Dummies Guide to Rigging a Speargun

[Ricochet]

I found some 1,5mm Nylon mono I guess it will do the work..
They also had 2,5mm but that seemes way to stiff.

 

[foxfish]

Ricochet if you want to PM me with your address I will post you enough mono & crimps to rig your gun. I have plenty spare

 

[Ricochet]

You got PM

Btw, what is the mono for, at all?
Would the polyfiliament line that came with the gun tangle or are there other reasons to use the mono as the first part of the chord?

 

[foxfish]

That is a good question. One reason is because the stretch enables easy attachment of the line to the line holder. Also because the inherent stretch under pressure acts as a shock absorber. Maybe because it is cheap & readily available!! In reality some personal preference comes into play. I have tryed many types of running line. Some types of braided line offer smaller diameter for equal strength, maybe a combination of mono & braid is a good idea? I change my running line with the times but have yet to reach a concussion as to what is best? Having said all of that, mono works very well

 

[Mr. X]

apnea.co.uk sell the crimpers (although they no longer offer free postage on orders over £10 ).
https://sslrelay.com/s87910425.onea.../0120_Accessories/product_overview.shopscript

Spearo.co.uk too (& crimps): http://www.spearo.co.uk/shop/g3uu3d...pro.cgi?page=gunacc.html&cart_id=4882430_2245

 

[Pastor]

Apnea sell them for £25 Leadertech for £17.85
http://www.leadertec.com/store/product.php?xProd=31&xSec=5?xSearch=&xProd=31&xSec=5&currency=4

 

[Mr. X]

Apnea sell them for £25 Leadertech for £17.85
http://www.leadertec.com/store/product.php?xProd=31&xSec=5?xSearch=&xProd=31&xSec=5&currency=4

That is good (although that is still $33, for a tool which I'd probably use once every 3 or 4 years!). It looks like they are UK based too(?). You need to include shipping in on-line orders for comparison.
[I saw US prices when I followed Ted's link. You can get many things cheaper in the US but shipping for big/heavy things can be an issue.]

 

[Pastor]

That is good (although that is still $33, for a tool which I'd probably use once every 3 or 4 years!).

rofl you need to get some more spearing in. Ever thought about becoming a mature student? you get 4 months off every summer :friday:friday

 

[foxfish]

I use round profile needle nose pliers, much better for closing double crimps.
My locale tackle shop sells crimping pliers for £3.75
Or you can buy on line.

 

[Magpie]

I've never liked crimps myself, don't like the damage they can do to the line. I prefer whipping, doesn't damage the line, and is much neater.

 

[Mr. X]

rofl you need to get some more spearing in. Ever thought about becoming a mature student? you get 4 months off every summer :friday:friday

True Pastor. Bangor? Climbing, walking and spearing:hmm. Sea cliffs & mountains. I did my postgrad. study a decade ago, while working full time - not much time for drinking (or sleeping or anything else ). Time to make up for it now perhaps?

I am hoping to go out again soon - although with the late Spring & the rain recently, I am thinking Summer is going to be key this year. The mono on my speargun is so thick though, I can't see needing to replace it anytime soon (famous last words?!) - unless Miles shoos some of those big Tuna over this way*. [Think I'll go check my spearline now though!]

*Hang on...just found out there is Tuna fishing...from Ireland (giant blue fin...900+lb!): http://www.leadertec.com/directory.html#donegal

 

[Mr. X]

I use round profile needle nose pliers, much better for closing double crimps.
My locale tackle shop sells crimping pliers for £3.75
Or you can buy on line.

Trust you Foxfish! I have an old cheap pair for crimping auto-electrics. I heard the more expensive ones crimp all round - although looking at them, I don't see much difference. I did try mine on some old fishing crimps ... not a good result.

Do you just crush your crimps flat with the pliers? (...Is this what you used on your stringer?)

Just found this crimping article on the LeaderTec site (great site): http://www.leadertec.com/tipsandtechniques/crimp_techniques.html
[Looks like my crimper is a cup-to-cup standard duty tool -- good enough for 300-400lb mono.]

I've never liked crimps myself, don't like the damage they can do to the line. I prefer whipping, doesn't damage the line, and is much neater.

So, you prefer whipping Magpie?

Seriously tho' how does that work, can you just whip a loop of line rather than knotting or crimping it? I have have some whipping twine that I used to tidy the ends of an anchor rope. [BTW that Bass fishing book link was excellent:king].

I was wondering whether you could use a knot rather than a crimp? Seems like it would be difficult or impossible to tie something compact and low-profile in heavy mono. However, the LeaderTec site mentioned above has a knot tying tool designed for tying very heavy mono, 200-500lb (a 3-loop thumb knot is the way to go apparently).

 

[miles]

Hiya

I generally use 2.0mm mono. The breaking strains vary from as low as 130kg's to as high as 210kg for the various TYPES of mono i have. When FISHING with what we call SHORT STICKS, i have a PENN 12/O loaded with 200m of 2.0mm mono. On these we put a single long line hook with bait. This is primarily used for hand-lining tuna. The ideal scenario waould be to knot the 2.0mm mono, but none of my knots will tie satisfactorily on that thickness mono. Crimping is QUICK, SIMPLE and pretty much foolproof.

Be it fishing or spearing, i've never had a crimp fail on me yet. I use the slightly more expensive crimper, but considering how much a ss spear costs, i'd rather NOT lose my spear!! I've heard of spearo's who've simply burnt the ends of the mono and then forgot to crimp the crimps. They then proceeded to spear and land fish with-out losing their spears.

Honestly, for my inshore guns, i rarely change the mono. Maybe once a year or when i buy a new set of bands.

Rather spend a bit more and get the proper tool for the job. It'll save you losing your spear and possibly a fish of a lifetime!!

Regards
miles

 

[Magpie]

Well firstly I should say I'm new to spearing so my opinion on these things should be taken as such, but I do a lot of line fishing which of course requires joining similar types of lines.

I've no doubt crimps work but I just don't like the bulk of them or the fact that the edges can cut line.

Whipping I do with some fine whipping thread like you have, then rub a bit of glue into it for extra security (not that its needed). I'll do a pic of the result tomorrow. You can use it on mono or braid, and I think it produces a much neater end product. It takes a bit of time to do it right but you don't change lines that often so I think its worth it.

 

[Pastor]

I'm with Miles, crimping is so easy and safe if you do it right. Alison lost a spear last year through mono breaking at a bad crimp caused by using an improvised crimper, her words (ish) "it just shot off into the f@#king distance, no tug on the gun nothing". Screw the cost of the spear, what if it hits someone? For the sake of a few quid (dollars, yen, chickens or half a goat) surely the proper tool for the job is a must?

 

[dave]

I'll second using the right tool for the job (the £3.75 pliers from UK tackle shops are not the right tool!) A properly closed crimp is also much more streamlined and less prone to catching than any attempt with pliers
cheers
dave
www.spearo.co.uk

 

[Mr. X]

Good points about not shooting others, loosing spears/fish, using the right tool for the job.

I had a close look at the crimps on my gun and they are incredibly neat - it looks like they used a very wide crimping surface - almost the width of the crimp itself. Presumably made with a commercial bench crimper (mentioned in above article).

BTW The LeaderTec article also shows the correct technique for crimping double-barrel crimps - which struck me as not obvious.

 

[Magpie]

Right, here's some of my whipped joins. Its a bit fiddly but worth it I think, no chance of them catching on anything and much neater.

I only hunt reefs for not particularly large fish so I'm not sure how it'd work for blue water fishing but I don't see why it wouldn't, you'd probably want to use longer whippings for strong lines/bigger fish.

Nothing wrong with crimps when used correctly, I just prefer these

 

[miles]

Hiya

THANX for the pic's!!

Those look sweeeet!! I'll try them on my fishing tackle and see how the hold up. EXCELLENT idea for using in an emergency as well. I'll keep some whipping thread and a small bottle of super-glue in my dive bag from now on. I simply HATE carry-ing my crimper in my dive-bag. It rusts so quickly when exposed to a bit of saltwater

Regards
miles

 

[Magpie]

No probs mate, don't forget to blob the end of the line, will help to stop it pulling throught the whipping.