Gear list for the starting spearo

[Waterhawk]

Tis the season for fish to die and fry. Obviously, I'm gonna have to make some forays into the land of The Superbowl Champs if I'm going to shoot anything edible with fins, so if anyone has any advice on equipment, it would be much appreciated. Things I'm looking to buy this year for sure would be: Wetsuit and gloves(3 or 5 mm?) weight belt/weights(how many pounds), dive knife, I think fins, socks, bouy, etc. will have to wait. Looks like it's taking longer than expected to gear up, but I've been looking at this site for all my gear needs Pursuit Diving. Any feedback?

 

[devondave]

Hi waterhawk,
just bumping your post, pretty sure someone will have some answers for you.

 

[Whopperhead]

Waterhawk - For Wisconsin/Minn Diving you will need:

-5mil 2pc Wetsuit (preferably Open Cell interior)
-3mil gloves and socks (Hammerheadspearguns.com makes great products for this)
-Poundage - you will probably need 16lbs unless you plan on diving deeper (past 30 feet)
-Bouy get a inflatable would be best.
- A knife is rarely needed.
- Fins - buy Cressi 2000 or 3000. seriously, probably the best SPEARfishing fins for the money.
- Mask, low volume with black skirting.


You'll also need a fish stringer

Last but not least- a Kick Arse Speargun! I love my Hammerhead 75cm. 75cm is ideal for the water that we hunt in.

Let us know what you end up with.

 

[Jon]

I agree with everything that Scott said.

I used to buy my gear through jimdoe2you, but since he isn't around anymore I'm back to shopping through the DB shop: Spear guns , dive Spear guns . Scubastore.com, buy, offers
The trick when ordering through them is to get everything at once. The shipping is very fast, but also very expensive. If you group everything together in one order the prices are pretty decent.

I would also add that you'll want to get about a 75cm speargun. It looks like you could pick up a Cressi band gun for a little over $100 through the DB shop.

I would also add that you need to get a rubber weight belt (Marseilles) and not a nylon scuba weight belt. You also need a freediving (Apnea) wetsuit and not a scuba wetsuit- don't even go to a scuba shop as they have no idea what you'll be talking about.

Jon

 

[n00bs1s3d]

Waterhawk - For Wisconsin/Minn Diving you will need:

-5mil 2pc Wetsuit (preferably Open Cell interior)
-3mil gloves and socks (Hammerheadspearguns.com makes great products for this)
-Poundage - you will probably need 16lbs unless you plan on diving deeper (past 30 feet)
-Bouy get a inflatable would be best.
- A knife is rarely needed.
- Fins - buy Cressi 2000 or 3000. seriously, probably the best SPEARfishing fins for the money.
- Mask, low volume with black skirting.


You'll also need a fish stringer

Last but not least- a Kick Arse Speargun! I love my Hammerhead 75cm. 75cm is ideal for the water that we hunt in.

Let us know what you end up with.

I agree with everything, but i think the knife is a MUST, you never know when you are going to need it, and it doesn't hurt to have one. Good luck! : )
Oh and one more thing, the cressi 3000LD are softer than the cressi 3000.

 

[Whopperhead]

Oh and one more thing, the cressi 3000LD are softer than the cressi 3000.

The softer blades would not be the Best for Waterhawk - He's a Big dude!

 

[n00bs1s3d]

The softer blades would not be the Best for Waterhawk - He's a Big dude!

Ok, sorry didn't know that. : )

 

[BigThreeForLife]

I haven't tested any of my gear yet... hopefully soon, but still looking for partners. List below:

Riffe 3mm Reef Cryptic Camo Wetsuit
Riffe Spearfishers Knife
Riffe Long Fins - Open Heel
Riffe 2mm Gloves w/ Kevlar Palms
Riffe 3mm Fin Socks w/ rubber sole
Aimrite Venom Series 90cm speargun
Inflatable Float from Walmart in Hawaii
Homemade waist stringer using a carabiner and pin w/ hole drilled in center
Frameless mask (not sure of brand, gift from brother)

 

[Jon]

That will be a nice set up come July or August, but you're going to freeze up until then- and early season has better vis in the inland lakes.

The fact that you live in Chicago means that you're close to Lake Michigan and spearing gets better there later on in the summer- especially if you jump across the border and shoot perch in Wisconsin.

I would add a 5mm suit to your list- 7mm if you're used to diving in Hawaii.

Jon

 

[spaghetti]

With a 5mm suit or thicker, you may also consider a weight vest or weight backpack for shallow dives (within the 20/25 feet mark: backpack is not recommended for any deeper).
Wearing a weight backpack on your upper back allows you to destribute the poundage of lead ballast, so it will not be all on your lower back. I use belt weights+backpack.

Other gear you might regret not having brought on:
-A fish stringer or speed spike
-A file for keeping your speartip sharp
-A tube of neoprenic glue and stitch set for quick wetsuit repair
-A small water proof case for car keys and cell phone.
and most important....
-A fistful of cash for beer in the post dive :friday

 

[BigThreeForLife]

Jon,

I'd agree I might freeze early in the season, but I'm typically warm in the water. I figured I'd start here and see how I liked my gear, but I'm not against purchasing a thicker wetsuit. Have you started diving yet this season? I'm still looking for partners to dive with (friends aren't willing to drop the coin on gear yet), and am willing to travel.

I'm going to Lake Como this weekend to help a friend put in piers, pontoon boats, shore stations, etc. I'm bringing my 5mm hunting waders because I might be in the water for hours, but figure I'll at least test the suit out during the day at some point.

Chris

 

[Jon]

The ice is off the lakes, but the lakes are a nice sh*& brown color right now so I'm not diving at the moment. Waiting for things to clear up a bit before I start back in the water. I was diving a bit back in January and February when he lakes were super clear, but right now we're in wait-and-see mode.

Jon

 

[Waterhawk]

I already have the mask/snorkel and a rob allen speargun. My scuba boots and fins will have to do for now. I think I'll start with a 5mm open cell, 3mm gloves, and a weight belt for the actual diving part of it. That brings up another piece of gear, dive watch/computer, anyone have advice? I'm certified in scuba, so I know Jon probably has a favorite crossover watch.

 

[Jon]

I have a Cressi Edy II that I that seems to work pretty well, but the Aries/Oceanic one has a larger screen that's easier to read. It sounds like the F-10 has had some issues so I would buy the one previous to that (Scott has one) and use it for both scuba and freediving.

At the time I bought the Cressi I was debating between the two and picked the Cressi because it was smaller and I could wear it as a day-to-day watch. The only problem is that I no longer like wearing dive watches every day and prefer a simple Ironman digital watch so it can get banged around and I do not have to worry about scratching it up.

Jon

 

[Whopperhead]

-A fistful of cash for beer in the post dive :friday

Very True!!!!!

 

[Whopperhead]

The Oceanic GEO watch is Great! Has Freedive mode and Scuba and I think Runs about $250.00. I've had no problems with it.

 

[Waterhawk]

Gear on order. List and pics to follow

 

[Whopperhead]

Sweet! Can't wait to see what you ordered!

 

[Waterhawk]

Here's the gear I've recieved so far:
3mm suit
90cm carbon fins
3mm Hammerhead gloves/socks
weight belt and some weights
dive knife
earis f10-v2 dive watch

I went with 3mm gear for now because I knew I wouldn't be diving early season this year yet, but I'll invest in a 5mm at a future date as needed. Now I just need a dive float/flag/line. Most of the gear is from Pursuit Diving. The one thing that sucks is struggling to find a footpocket that fits well, my feet are too big for most of the footpockets and the one I did get is very tight with the 3mm socks on. I wish there were custom footpockets like there are suits.

 

[Whopperhead]

Very Nice Buck! Nice arse watch!!! I think you'll be happy with you gear.