Mr. X said:
Saw a
big fish twice (or pos. 2 big fish), first pass assumed it was a v. large wrasse 5-7lb-ish(?) ... but later occured to me that there was no pattern (as ballans usually have) & it was smooth, no gunk, was v. big to be a wrasse & that it could be a v. decent bass. Passed back later & it (or one like it) swam out of the weeds in front of me, mid-water. I aimed & fired, the shot was true & the fish seemed to be in the right place. However nothing happened!
The fish turned around in front of me, apparently unperturbed or perhaps stunned & disappeared into the weed as I reloaded (knowing full well I would never get a second shot). The shot was true (as indicated by the spent spear's location & the spear line) & the fish was in the right place...so not sure what happened. The fish seemed to be well within range (I'd checked out the range of my gun recently - in order to get a feel for it...seemed quite good, farther than I expected) but perhaps it was further away than I thought? Alternatively, I am wondered if the spear line got snagged somehow & pulled up short ... this seems the most likely explanation; perhaps the line snagged the muzzle bungie or got caught under the spear. Or perhaps it ran out of steam...maybe time to change the rubbers? I may not have had my arm fully extended - which could reduce the range. Or perhaps I hit a boney bit of the head/gill plate. I am going to be wondering about that shot for some time....
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Fishes underwater appear to be 30% bigger and 30% farther due to an optical effect. Maybe it was just out of range.
Other possible explanations: A) you simply missed it; B) you hit it low in the belly's soft meat, which got instantly broken; C) the edge or the spear wasn't sharp enough to penetrate and let the flopper open.
The abovementioned are the main reasons why I loose fishes (especially point A :head ). I don't think it's a matter of line snagged: you would have found it still looped between muzzle and bands after the shot, as it happens sometimes to me too.
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Tip for aiming to fishes within the limit of your range
(side shot): when fishes hear the "click" of the shot, they tend to move a bit frontwards and downwards, because the blow of their tail pushes them beyond, and the need for a hiding pushes them towards the bottom. So, to hit them in the gills (best target to hit), I aim three fingers beyond and below their mouth.
Three fingers (one inch) beyond/below their mouth. Do this even when they seem motionless, because they will move a bit when you shoot.
-shooting
longer than the effective range of your gun: the shaft has a short effective range: after that, its trajectory will become descendant. So, if a fish is far, shoot one inch
higher and one incjh beyond its head. It's difficult: descending trajectory, it's like a mortar shot. But this way you can get fish which stay too far.
-If they come towards you
frontally, don't wait for them to turn: aim straight to their mouth and shoot. If they turn, the shaft will hit them in the gills.