DIY Reel?

[abid]

I have a JBL Carbine and because the line is a pain in the ass to wind up each time i was wondering if i strapped a regular fishing reel with zip ties to the gun whether that would work. The possible problems i thought of though were that if i was to shoot, i would have to flip the line release up, with regular nylon line that's attaching the spear to the gun (not fishing line), would it just float off the spool? suggestions? tips?

 

[spaghetti]

There is one reason if no speargun manufacturer has done that: it doesn't work.

My humble suggestion is: use your regular spearfishing reel ready to shoot with the friction semi-open (compromise to have a bit of drag to keep the spooling in control), and open the friction completely only if the fish fights hard. It's not necessary to spool it all off at every shot: only when necessary. Because you're right: the post action wind up is a pita everytime.

 

[abid]

That's the problem. It doesn't have a reel and I don't really want to spend money to get one when I can probably improvise. what's the worst that could go wrong with my idea? Could it ruin anything possibly? If not I'll probably try it once this stupid ice melts.
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[jtkwest]

it wont work at all. dont bother wasting your time. why not buy a cheap reel? they only cost like 25$. get a cressi. if you lose your spear,it will cost alot more. this is not a cheap sport. its alot more fun andsafe with the correct gear. also: reels are a pain in the ass. big time! dont let anyone tell you diferent. i had one years ago, i got rid of it and didnt look back.FYI: with a reel, you still need 3m. or so of shooting line on the gun to release when fired. it wont come directly out of a reel fast enough. so, in essence- you will be ADDING a tanglesome reel to your already tangled situation, not taking anything away. judging from your location, my guess is, you are using a short gun- maybe 90cm or less, in which case a reel is not much use. figure those short guns only have short range, so why need a reel? shallow water and small fish with short guns, rarely require a reel- thats my point. a float line and a float are much better, they will keep you from getting hit by a boat too, (in my area- that is the biggest risk-by far)

 

[alexrom1207]

I tried explaining this but my description was making me confused. So I figured I'd just start over and post the link.

http://www.oceanrhino.com/load_line_kits.html

You can accomplish the same thing by using a regular rubber band. Costs next to nothing.

As for your reel idea, it's a very bad one. As jtkwest pointed out, you'll just be adding another thing to your gun that you'll have to prep...the shooting line will still be there.

 

[abid]

I see. Good points guys. Thanks. I won't be back spearing until April at least so I'll figure out a solution by then.
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[azapa]

JTK Mate, here reels are life-savers. We dive in quite deep waters full of caves, holes and weed, thick suits and lots of lead. Using a reel to mark and return to a stuck fish rather than hanging around too long trying to get it out is a lifesaver.

 

[jtkwest]

JTK Mate, here reels are life-savers. We dive in quite deep waters full of caves, holes and weed, thick suits and lots of lead. Using a reel to mark and return to a stuck fish rather than hanging around too long trying to get it out is a lifesaver.

float lines and floats work far better for that purpose. sometime it can be challenging to see a black or brown colored gun floating above your cave. in this case a float will mark it for you. also the driver of the boat can easily spot his own divers, AND the other drivers of other boats wont run you over nearly as easily or as often. PLUS reels get tangled really badly. anyone who has one can tell you that they DO get fouled.and the original post was about someone who wanted less tangling and figured a reel was the answer. and while it may be the answer of choice for your cave shooting dilemna, it certainly wont solve this guy's fouled shooting line problem. -thats my point.

 

[azapa]

JTK, I do agree with you, in your waters I am sure you have worked out the best and safest scenarios. In my waters the reel wins hands down. We use floats too, but they are anchored to the bottom with a drop weight. I used my guns conected to the float for a long time, but then got in to deeper diving and it just would not work any more, far too much drag, and impossible arroiundf weed beds and rocks with our current.

I also agree that reels do snag and are not perfect, but in general, they are a genuine saftey feature, so much so that they should almost be obligatory in some waters.

 

[jtkwest]

JTK, I do agree with you, in your waters I am sure you have worked out the best and safest scenarios. In my waters the reel wins hands down. We use floats too, but they are anchored to the bottom with a drop weight. I used my guns conected to the float for a long time, but then got in to deeper diving and it just would not work any more, far too much drag, and impossible arroiundf weed beds and rocks with our current.

I also agree that reels do snag and are not perfect, but in general, they are a genuine saftey feature, so much so that they should almost be obligatory in some waters.

drop weights in deep water? how does that work ? you have to pull up 30+ meters of rope each time you move? you guys must dive one hole all day or something? thats interesting. it sure is much different than what we do here! we have so many spots here , that we move constantly. we rarely even anchor the boat- most times- we drop divers on spots and let them drift over it, if there is nothing there- we move. and so on and so on- taking turns driving the boat. to even drop an anchor- for us takes too much time to move, so we dont. either way- i had a reel- i hated it after a while. it seemed like a good idea- looks good on paper- but in reality- didnt work well at all for me. we dont have any kelp beds here- so i have no idea if it helps for that type of thing. sometimes, what works for one person - doesnt work for others- for various reasons. i am not suggesting that you are less knowledgable or something. (in this case- i think you are wrong about reels"not sucking") , but to each his own. im sure that- despite our differing opinions about this- in reality- we are probably far more alike than different -in many respects. just the fact that we both shoot fish- makes us both part of a very small group. i respect your opinions- since you are obviously knowledgable. but i respectfully disagree on this one. LOL reels suck---final answer- LOL

 

[Logan aquatics]

interested to see the opinions on the value of reels versus floats. have homemade guns using Beuchat marlin mechs which are capable of fitting reels. Over here the value of a float is huge, boats are a real and ever present danger. so many tools around it is amazing. have had a few near misses and as such would never dive without a float and flag. and advise all I know to do likewise.
seems to me the drop weight is a lot of hassle compared to towing a float and floatline. can cover a lot of ground just floating around with the line out the back, and added bonus is the fish go straight onto the float line and away from the body. all the better for keeping sharks at a distance.
just a few ideas and musings.
always dive safe.

 

[azapa]

guys, its not reel OR floats. It's reel AND float. We use the drop weight (about 1Kg) to hold the float in the area we are currently diving in. Comp. rules state we can't dive further than 15m away from the float.