Best Setup For Shooting Rays

[Cliffsharker]

Hey Spearos,

Its been a rough start and an interesting experience.

I was browsing through the different forums. Very nice site.

There are two threads that have particularly appealed to me. I am sure there will be many more. One of them is :

"Work- what do you do for a living" and the post is by Old Man Dave quoting Carlos Eyles from "The last of the blue water hunters" in "The Beach Bar" Forum

the other is :

"Soul surfers" and the post is by Rigdvr in the "Spearo Board" forum (Oct 31,2003)

Fantastic stuff. Charlie.

 

[calispearo]

Rigdv, lol. although it sucks on my ego, i'm going to have to agree with you.

in my post i said that only a few take Tuna for ego, and on secound reading that sounds very very wrong, lol. What i meant to say is that it is an ego fish, but provides a large ammount of substinance.

Defofthecrown and Rigdvr are right though. We should be giving Charlie some good advice. I got kinda caught up in my rant though, lol. I kept meaning to get to the advice quicker, but then typed more.. hehehe.

Charlie, you might also want to consider one of the "old Style" Rob Allan guns for sale through www.floridafreedivers.com There heavly discounted and he has more then is on the sight in different sizes. There a good hardy gun, however the shaft may be to slim for what you are using it for.

A Ab Biller, JBL or one of the smaller cheaper RIFFE's would be right up your alley. Check them out at www.spearfishinggear.com talk with Matt. He's very knowlegable and will be able to help you. He also has great prices.

Welcome to the forums and post some pics and some stories!!! I'd love to know more about diving in the Carribean!

-Mike Crossen

 

[island_sands]

Im calling you on this one! B.S. Nobody hunts tuna for the food. The amount of dollars and hours it takes to hunt tuna just wouldnt make sense. You hunt them to hunt one of the most powerful, prized gamefish in the world. It just so happens they taste great.


Island Sands...have you even gotten a gun yet? How in the world are you going to criticize someones choice in a sport you dont participate in

no-one shoots tuna for food? 250.000 Maldivians must be wrong then.. and Miles! (hey Miles what do you do with all your YF then? )

nooo haven't got my gun yet, still eyeing one out in the shop which i want to get next month.. i will go spearing with Nesim and his brother to shoot tuna.. to eat!
And once i have my gun, i won't shoot any rays or sharks, it's just something i don't advocate.

I am not criticising his choice in a sport, I am just saying that his choice of target would not be my own.

Cheers,
Sara

 

[island_sands]

Me again,


I actually made this post before Rigdvr post but it took so long for me to write that it actually was posted after.

If someone could please tell me how to highlite a previous post so that so that I can include it in my response, I would greatly appreciate it and will edit it as soon as possible. Sorry for the confusion- if there was.


Will reply to RIGDVR post when I get back.

Thanks guys and ladies.

Charlie.

hi Charlie,
just press quote at the bottom right, it will include the prev. post in your reply..

 

[calispearo]

What gun caught your eye, IslandSands?

I recently did the gun shopping thing. Ended up buying three!!! in the last three months! (Two in the last month)

Where do you hunt?

 

[island_sands]

What gun caught your eye, IslandSands?

I recently did the gun shopping thing. Ended up buying three!!! in the last three months! (Two in the last month)

Where do you hunt?

i don't hunt yet.... but plan to! Alison has recommended the Esclapez for starters... you bought three guns??

hey on friday we went scuba diving and the boat next to us had just been freediving on an oil rig.
a large YF got away... dragging off with it an 1800USD gun...
i guess i'll be buying cheap from the start..

 

[calispearo]

Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Esclapez i'v heard is a great gun to start with. I'm pretty partial to the South African Railguns though. Rob Allan and Rabitech, i think there great guns. They have the tracking ability and speed of a typical euro, only with a little more accuracy and there a little stronger, that's just my opinion though. I haven't been doing this long enough to have a lot of stock put in that opinion either, but i love them.

check out the railgun FAQ's on the Rob Allan website. It's kinda interesting. It pretty much applies to the Rabitechs as well.

 

[island_sands]

Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Esclapez i'v heard is a great gun to start with. I'm pretty partial to the South African Railguns though. Rob Allan and Rabitech, i think there great guns. They have the tracking ability and speed of a typical euro, only with a little more accuracy and there a little stronger, that's just my opinion though. I haven't been doing this long enough to have a lot of stock put in that opinion either, but i love them.

check out the railgun FAQ's on the Rob Allan website. It's kinda interesting. It pretty much applies to the Rabitechs as well.

thanks! i think if i bought an SA railgun... Miles would be a happy man

 

[calispearo]

He would

He helped me with my decisions A LOT when it came to buying a gun. He was very inmpartial and gave great advice and strong points of each gun. He was right though. Rabi's are great

 

[anton]

Cliffsharker,

Defofthecrown hit it on the head, they are powerful. While I shy away from sharks and rays, to each their own. I have seen someone spear a ray last year here and he was dragged for... hmmm. just say several hundred meters kicking and screaming. You will want a float, don't even bother with the reel, it will eat all the line as soon as you hit it.

jfi - I spear with AND without scuba-ooooooooo, which many find appalling but hey, all my fish is eaten <period> and that is half of the reason I go out, the other half being sport. While most won't spear rays, and most won't spear on scuba, and some won't even spear, everybody has their own opinion (I am always at odds with some of the british dive club members here over spearing in general, which despite their love of fish, they hate with a passion to the point of threating violence at times)

The great thing about DB is that even though it can get a bit rough at times, people generally maintain themselves and don't let it get out of hand. I am betting that 90% of the folks on the board really care about their marine environments as well as the preservation of what is in them. This CAN co-exist with spearing in responsible ways (which will vary with where you are, local customs,etc. etc. as you have pointed out) The varience is where the arguments usually start!

BTW-Welcome to the board!

...and sands, I will keep an eye out for that lost gun hoping it will head my way

 

[Nesim]

Hey Island Sands,,,

On your first trip with me you are welcome to try and use one of the MANY spearguns i and my brother have 70cm - 160cm single and multiple bands, Aluminum or Carbon , rail or no rail, Wood enclosed track, wood open track, the list goes on forever!!!!

Out of experiance, i woudl recomend a picasso, they are well balanced and deadly accurate, and would serve you many years of service!!!

As for hunting rays, i personally dont favor the idea.... but then again, not too many people are happy with the quantity of fish i shoot and land myself.....

I would, like every one else has warned, watch out for that tail on the rays.... !

 

[rigdvr]

no-one shoots tuna for food? 250.000 Maldivians must be wrong then.. and Miles! (hey Miles what do you do with all your YF then? )

I am not criticising his choice in a sport, I am just saying that his choice of target would not be my own.

Cheers,
Sara

Sara...the point is that most dont target tuna out of necessity. It is so much easier to shoot closer reef fish than to float all day in the deep blue looking for tuna. You do eat it and it is great but thats not why you hunt it....just ask miles why he goes 50 miles out when he could shoot yellowtail much, much closer if its just about food. I dont go 100+ miles offshore here because they are a primary food source...it just wouldnt add up. 250,000 maldivians? There hasnt even been 250,000 yf tuna taken by spear in history :duh

My last point is that Charlie didnt ask for our opinions about his target he asked for advice about gear. I dont shoot rays either but I know several divers that do. Far be it from me to tell someone else what to do if they are within the law and not out there decimating the population.

 

[miles]

Hiya

There hasnt even been 250,000 yf tuna taken by spear in history

Hey Rigdvr, i'm working on it!!!!

Regards
miles

 

[rigdvr]

got a long way to go buddy

 

[miles]

Hiya

You could always come over and help!!

Regards
miles

 

[Fondueset]

The only experience I've had with this was in Jamaica - where I saw a kid dive in without mask or fins and stab a ray with a bent stick he'd picked up along the shore. He said they scared him..

Based on my encounters with rays I'd say a pole spear - with a detachable tip and floatline.

Or a good pair of gloves and a knife

Rays are not among the species that look like prey to me.

 

[rigdvr]

Hiya

You could always come over and help!!

Regards
miles

Let me finish school and I'll see what I can swing!
Mike

 

[calispearo]

LoL.. Allison, i meant "Ouch" at the guy loosing the gun in Island Sands Story. I said Esclapez are good guns

 

[calispearo]

I like RIFFE as well. I have a Mid Handle Hawaiian although i shoot it with a 9\32nd shaft and two 16mm bands, or three 14mm.

My favorite part about the RIFFE guns isn't there accuracy, but the fact that there so versatile you have a gun for any conditions just by changing shaft and bands (which as i'm sure you know takes secounds to change)

 

[calispearo]

i don't hunt yet.... but plan to! Alison has recommended the Esclapez for starters... you bought three guns??

hey on friday we went scuba diving and the boat next to us had just been freediving on an oil rig.
a large YF got away... dragging off with it an 1800USD gun...
i guess i'll be buying cheap from the start..

The last part of this post is what the "OUCH!" was about loosing an 1800$ gun will definetly hurt...