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Dorset Spearfishing 2006

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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cool thanks for the advice on that. i was wondering whether it might be something to do with the taste of salt from purging your snorkel all the time. I went on a surf trip to the Maldives a while back (I didn't spearfish then - doh!) and the boat crew would hand you these bits of coconut to chew after you got out of the water and it works a treat, you feel so much better. didn't fancy having to crack a coconut before every spearo session, so power gel bars might just be the option!!

here's another question for you more experienced hands:

float line - clip onto your gun, your belt, or a drop weight?

I'm alternating between gun and a carabiner on my belt at the moment, depending on what I'm doing / which way the tide / wind is moving...I'm sure clipping on to your belt is bad form though...
 
Belt for me attached with a pinch clip NOT a carabiner, as the pinch clip will always release even when under pressure.
 
...I personally cannot feel at ease with it on my belt, hence it's always gone to the gun.
cheers
 
most of the time I have my float clipped on my belt, but if I am doing a deep dive, and/or in the tide I will clip my float to my gun (have a clip on my float and a loop on my gun and belt so can move it about). Don't want to be shooting big Bass in strong tide and then have to leave it without it being clipped to my float. When I'm abroad and you have the chance if hitting something big I always have my float clipped to my gun, with a bungy on it as well!
 

Yo Pastor,
Thanks for the link ref shark shield have spoken to your man in the states and I’ve got a freedom 4 on the way.
At the current exchange rate it worked out at around £280 all in.

 
my keenness got the better of me today, as against my best instincts (and the fact that it was blowing a gale) i couldn't fight the itch to try and find some shelter. here's the summary...

Drove to Durlston Head (sheltered from the worst of the south-westerlies - I surf there sometimes). Got to the cliff edge only to see that the water was brown with run-off from the rain on the cliff. Didn't bother going in.

Drove to North end of Swanage. Water looked a lot clearer even though there was a tiny bit of the swell wrapping into the bay. thought I'd have a crack, but figuring they'd be no fish in the middle, decided to walk north towards old harry's rocks. Walked about a mile to get to the cliffs only to find the swell pounding in up there, and viz terrible, (from run-off again). Couldn't bare the thought of not going in the water, so suited up and went body surfing. Doh!

I'm off to Denmark on Friday to an island called Fyn. Taking the guns, will report back on what I find. I bet the wind dies off here and it's crystal clear waters the whole time I'm away!
 
Reactions: podge
btw, thanks all for the tips on floatlines. Are you guys using normal nylon line for floatline or the thicker surf leash style stuff that you see on the Ozzy and US websites? Mine (cheap nylon sh*t) gets so tangled I reckon that the thicker stuff would be better but can't find anywhere in the UK that sells it.
 
Milkman, what you want is green polypropylene cord about 5mm. The problem is that the stuff I have seen here called 'polypropylene' is just not quite the same feel.

So as I could not find exacly what I wanted over here, I ended up getting a friend to get some from Durban guys freedivers.co.za. Rob Allen has it too.
Maybe Spearo Dave has some ideas for the SA rope? www.spearo.co.uk
 

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Float line

I use the exact set-up SurfNSpear shows above (those RA polyprop. float lines seem reasonable at around 5-10 pounds dep. on length, I use the shortest, 20m - which has proven to be more than enough); although I did loose a weight belt last year . I also bought an inflatible float off Spearo.co.uk for travel/spare/long walk-ins, it came with a thick yellow polyprop. float line. I have seen this stuff before on-line, on USA chandler website -- it looks like it would be good for the job, very cheap (in the USA), quite thick & floats. I haven't tried it yet though. UK Chandlers prob. carry it too.

Several people (Spearo Dave & Alison, I think?) recommended aquarium airtube (you need to shop around for a low price though). Just seal the ends & knot it. [Abroad, where the fish get huge, they usually put an additional thick tuna-line through the middle & attach swivels & clips (search DeeperBlue for more info.) -- might be easier to buy one of the RA premium float lines for that though].
 
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Reactions: foxfish
podge said:
Belt for me attached with a pinch clip NOT a carabiner, as the pinch clip will always release even when under pressure.
Click to expand...
Hi Podge, did you visit Kimmeridge in the end? BTW what is a pinch clip? (Do you have a picture/link?)
 
thanks guys - that's kind of the same setup as I've got going, but I have sometimes been clipping on to belt. I have to change that float line though. Looked at Spearo.co.uk and couldn't find any on there. The Riffe stuff from the states seems WAY expensive for what it is - probably got that extra strength cord for big pelagics that I don't need. Does this look like the stuff and do you think the price is reasonable: [ame="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/25-Spearfishing-Float-Line-Attach-to-your-speargun-New_W0QQitemZ270024081320QQihZ017QQcategoryZ47353QQssPageNameZWD2VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/25-Spearfishing-Float-Line-Attach-to-your-speargun-New_W0QQitemZ270024081320QQihZ017QQcategoryZ47353QQssPageNameZWD2VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/ame]

cheers!
 
Interesting points about "clothes line & air line" I hate using floats & only use them when necessary. One method I have found a help is to fit a swivel clip at 5mts along my 12mt line, this means I dont have to tow the total length when I am fishing shallow water. I am always getting tangles after shooting a big fish especially now I have three wraps on my mamba.
 

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foxfish said:
... One method I have found a help is to fit a swivel clip at 5mts along my 12mt line, this means I dont have to tow the total length when I am fishing shallow water.
Click to expand...
Good idea. My 20m line gets in the way sometimes (60feet). Yesterday, reloading in long string weed & again recovering fishing tackle from the seabed (it's those bright coloured beads!) - nothing major, but an inconvenience.

(Your floatline looks like the same rope as RA use for their cheaper floatlines, like mine. Did you get it from a Chandlers?).

Milkman. That looks like a very nice float line - I wonder if 25 feet/8m might be a bit short though? ($24 shipping - 12 pounds, not too bad I guess). I suppose it depends on how deep you dive with it. I think 12-15m would probably cover all that I am ever likely to do. As you are in Dorset - have you tried Portland Oceaneering or a boat chandlers? [Alternatively you could try Paul & Colin at www.roballeneurope.com for the various RA lines, or maybe email spearo.co.uk to see if Dave stocks anything suitable not shown on his website].
 
Mr. X said:
I wonder if 25 feet/8m might be a bit short though?
Click to expand...

I wish my freediving skills extended to deeper dives than 8m!! not yet alas...too much bad living! lol
 
Have just been lusting after boats :inlove on ebay after having walked very far looking for new spots this weekend. Any of you dudes got one? Also if this Wessex / Dorset spearo club thing goes ahead, what do you reckon the chances would be on doing a boat co-operative or some other such scheme? would be a great thing for 2007 season...I'm too broke to get my own just yet...
 
Alright me harties
Milk Man
me and Jim have done the same many times got to the beach wind howling and sea smashing in but buggered if we’re going home without getting in so body surfing it is.
My float line at the moment is a floating cord from Portland Oceaneering not bad but still get's a bit tangled Jim use’s sealed tube a bit like wine siphoning tube from B&Q.
Mr.X
Didn’t get to kimmerage but got in at Man"O" War instead report somewhere above.
As for the pinch clip the best image I could find was this rucksack and the pinch clip is the black clip just below the top of the sack.
http://www.foxint.com/catalogues-products.php?lang=&product=214&catalogue=1&section=13
Paul



 
Milkman, you might want to check out the existing "Dory, kayak, dingy, RIB" thread or "kayak rigging for spearfishing" - esp. in the former, where several folk shared their experiences & preferences.

I read or heard somewhere a while back that many scuba clubs got Govt. money (i.e. our money via taxes) or Lottery money to buy RIBs; I think I saw it on on a RIB manufacturers website. So perhaps a proper club would be able to get some or all funds for a club RIB (or C-Ski 440)? A friend runs a diving club but they depend on a member's boat -- perhaps because it is a professional set up (PADI) rather than amateur club.
 
hi all,

As podge says, I have been using 5mm plastic tube from B&Q, for a float line. Its strong, clear and really easy to untangle. It also floats really well if you seal the ends which makes it good while swimming through stringweed etc. Make sure you seal the ends however, i didnt first time out and ended up dragging it all over the place, hooked up on weeds and rocks, nightmare and ended up repeatedly tracking back to sort it out. Am using pince clips like podge at the moment, clipped to belt but like the idea of clipping to the gun, could buy another clip for this and then alternate between the two. Does the swell acting on the float ever effect the aiming if its attached to your gun?
Cheers
Jim
 
Reactions: podge
stuckinsurrey said:
...I have been using 5mm plastic tube from B&Q, for a float line. ... Does the swell acting on the float ever effect the aiming if its attached to your gun?...
Click to expand...
B&Q is my favourite UK DIY store (the only one that carries gas for my American blow torch). Although there are none close by.

Re. affecting the aim, I have never experienced any problems with it but I tend to treat that as a high priority: I usually have the gun in one hand & the floatline in the other. I usually hold the floatline about 1m above the speargun when aiming/firing. At other times I often hold the line closer to the float when I want to bring the float in close (because it has drifted too far away, boats are around or because I am about to dive down & want some slack). Perhaps others have other ways of dealing with this though (for example, I think some use line-winders to shorten their lines -- I don't do that). SurfNSpear?
 
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