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Aberdeen + Aberdeenshire spearo buddy

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Apolo90

Member
Jun 21, 2017
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0
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Hi All,

I am interested in spearfishing in Scotland and I am searching for a buddy / mentor for spearfishing in Scotland. I am a ex-scuba diver and warm water spearo. I have never dived Scotland waters with wet-suit but I am eager to do it.

I am located near Aberdeen, working on 3 wk rotation so quite flexible for spearing endeavours.

Cheers,
Apolo
 
Well i am in Scotland but 260 miles to the north of you but any questions on cold water spearfishing i am happy to answer.
 
Hi,

Thank you for your response. As a start could you please tell me what would be the basic equipment that I will need for spearfishing in Scotland, and where I can find any relative legislation (e.g. where and when can I go for spearo, what are the min length species etc).

Thanks and regards,
Apolo
 
Ok lets start with one item at a time as there is much to cover and once we have been through each item and you want to ask any questions then please feel free to do so.
We will start with the Speargun this is the one with the most variables.

There is the option of a closed muzzle or open muzzle Speargun if you click on this site https://www.makospearguns.com/
And then click on the HOW TO INFO then look to the far left it will say How to rig a closed muzzle speargun and how to rig a open muzzled speargun and will give you diagrams which will be much better than me explaining it.

There are non railed and railed spearguns (a railed speargun means the spear sits in a rail so the spear fires out with less wobble so the spears trajectory is more accurate,just think of a crossbow it has a rail to it to so the bolt shoots straighter ,glue on rails can be purchased for a non railed speargun if you wish to do so (Marine glue would be the best option for this)

Aluminium spearguns,wooden spearguns,carbon spearguns and it all depends on how much money you want to spend,what type of spearfishing you want to do and the water conditions(if the sea is always murky where you dive then there is no point in a 120cm gun as you will never be able to use to its full potential so are better off getting a 75cm or 90cm speargun.
If you dive in a area with heavy Kelp a shorter speargun is a better option as you would not be able to move a longer speargun around so easily so miss prey.
If the sea is clear where you dive then you can look at a longer speargun which will shoot a further distance and or has more power for taking down bigger fish. The Carbon speargun being the lightest so there will be not so much hand and arm fatigue with holding a Carbon speargun for long lengths of time but they are more expensive.

Pneumatic spearguns and roller spearguns are both guns that for there size will have more fire power,I personally have never shot with either of these although the opinion of many on the Pneumatic gun is that if you are using it when diving in a sandy area the sand gets into the working parts and then the gun packs up. Basically with a standard speargun there is less to go wrong and parts if required are easy and cheap to replace.

There are different diameters of spear 6mm,6.5 and 7mm etc and usually a speargun will come with a certain diameter of spear which works best with that particular speargun and again it depends what type of spearfishing you want to do if you are going to spearfish smaller fish a 6mm spear will do if you want to spear bigger fish then a 7mm.
Spears also come with either notches or sharkfins (I have never used the Shark fin spear as i think that the notched spear is more streamline).
Spear shafts with breakaway or Slip tip heads so there is less chance of damage to the spear shaft.

Different types of types of metal the spear is made of, Stainless steel,Tahitian and Spring steel the spring steel being the hardest material so if your spear hits a rock it is less likely to bend and also keeps a sharper point as it is a harder metal than Stainless steel. A spear made of 17-4 stainless steel is also a good option for quality and rust proofness.

Always take an extra spear or two as if you loose one then your days spearfishing is over it would be like taking one hook if you were to go fishing with a rod.

There are different diameters of speargun rubbers the thicker the diameter of rubber the more power it will deliver but requires more strength to pull it (some spearos prefer a smaller diameter rubber as they can load the speargun quicker so not miss the opportunity of fish coming into there firing range (I have found that the Cressi rubbers are easier to pull than the Beuchat rubbers so i can cock the speargun quicker depending on where i am shooting and what fish i am shooting) You can make your own speargun rubbers from bulk rubber and can find videoes on the internet on how to do so.

There are different shapes of rubber one type is a U shaped rubber which delivers more power than two screw in rubbers as the U shaped rubber carries the spear further up the barrel of the speargun also you can use two rubbers on some spearguns but the speargun needs to be made solid enough to take the strain of those two rubbers.

You can use either one or two rubbers two rubbers giving you more power the first rubber being the shorter of the two is pulled to the first notch the longer to the second notch or you can just use one longer rubber to the second notch which will obviously give you more power than one shorter rubber.

Different wishbones (the wisbone sits in the notch of the spear once the rubber is cocked) there is the Articulted and Dyneema wishbone.
The Articulated wishbone is an all metal construction wishbone some are just a bit of wire which can fracture easily and do damage to your hands other are more solid in there construction so safer. The Articulated wishbone is also a noisier as the metal wishbone as it clinks against the metal spear.

The Dyneema wish bone is made of what it says it is Dyneema and is a quieter wishbone when cocking the speargun as there is not metal clinking against metal like there is with the Articulated wishbone so the Dyneema wishbone does not scare the fish you are looking to spear (Spearfishing is all about stealth so the quiter you are you are more likely to spear a fish) The spear notches need filling down with a needle file when using Dyneema otherwise the sharp edges will cut the Dyneema. (some spearos prefer the Articulated wishbone as it is more reliable than dyneema everyone to there own as everyone is different)

Thats enough break time lol.
 
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Hi Brochman,

Thank you for your amazing reply. Last year I purchased a Cressi cherokee open mimetic 90 cm which I have used in Greece. The speargun is still there and I am not planning to get it back here as travelling with it is a big hassle. Instead I am planning to get another one suitable for these waters. I am thing about this one? What is your opinion is this a good all round gun?


Also I bought some bulk rubbers to gear up my gun in Greece, however I am unsure what elongation factor I should apply in these as I cannot find the manufacturer specs.

· HammerHead Bulk Band Rubber Red (Size: 5/8)

· Ocean Rhino 16mm Bulk Rubber Metalic Grey

· Salvimar A-Boost Orange Bulk Rubber 5/8"

· Salvimar Boost Green Bulk Rubber (Thickness: A-Boost (16mm))

I was thinking to use two rubbers on my Cressi


I use Dyneema and have a spare of stainless steel (Rob Allen) wish bone.


Could you please help me on legislation? What can I shoot at? What are the minimal sizes? How do I do my first time? Walking into unknown I guess scares everyone, any tips on what I should expect the first time would be great.


Thanks again for all your help and regards,

Apolo
 
Hi you did not give the name of the Speargun you are looking to purchase so I cannot help you with that one at the moment till I have the name and length.
To determin what length of speargun you will need depends on the waters in which you will be spearfishing and what type of fish you are looking to spear, for example if you are spearfishing close to shore caves etc a shorter 75cm speargun is more suitable where as if you are in more open water and looking to spear bigger fish a longer speargun with a larger diameter spear is more appropriate.
Personally I use the Picasso spearguns as they are cheaper and spare parts are more readily available where as with Cressi i do not see the same range of spare parts. The Picasso Cobra rail is very similar to the Cressi Cherokee Open Mimetic yet £60 cheaper, yes the Cressi Cherokee has metal parts but metal against metal surely it will create noise just as a metal wishbone knocking against a spear will do.
https://www.scubastore.com/scuba-diving/picasso-cobra-rail/602693/p
https://www.scubastore.com/scuba-diving/cressi-cherokee-open-mimetic/136007282/p
Here also is a site which will tell you the sea depths,rocks weed etc just click on Chart viewer and on the magnifiying glass type in the location you wish to spearfish.
https://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en#boating@6&key={oeuIjrqO

I cannot tell you what to expect on your first dive as every dive can be different and you and i live in different places. I live is a very unspoilt envoiroment and also the visibiliy is good generally in the waters around Shetland. I dive a reef with heavy Kelp (where the fish hide) and off another long sandy section of the coastline close to the my first dive site for Scallops and a sea defence wall which surrounds a Marina for Lobster and Crab.
I would suggest just taking it easy on your first dive,get to know the area you are going to be spearfishing in (where the fish are generally,places you can ambush them ,work on your stealth and fire a few shots from your new speargun to get used to its range and how the new gun feels and then afterwards you can think about how you might be able to improve on your first dive,to look for cover more so the fish do not see you for example.
Some Spearos spearfish for sport and some spearfish just for putting food on the table which is what i do. I also freedive for Scallops,Razor clams,Lobsters and Crabs and with the beach being only a football pitch size distance from the house why not as its free food.
I have been asked in the past why i don't post pictures of what i have speared etc and the answer is i don't think about doing so as A. I am not that vain that i want every one to see what i have speared or free dived for and for them to say Oh well done you etc as what is the point and B. I don't take pictures of every Rabbit,Goose and Duck i shoot on land so what's the difference.

The legislation are on the link below
http://britishseafishing.co.uk/minimum-size-limits-for-shore-caught-fish/
http://www.gov.scot/Topics/marine/Sea-Fisheries/InshoreFisheries/unlicensed
 
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