Guernsey 2006

[Sarnian]

I really don't want some of what you boys have been taking!

Back to the matters at hand, my mamba was crying out to me to get it wet when I got home after work so I went in at high tide to Rocquaine. What did I see? Jack all, couple of mullet and that was in. Nothing to unleash the beast on at all.

So I contented myself shooting up weed. Unfortunately my gun seemed to lack the speed of light spear velocity that I'd been led to expect. Dave kindly showed me the correct way to seal the barrel so hopefully that'll sort it.

Power issue asside my first outing with it revealed 2 problems:

1) I see what you boys mean by being front heavy. I've put a couple of neoprene wraps around the muzzle to combat this in the short term.
2) The handle is too small! It fits my hand when ungloved but I use 5mm and with them I can only get 2 fingers on the handle, which, combined with the constant strain due to the front end weight lead to it being quite uncomfortable to hold. The neoprene will help, as will some handle surgery with my dremel...

And another job it to find some clips to hold the 6.5mm spear to the barrel when its not loaded, its a bit of a hassle carrying the spear and gun together.

Here's some pics, including some of my bungee set-up (on the slack and tensioned) that we were talking about before:

Hi Tom - I think we've got it out of our system, and EOD definitely won!
I thought of foam pipe insulation around the barrel - haven't tested it yet. We may end up on the dark side yet! I found you could stretch the line so the spear's held tight - difficult to explain in words.

Cheers

Colin

 

[foxfish]

Good fun playing with mambas.
Dont put to much pressure on the line though as this will make the trigger jerky.
I have my 90 set at 25atm, I lost the loader once but managed to load the gun with some help from a bit of kelp! I carry a spare loader on my float now.
Next time you guys are in the water try firing a shot while looking down the side of the barrel. You will be able to see (as a flash) the spear traveling its flat trajectory. You will also get to notice the very satisfying noise the gun makes on discharge. When I was using band guns (should that be rubber band guns ) I would always deload the gun at the end of my dive. This ritual was always the anticlimax of the dive, signaling the end. Now I always fire my mamba at the end because it feels good & gives you something to kook forward too.
One thing the Medfish guys are into is fitting a bicycle inner tube on the barrel, it seems you can even get different coloured ones with nice designs on.

 

[Magpie]

Well now I knew the proper way to do it I couldn't wait to see what she was like, so went in again at high tide straight from work.

Getting the barrel bit properly seated has made the world of difference, nice tug at the end of 3 wraps, so hopes were high as I set off into a nice weedbed not too far from Casa Del Portinfer that I've always thought looked fishy.

Quite a few 1/2lbs bass and mullet were milling around in the weed but eventually I came across a proper fish and the mamba made no mistake. Then a few minutes later I saw another mullet, but looking closer it seemed a bit skinny, viz meant I couldn't see the spot but I was fairly confident what it was, and again the mamba spat its venom.
My first Golden Grey joined the 3lbs bass on my string, not a bad one either at 1-8.

The mambas growing on me! Was much better in the dense weed that a normal band gun would be, shorter and less for the weed to catch on. The neoprene wraps have helped, but still needs more bouyancy.

Anyway, got to go so here's a quick pic taken my Ed on a break from labouring duties.

PS. God I hate dial-up!

 

[foxfish]

Well done mate, try to eat the mullet tonight & then get pumping!

 

[ADM]

So is it just me left with a rubber band gun then? Have to say those things look good bt the price is the problem. I'm not made of money!! And maybe I don't go enough either. I was hoping to go on Satuday if the weather is OK but if not, will dig bait on Saturday and have Tuesday pm off work to go spearing (if I get enough bait on Saturday). It's a weekend dangling comp coming up...

 

[Magpie]

Couldn't eat it last night Foxy, do they go off quickly then? Will it be ok this evening? What do you do with them?

Andy, to be honest at the moment I would say they were not worth the price increase over a standard band gun. A band gun will get just as many fish and I'll still use mine quite often. Its just another toy eh!

 

[foxfish]

Treat it the same way as bass.
Nice toy though "eh" dont forget you got more power to come!

 

[Magpie]

My conversion to the dark side is nearly complete.

 

[Sarnian]

My conversion to the dark side is nearly complete.

The Force is strong in this one ...

(now who's been taking something Tom!! )

 

[Old Man Dave]

Nice avatar Tom. Often looked at that little corner and have heard that it holds bass and mullet but never tried it. Just proves that getting wet is the only way to be sure. Nice one. Andy I agree with Tom, a mamba is just a tool. I've been shooting fish with my £50 beuchat 75, including some nice bass. However I do own a mamba and don't regret the expenditure. That's saying something as I have been described as being as tight as a ducks ass. Rather appropriate for a diver .

Dave

 

[ADM]

Tom had been mentioning bouyancy of his gun. Mine is naff and infact I think takes on a fair bit of water and therefore sinks. Not much use really... Where do i need to look for the problem and what should I use to plug said leak? Silicon?

 

[Andy.R]

Nice catch Tom. On the subject of weight, balance and handles. Years ago I had (I may still have, but can't find) a pneumatic gun called a Jaguar (the more mature will remember) it had the handle and trigger in the middle. Very comfortable to use as I remember. I also recall having an elastic gun which had 2 handles and had a tungsten carbide tipped spear!!

I have been thinking about adding a second handle to my beuchat. 2 reasons first may be more comfortable stealthing through the weed second will be safer. After a couple of times recently when I had the safety catch on and then missed fish because it was a fiddle to turn off I have taken to not using the safety. Its OK not having the safety on when youre actually 'hunting' but is (in my mind dangerous) risky when swimming around. I have taken to holding the gun in the middle whilst 'swimming around' It would be more comfortable and above all safer to have a second handle to carry it by, especially if the second handle is nowhere near a trigger. Looking at the forecast for the weekend I can feel a bodge coming on....

Old sander handle and stainless jubilee clip with handle set at 45 degrees

Andy

 

[Old Man Dave]

Andy M, I think you'll find that the 2 ends of the hollow tube that forms the main structure of your gun have plugs inside to seal the tube. This keeps it water tight and makes it buoyant. Sometimes they leak. Some guns have plugs with O rings and screws that expand them to hold them in place. Some guns have seals on the handle and head but some cheaper guns just have the plugs siliconed in place. You remove the head and handle (just some screw headed barrel bolts) and have a look. My solution when I've had this problem in the past is to remove the plugs and fill the tube with foam (years ago we also tried corks). This permanently cures the problem provided you use closed cell foam. You can buy a can and squirt it in but I found the best way was to use the tube as a cutter and push it through some builders foam. Polystyrene works but polyurethane foam (like builders insulation) is better. As you push the tube through the foam the pieces you cut go into the tube. Just continue 'til the tube is full. Once reassembled it will then be cured permanently.

Andy R, I think you'll find some threads on safety catches. Some expensive triggers for home builds don't have them at all although all production guns do. Many people myself included now never use safety catches. It's a very personal thing but I don't think they're safe. Had a few guns go off when you released the safety and know that's happened to a lot of other people too. Also have forgotten to take them off and hence missed fish. Now a days I just don't use them and try to be very careful where I point my gun. However this is one of those topics that's caused some "heated" debate so I think it will always be a personal thing.

Yep, weather looks crap for the weekend. So what's new?

Dave

 

[Magpie]

When my Comanche leaked due to some over exuberant bodging I filled it with the expanding foam stuff, did the job nicely.

I also never use my safety, prefer using the thing safely in the first place than relying on a far from fool proof mechanism to do it for me.

I bodged a handle onto the side of a reel I used to use which did help a bit but as I don't use it anymore...(and anyway, no bands to worry about holding on a Mamda :t). You'll need to make 100% sure that your line can't get caught up on the handle and that the clips round the barrel won't cut into the bands when you fire it.

PS. I wouldn't go spearing round Bordeaux if I were you, thats my territory...

 

[Sarnian]

Quite agree about safeties - also if you go by the general guidance for any gun, and keep your finger alongside the trigger guard, but not actually on the trigger, that should be safer. ( also it's a shame we go to the trouble of camouflaging our guns, when Maorisub have the trigger and safety in nice bright yellow - and also their logo in a nice bright blue!)
As for this weekend - any thoughts if it's rough, but a southerly as predicted? I drive past Grand Havre most days, and have often thought about trying the little Southern corner (opposite the States houses) which looks fishable, and sheltered, from about half tide upwards. Has anyone else tried it?

 

[Magpie]

I drive past Grand Havre most days, and have often thought about trying the little Southern corner (opposite the States houses) which looks fishable, and sheltered, from about half tide upwards. Has anyone else tried it?

Might have done! (Look a bit closer at the pic I posted recently...)

Looking at options for the yellow bits myself (its not Maorisub's fault, the handles on ours are seac-sub) and the sticker peals off easily.

 

[Old Man Dave]

Old hand but new member "Dunno" (welcome Kev) was asking me via a PM about British spearfishing records. Here's the link for anyone interested.


http://www.underwaterfishing.co.uk/records/National Fish Records.htm
Dave

 

[beardy241]

Well, if we bothered to log our catches I can see a few there that would come to Guernsey! Put me down for Sole at 4lb please
[m]

 

[Magpie]

Someone speared a 43kg conger!!!! Thats 95lbs!!! Feck me! That thing would be hunting me, not the other way round!

Beardy the sole record is over 6.5lbs...

 

[Andy.R]

If you want to know how to spear a conger then look at the following

http://lavachesousmarine.free.fr/galerie_video

I think the link for belle ile has conger spearing, the other videos are worth a look as well.

I was with a mate once when he speared a biggy it bent his spear and nearly bent him, mind you he was (still is) a nutter. Not for the faint hearted, personally never been tempted.

Andy