespear a serious go.

I have used a polespear here in jersey on and off for around 5 years. This past season, almost exclusively outside of competition and that is about to change in friendlies during 2014. They really ARE, that effective.

Actually, it makes YOU, more effective. A polespear is nothing fancy but there are some technical details you should be aware of for use in British waters.

1.jpg


A bass caught in full daylight, photographed as the light fades. Polespear is a Gat-Ku 7ft with a flopper tip.

2.jpg


Another Bass falls to the polespear.

Yes, it can be done. A friend and I are having a ball with the polespears here in Jersey. That location as you know is strong tides and often very clear water with skittish fish. we, like most others can suffer from LOW VIS too. I find a range of polespears in the 5 to 9ft range the most useful.

ps1.jpg


Pointing, no aiming. A bass gets some steel.

3.jpg


Another day, another polespear bass and one of a few that day.

4.jpg


A night dive. OK, for some, no challenge, for me, it's more about foraging and food collection. I rarely fish the same place twice in any one year and believe in sustainable collection.

ps.png


In my range ( 3 to 5ft ) at best. Load, point and fire. Sometimes fish are FAST ! and I dive pre-loaded for periods.

6.jpg


Just on sunrise, a 1 hour polespear session brings rewards.

riffe-x4-8.png


My latest addition. A riffe polespear complete with modified slip-tip. This can be extended right upto 11ft, not cheap but well made and fast. More with softer mullet in mind.

bass-polespear.jpg


So yes, it can be done and a few of us, looking for that extra challenge are and have been using polespears in British seas for sometime.

Why not have a go ?

 
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Seems alot of txt is chopped off.

Can't seem to edit it, sorry.

< re-sized images >

Hope that fixes it for you.
 
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Thanks for the writeup. I personally love polespearing its (like you said) always rewarding. Do you find it difficult to spear in that low viz? That's just what it looks like where I live.
 
Very well done video, that is an achievement for sure... must build me a pole spear :)
 
Just adding a few more images here.

The spear and fish images were shot by my friend who is quite brilliant and innovative. His spear is home built, telescopic and with a simple yet, adjustable band.

7.jpg


Modified Riffe slip-tip. We removed all what is for us, overkill steel cable and we made a dyneema system that can be detached with ease. Our fish just aren't big enough to worry any of that hardware.

8.jpg


Lining up a bass in clearer vis. This is why we have a need for a wide range of poles. Sometimes we have 3ft of vis, other times, 30 or even 60ft.

9.jpg


Dilemma ? Shot the mullet, or the bass ?
 
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The IUSA (international Underwater Spreafishing Association) has just made separate categories for Hawaiian slings and polespears.
We're gaining ground.
 
Just an update in case someone out there googles it or whatever...

chris-isaacs-polespear-bass-1-9kg.jpg

Bass on slip tip.
 
chris-mullet.jpg


Local pole guru Chris Isaacs with a nice mullet.

chris-pole-white-bream.jpg


Same diver shoots a 'white bream' in Jersey.
 
2.jpg


51.5cm 1.21 kg Goldie + 2 decent bass. Taken on Japanese modified Riffe carbon 9ft pole-spear and slip tip. Daylight dive, image taken just post dusk.
 
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More to follow, we hope but fishing here this past 2 seasons has been FAR from good.
 
Thanks.

As it panned out, the Goldie is an overall (club apnea) club record and to make it sweeter, taken on a PS.

Now to start finding if I can get close to the black bream in deeper water with a longer spear.
 
Great posts myfish - thanks for sharing. :) Any chance you can describe the mechanics of this for us? For example, do you use, say, a 14mm rubber just wrapped around the back of your non-primary hand & connected to the butt of the spear and then pull the spear back to moderate tension with your primary hand, while the secondary hand grips the spear?

BTW I came across this rather good youtube video on the Riffer spear:
 
The simplest method is a circular band, loaded to between 50% and 66% of the actual spear length. However...

This sounds simple enough and, if we were shooting hogfish or US reef fish, we'd have little reason to do anything other than see the fish, load the spear, shoot the fish.

In practice, on bass, mullet, bream etc, most shots are re-active or, done aspetto at depths for us between 5 and 16 -- 20 meters. So, holding onto a loaded spear whilst you either creep around, or wait, burns reserves and/or, is impractical as dropping down to see a bass in the kelp, only to miss it as you TRY to load the pole is simply, silly.

The Japanese have used a helper system, not a trigger but a pre-load system that especially helps on spears post 7ft as to load a 7ft spear with a 66% load position requires first reaching back etc so, any fish worth it's salt is GONE before you are loaded anyway after you've seen it. It's seen, felt and got fed up with you well before you are ready.

So, the helper system I use mostly allows a pre-loaded dive to whatever depth in a two-handed position. There is no tension involved on my part as the pre-loading is done, pre-dive. I then hold the spear, with my non-spear hand just in front of the grip also.

As I dive, or wait and see the fish coming in, a silent and steady lift off the catch and the pole is now loaded without much movement at all and, the pole itself doesn't move. I also twist the bands, (in this case Thera Band Silver) around the pole ONCE. Any more is overkill but I find a full spiral wrap helps you HOLD the loaded tension better AND, the pole will rifle, staying straighter on the shot. Without this twist, you will banana the rear section on any pole, even solid aluminium under 40lb or more. We are using 35 - 60lb loads depending on the target species and 'where' we are shooting.

Hopefully, this video, showing my home made bands and handle system (mk1) will enlighten anyone interested.

 
So where is the post describing how you made your setup? The video is cool, but I wondered what you used to attach the 'hook' to the spear?
 
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