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Finishing a fish off with a knife

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
I use an ice pick. quick and easy and if the fish is thrashing there is no way you're going to acidently cut up your wettie (or yourself!), unlike a knife.

maybe read this [ame="http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?t=42675"]best way to subdue a fighting fish[/ame]
 
Sharks are of no concern to me when diving where I dive presently so my fish usually trails off my waist with a little bit of string between me and the fish on the end of it.
Mostly in case a seal crosses my path and decides it's hungry or wants to play with my food/me and doesn't take a chunk of my bum/waist with it! If it's a bigger fish that's going to hinder movement then I'll put it on an additional stinger on my float -- which I don't like doing because then I can't defend it from any dolphins or seals which may cross my path. If it's attached to my waist I'll know all about it and politely tell him to go away, until I get to shore and I'll give him a bit of head/tail depending how generous I'm feeling at the time :t

So in my case, I always use my stinger to finish the job, right between the eyes, into the brain = dead fish, every time. No need to get the knife out until I get to shore, clean and gut them and feed the swarming gulls
 
Sorry guys I did obmit to say push spear right though large fish.If my memorie serves me correctly you lads in S.A dump the fish spear and gun double quick time into the boat for the boatman to deal with and realey Big fish a second spear from your mate,
saving fish Dar DA Dar DA Dar DA Dam sharks.

Good hunting( wish I was back there)
 
Hiya

Old dave, thats absolutely correct, but we still kill the fish before putting it into the boat. This prevents the fish from flapping around and tangling everything as well as prevents the fish from puncturing the inflatable boat!! ALL of my diving results in the fish being put onto the boat immediately after despatching. Prevents seals and sharks from stealing your fish. The only time i'll throw a fish into the boat is when the yellowtail schools are around the boat and you need a second or even third gun to take these extra fish. Here every second counts!! Could mean the difference between landing one fish for the day or landing 3-4 fish if you are quick enough!! GREAT FUN!!

paddythefrog, diving with a body stringer is a definite no-no. Sharks can be expected EVERYWHERE where there is water, well maybe excluding bath-tubs and toilets!!! Seriously though, regardless of where you dive, always be aware of sharks. The fact that you have seals would indicate that there would be predators that feed on them. Besides, seals ALSO bite. They DO become vicious and can inflict VERY painfull wounds!!! What i used to do when diving in areas with plenty of seals was to put a black garbage bag over my stringer. The seals will then simply ignore your fish. Only downside is that when you've shot a couple of fish, there's quite a bit of drag on your floatline!!! Oh well, at least your legs then get a GREAT work-out!!!

I also use a ikijimi spike attached to my belt. The spike is attached to its holder by a short peice of cord, so that you can't lose it. My one mate uses a small knife which is kept in a sheath on his left fore-arm. The knife is also tied with a short cord to the sheath. With this set-up, he holds the fish in his left hand, draws and stabs with the right. VERY easy, and you can't lose your knife!!!

Regards
miles
 
In the UK and Ireland, sharks are a complete non issue. I dont know of a single case here in the last 50 odd years of anyone having a fish taken off them. I know a few people who have seen blues and porbeagles, but no one has had any problems.
Seals commonly take fish off floats, and keeping the fish on a belt stringer definately puts them off! In some parts of Cornwall and Ireland you would be lucky to get a fish ashore using a float stringer, a belt stringer is definately the way to go in some of the areas I dive, although where possible I prefer to use a float stringer. One big difference between here and SA, is that seals are normally on their own, and less aggressive than they can be in big groups
cheers
dave
www.spearo.co.uk
 
Dont I remember a report of a spearo being bitten by a seal in the UK last year? There's a tame seal where I fish and he's always after my fish (good job he doesnt rely on me rofl) but I had to get them/it out of the water once to keep them safe. Only shark Ive ever seen here is a Basking shark
Getting back on track, Ive always kept my spear in the fish until it has been killed and strung, if I can, I pull the fish up against the flopper and put the spear under my arm as an extra bit of stability, sometimes a find a fish a complete sod to hold.
When I do get back in the water, I'm definately going to get one of those spikes, it sounds so much easier than trying to push a knife through a slipery, wriggling fishes head :girlie
 
I see that Omer have a new spike out that is very similar to the RA one.
a "Retini".
 
Coming from spearing bass in Europe this is my method for what it is worth:

After I have a sucessful shot in the bass I find they go for the bottom (might be the same for pollack ? not sure - always been a bit of a bass man ).

So I dive after them and bin the gun once I have a grip - the gun floats to the surface (using a reel).

I've found that for about 30secs the bass just bottom and then after that go a bit beserk. So down I go and grab them under the throat with a VERY firm pinch grip (so your finger and thumb go into the gills from underneath - have lost one though not holding tightly enough - lesson learnt).

Back on the surface or down on the bottom depending on the depth / aspetto time -- or even while floating back up ... I pull out the knife and push it into the top of the head between the eyes. You see a characteristic twitch and stiffness/ jerk then it is over.

I have tried stringers on the waist but now favour a float stringer dangling under the float. THe float has a 10m line of thick-ish rope (about as thick as your little finger - doesnt tangle and is easily visible) that sometimes has a sash-window weight on (anchor for current swimming) or sometimes just hook it over a thumb while diving.

I found that I got nervous with a stringer on my waist while doing aspetto - I kept thinking that it would jamb in a rock (it is steel wire) and also I thought that it might bang on a rock and scare the fish.

But recently I saw some bass vids on pesca sub where the guy wraps it around his body - can anyone explain this method ?

Kind of like a belt - but wasnt too clear how he attached the looose end ? Just tucked in to the weight belt ? Wouldnt that puncture your suit with the spike ? Confused by nefarious Italian habits !?!

Cheers
Ed
 

As dave has kindly pointed out, it's just not an issue for us here. I respect your views but you have to appreciate where I'm coming from, the only shark I'm likely to bump into around here is a basking shark and even that is highly unlikely. A dolphin or seal is commonplace though and that's why I do what I do and won't be persuaded otherwise
 
Ed
The way that the stringer is attached to the belt is the weight has a hole in it that just fits the stringer toggle you spear the fish,string it and push the toggle into the hole.
It is basically an interference fit, and doesn't have to go in too far.
If you need more info PM me
 
Omer make a stringer that has a special plastic clip to hold the stainless bar on the belt if thats your thing, very reasonable too; Apnea in Jersey have them in stock
 
I just wrap the stringer around a weight, then tuck the pointy end between a weight and the belt. Dont use a wire stringer on your waist, anything attached to you should be easy to cut in case it gets tangled
cheers
dave
www.spearo.co.uk
 
Just wanted to say that to secure the fishes in the float I use this fast and easy method: I pass the stringer through the lower jaw/lip (inside the mouth and then to the outside), then I kill the fish.
For small-medium ones, I pass it from the mouth to the gills, and then kill them.
Either way, this two methods make the load of the float more ''aquadinamic'', and offer less resistance than if you pass the stringer from the gills to the mouth.

Cheers,

Roberto
 
Cheers Huan - was confused by that - and Dave - yes, good idea - but I made mine from bike brake cable and a piece of marine steel/yacht pin (? found it in the sea and it wasnt rusty so thought it would be good - had trouble drilling a pin hole for the cable, turned out to be very hard steel) - crimped on. Quite used to the float stringer but may try the belt stringer approach again with some reel line or something. Thanks one and all.
 
heat untill red hot section to be drilled (3cm) let cool it will drill easy.If useing belt stringer use line you can cut, You will not be the first diver to be snagged in the depths on rocks worst in caves be warned

safe and good hunting
 
dave said:
I just wrap the stringer around a weight, then tuck the pointy end between a weight and the belt. Dont use a wire stringer on your waist, anything attached to you should be easy to cut in case it gets tangled
cheers
dave
www.spearo.co.uk
Click to expand...

Which is why my stringer which is attached to my weight belt with some fishing line, can easily be cut if the need arises!
 
mishu1984 said:
ice pick right in between the eyes should do the trick. they wil quiver and start to gasp for a few seconds, maybe even for a few minutes depending on how big your fish is and then die like all fish should
Click to expand...
I've heard this suggested before -- but how do you do that without stabbing yourself?! (I usually follow the second method decribed by Huan -- knife or stringer up through gills to brain. However, I am not satisfied that this is the cleanest, quickest method possible.)
 
Huan said:
Groats,
Being in switzerland probably has you thinking about the mountaineering icepick,
Click to expand...
The mountaineering tool is usually called an ice-axe (ice-ax in the USA), the point out front is usually called the pick.

[Historical aside: The "ice pick" used to kill Leon Trotsky was apparently the pick of an ice-axe. ref.: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4103306.stm
...perhaps the assassion got confused by instructions to use an ice pick?!]
 

I guess this was written before the 14 foot Mako that was widely reported off Bude this Summer:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/4144728.stm

(Was there really a second 15 foot Mako near St. Ives...I only heard the reports on the first fish?). I did not hear of them stealing any fish though.

Looks like some doubt the authenticity of the sightings:
http://newswww.bbc.net.uk/1/low/england/cornwall/4144728.stm
http://newswww.bbc.net.uk/1/low/england/cornwall/4167570.stm
 
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