British (UK) Polespear.

[myfish]

Everything is home spun.

Bands are set to wherever I want the grip on the dive. I have a few sets to cover a range of lengths of pole but, the actual setup, is the SAME.

On the riffe pole, now, I've stripped away the original grip on one 3ft fore tapered section. This could be done with ANY polespear btw.
Instead, a longer grip has been applied to almost the full length of a short, 2ft parallel section and, just in front of that grip, a wire hook was bent out of SS wire.

That wire was bent up a little at the bend and shown the grinder at the two ends before...
I wrapped some electrical tape to the actual pole and whipped over the wire hook with D thread and used spar varnish to protect the thread.

This latter phase could easily be epoxy BUT, as we are still in the modding phases here, using strong but removable resins, varnishes, threads etc seems prudent.

The actual looped hand grip seen in the video was made from webbing.

It is longer ON TOP, than on the bottom. This allows for the load, but doesn't constrict the hand at all. Basically, seen in the video, is a theraband silver setup. Dyneema wishbone from bands to pole (rear), dyneema wishbone from bands to webbing (grip). Then, a further, but slightly thicker dyneema loop stiffened with pliobond which takes the pressure and hammer of being hooked to the metal hook.

However ...

Mk2's and 3's have been seen with a SS 'D' ring in the front of the webbing grip and, the bands are held in with removable wishbones a la Omer ET roller style if you've seen those. Adjust bands for power and hold/speed/punch for your pole and off you go.

All sounds complex but is really easy to do.

 

[myfish]

A short, rough dirty low vis dive in 5 - 8 meters resulted in a small yet mixed bag.

This time, using a 7ft Gat-Ku polespear with slip tip.

 

[myfish]

 

[foxfish]

Great shot on the last bass!
Thanks for posting your vids....

 

[myfish]

That was one fish that came in the direction I expected. As you are aware, many times here we are diving complex currents and the area I was in, had a multiplex of gutters with steep sides in 5 - 8 meters of water. One issue people aren't aware of aspetto with the pole spear is not just the tracking but, you are having to think about other stuff too...

For example ...

Lying on the bottom, clearish vis say, 3 meters. You have a 9 or 10ft pole-spear maybe. BUT, do you rely on getting yourself close, or, the poles tip ?

Both can work.

However.

Unless you postition yourself correctly, and we are still learning this is different to a gun, if i load a 10ft pole to 2/3rds length, to give the pole 5ft of good fast travel to target, as seen with that bass shot (hence the pole carries through the shot), the issue is however, you have 6 or 7ft of pole, and bands, behind you. If a fish comes in high, you are knackered unless you have dived the area and look for staging posts that allow you lie, at the right bottom angle AND, in a direction that favours the approach of the target.

Me and Chris Isaacs are loving this new challenge. It's basically taking a stick to a gunfight but we are determined to take the challenge by the balls. In these desperate times of poor stocks and commercial overfishing, we are determined, to show another side to the public who seem intrigued that we are exiting the water with fish, but, all we took out with us was a long stick and a bit of rubber. In fact, the public perception of polespear has been almost a 180 degree U turn from the perception of public to the use of spearguns.

This was not really ever our intent, but we'll take it.

Now we have 2 guys in the water with go-pro's that are 4 hours 720p capable and the kayaks are allowing faster point to point diving, I would expect more video's will follow. Our big hope is to get close enough to the giltheads that we've seen in recent weeks but, we are devising 12 foot plus spears to deal with the off chance one MIGHT come close enough. Of course, that comes with all the extended difficulties as described above regards waiting. 12ft spear, loaded 2/3rds on the bottom is BURNING bottom time and you likely won't have time, to see fish, and then load though, as seen in the video, you CAN often reload and shoot multiple times on a dive. Gilts won't allow that and I'd guess, it's gonna be 1 day's diving, 1 shot if we are lucky.

I highly recommend a go with the polespear, it's fun, challenging and rewarding when successful. And, ethical and sustainable and pretty much, no-one could argue that. Win - Win I reckon.

 

[foxfish]

Yeah, you have convinced me to have a go, maybe we can offer a forum competition & prize for the best pole spear caught fish with video evidence...

 

[myfish]

LOL, nothing like making it tough. It is a challenge anyway, getting it on video, (A fair and non contested way of course), isn't gonna be easy at all but, I LOVE your idea.

 

[foxfish]

I have been thinking about setting up a new competition for next year as our previous FOM became a little controversial for some folk.
The night time Vs day time & other conservation factors prevented a lot of people entering but.... maybe we can work something out for pole spearing....
We will have to see if we can drum up some more interest in your methods first.

 

[myfish]

All tree's grow from seeds eh...

 

[myfish]

A clearer image of the bass in the previous video.

 

[myfish]

Just to keep any interest rolling...

 

[myfish]

White Bream in holes anyone ?

 

[myfish]

Pole-spear kelp hunting for bass.

 

[Trelawney]

Hi Myfish

Do you have a close up of the stainless hook that you use to hold the band? I currently use a Ray Odor pole-spear with a flopper tip. Its a heavy beast, so I am looking towards a lighter pole, maybe the Riffe or a Gat-Ku.

 

[Rubber Duckie]

Hi Myfish,

Liking the polespearing and vids you guys are doing out there, inspiring. Was using a crude 6ft bamboo beancane to good effect last year, especially at night. Upgraded to one I made out of 2 skipoles this year and loving it! Also like the bandrest idea
you have come up with.

Trelawney if you want an off the shelf resthook Mako have got one on the market http://www.makospearguns.com/Pole-Spear-Resting-Hook-p/mpsrh.htm I made a similar one out of wire which seems to work fine but prob not as comfy as the Myfish setup as your hand is still through the band.

Cheers
RD

 

[myfish]

I have changed the setup slightly since the video but the hook etc is the same, just moved it a bit and altered the fore section on the riffe. Basically, we needed, or we felt we needed MORE in front of the hand so we've wrapped a 2ft section with a grip and applied the hook there instead. I'll get some pics tomorrow.

I do use a pole-spear at night, usually with a 3 prong paralyser for flat fish and red mullet but it's not sport, just food collection and foraging. However, shooting DOWN, hard with a gun, is hard with a pole-spear too so yea, practice makes perfect as they say.

Glad this pole spear stuff is getting some grey cells active anyway.

 

[Rubber Duckie]

Yeah night not as satisfying ar challenging as day on hunting front but more relaxing and good to see so much more life about.

I use 5 prong paralizer for night and find it clinically effective for hunting between rocks and kelp and those top down shots you cant make with a gun. Started going out more with polespear and slip tip during day, definetly not as easy as with a gun!

Look forward to seeing photos of setup.
RD

 

[myfish]

This is my new modified 2ft parallel grip section...

And a close up of the resting hook to which my webbing handle and bands arrangement sits.
Basically, the SS wire is whipped on.

 

[myfish]

Have this capture on video. 2.160kg mullet, 59cm.

 

[myfish]