Tip of the day,

[Spiderman]

Beware of too much good advice!

My best fish have all been caught when spearing at places and times that many people would say are less than ideal. Work and family committments mean that I can't be fussy about tides and locations so I go in whenever and it has paid off surprisingly well sometimes.

[Robbo66]

1)Grease your flopper before diving to ensure opens....had 3 tear off's yesterday
2) toothpaste to clean your mask and provide anti fog...
3) agree with the squinting/looking away advice....
4) ALWAYS take your tube out of your mouth on the dive down...
5) Don't crane your neck on the way down....reduces bottom time


Finally, and not sure if this counts as advice... but not the best idea to post images of string loads of fish on the forum....just seen one on another thread....official bodies aware of the site

[scottwilson]

Dont test your brand new seac asso 75 gun with it very first shot into the sand to find a rock hidden and your new tip slightly naffed

[Mr. X]

Might give that bungee float line idea a try. You might also consider a mono "Ghost Leader" (see Rob Allen spearguns, railguns and other spearfishing and freediving accessories.).

Originally Posted by scottwilson

Dont test your brand new seac asso 75 gun with it very first shot into the sand to find a rock hidden and your new tip slightly naffed

Owch

Originally Posted by Robbo66

1)Grease your flopper before diving to ensure opens....had 3 tear off's yesterday
...

Time to consider switching to SA-style flopper on the bottom (is that Hawaiian rather than Tahitian)? The "inferior way" as one thread recently put it. BTW I agree on the craning your head thing - I noticed that it tends to prematurely bring on the feeling of "need air" (when surface swimming too).

Originally Posted by scottwilson

...If you sew the outside of your suit,rub a small bit of the glue over the stitching so to stop it coming undone.

Scott, I recall on an earlier thread someone (pos. Spearo Dave) mentioning that it is the neoprene glue rather than the stitching which holds wetsuits together. So the glue is probably more important than your stitching.

Originally Posted by Willpower

If the vis is good and the fish are hanging back, or if one makes eye contact and starts angling away from you, try closing your eyes for a couple of seconds. Often this will make the fish feel more comfortable and it may come back in to investigate.. Open your eyes in a squint and slowly bring the gun round...

Got to try this one -- does it really work? Wish I'd read this last week.

Re. greasing knives. I oil my knife & spear with vegetable oil after cleaning & sharpening, so as not to taint the meat. However this is only good for short periods as organic oils eventually go rancid.

Like the idea of using wire wool for cleaning the knife. I recently aquired a spearo dagger that needed cleaning & used an oil stone. I was surprised when the tip of the knife snapped off (I wasn't using any strength, must have been brittle)! Fortunately it was small and I was able to reshape the tip.

[sunfish]

Photocopy A4 sections of your Admiralty Chart and laminate them. You can take them in your car or boat without worrying about damaging them.

[Pav]

share your catch with your buddy

don't park infront of beach web cams when you phoned in work with the flu

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by scottwilson

Always check the mono line ( if you use) that loops thru you spear shaft, it only takes a couple of seconds but can mean the difference between a good and bad dive.

I think Scott deserves tip of the month/year for this one. At least 3 people lost spears this weekend (see Dorset thread). Incredible, never heard of it before. To Scott's tip I add one of Miles' -- ball the end of the mono before sliding it into place & crimping (forgot the sliding bit first time). He forgot to crimp a sleeve but it held on the ball (& we all know the size of fish Miles spears!). And one of my own, superglue your crimp/whipping . Of course, it will make no difference if the mono gets cut through on your rail/spear notch.

[You didn't really park in front of the webcam did you Pav? Hope you didn't get change in front of all your cow-orkers]

[scottwilson]

I will gladly take tip of the month Mr X as Im failing badly at Fish of the month

[mishu1984]

dab a little vaseline where your mask makes contact with your face. it reduces that ghastly mark on your face and greatly reduces leaking due to facial hair. im a hairy guy and have never had a problem with leaking because i always put vaseline.

[gutshot]

Originally Posted by Pav

share your catch with your buddy

don't park infront of beach web cams when you phoned in work with the flu

Or when you have told the wife you are working!

[mishu1984]

use baby oil to put on your wetsuit. its nice

[James T]

Originally Posted by mishu1984

use baby oil to put on your wetsuit. its nice

Are you sure it doesn't make the rubber perish Mishu? Maybe its so nice you don't care

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by James T

Are you sure it doesn't make the rubber perish Mishu? Maybe its so nice you don't care

It might do eventually but neoprene is often used (for washer, shoes soles, etc.) because of its tolerance of oil compared to other rubber-like materials [came up in a thread a couple of years ago, so I looked into it]. So, lube away Mishu

My tip for the day:
If you have an outside tap at home, fit the biggest, deepest old Belfast sink you can find underneath the outside tap. If you are lucky, you won't need any plumbing. I've done this, raising the sink 10" or so on white blocks & it means I can clean all my gear without entering the house. Much quicker & easier, and allows me to drip dry stuff outside before storing it or bringing it into dry. Also handy for gardening & washing sandy shoes & "beachware". Mines too low for cleaning fish (fortunately I have another one indoors for that) - but perhaps mounting it higher might make it even more useful.

[chrisreynolds]

dab a little vaseline where your mask makes contact with your face. it reduces that ghastly mark on your face and greatly reduces leaking due to facial hair. im a hairy guy and have never had a problem with leaking because i always put vaseline.

i wouldn't do that if i were you, vaseline is petrolium based which will eat the rubber.
you need a silicone or water based product such as ky jelly (also good for hayfever sufferers to dab in the nostrils to help catch a bit more pollen before it reaches the lungs).

also, a potato sliced into a point and rubbed around the inside of your mask an hour or so before a dive will stop fogging without scratching up the lenses with toothpaste (i think its something to do with the starch...?)

thats my ten pence worth anyway.

[chrisreynolds]

ps. i'm also a bit hairy in the fizog dept. and when i've been particularly lazy and haven't trimmed the face for a few weeks i use a cressi gallileo goggle which avoids the hairy patches altogether......takes a bit of getting used to though with no nose piece.