• Welcome to the DeeperBlue.com Forums, the largest online community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing. To gain full access to the DeeperBlue.com Forums you must register for a free account. As a registered member you will be able to:

    • Join over 44,280+ fellow diving enthusiasts from around the world on this forum
    • Participate in and browse from over 516,210+ posts.
    • Communicate privately with other divers from around the world.
    • Post your own photos or view from 7,441+ user submitted images.
    • All this and much more...

    You can gain access to all this absolutely free when you register for an account, so sign up today!

Guernsey 2009

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.
Guys,

next time you go night diving, stick your torch in to the ground, and swim 3 -4 mts away....the fish just 'home' in on the beacon and you can pick them off very easily out from the shadows as it were.
This is why, I believe, it has been banned in France etc. Discussed this at length with many French spearos including Yannick Yugen (French Team).....all believe it to be unsporting.
You're not even allowed to dive with a torch in the daytime in France, as this is considered unsporting to look into holes etc.
Scary and intimidating it maybe, but having tried the above method, have to say the opportunity to take more fish easily, and noticibley lobsters, increases massively.
 
The only fish I've seen attracted to the light are Scad and small Pollack, neither of which I'd shoot.

Indeed most seem to carry on regardless, I've watched bass chasing smelt (which were out of the light beam), I've seen red mullet rootling around in the sand, flatties just sit there, the same as they do in the day, rays glide off, mullet indeed seem more wary than during the day.

And what, exactly, is wrong with increasing your chances? As Dave said, all the gear you use is designed to make you more efficient at catching fish, so in my opinion where you draw the line is personal choice.

It's not as if any of us are going out there popping holes in everything we see and having to drive the car down to the water line to collect the wheelbarrow load of fish.

Besides which, why does it have to be "sporting". This is not chalk stream fly fishing, a countrified sport where one method of catching fish is seen as being so superior to another for no reason other than that's what the gentlemen used to do.

I'm out there to see what's about and maybe take home something to eat. Doing so at night is no different to doing so in the day except I see a lot more interesting things and I can also do so after work at this time of year when otherwise I'd not be diving for months on end as my weekends are generally pretty full during the day.
 
Last edited:
Robbo you mention a french chap who is part of a Team... which kind of naturally implies an intrinsic 'sport' attitude to spearfishing; whereas perhaps those people who go out to see what's about, enjoy the 'cruise' and take a few fish home for tea probably dont see any sporting implications whatsoever.
So the whole 'sporting' comment in this regard is maybe lost in translation between ourselves?
Last night i shot a fish for the dinner table; there was no sport involved but that doesnt make it unsporting.
I think it is an interesting point that had i gone out to hunt a fish for the FOM, then that might enter a different context!
All good stuff and my initial 'GET ONNN!' is now replaced with a very slightly mellower 'HMmmm'... although for me, my own debate moves towards how i feel about the FOM, rather than whether i should go spearfishing at night - perhaps to do with motivation rather than results?... Interesting...

Would love to have a UK/CI photography FOM...
 
t, enjoy the 'cruise' and take a few fish home for tea probably dont see any sporting implications whatsoever.
So the whole 'sporting' comment in this regard is maybe lost in translation between ourselves?
Last night i shot a fish for the dinner table; there was no sport involved but that doesnt make it unsporting.

The nub of this debate revolves around the term'sporting'
The following seems a resonable definition of what is usually understood by SPORT:-
'Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.'
Jonny's point about an individual spearing for his own table,within the law,being a separate issue from from what might,or might not,be permitted within the rules governing a sport, seems valid.
Each individual's conscience would surely be the only controlling factor.
 
Last edited:
Sporting... always makes me think of lazy summer days with the traditional sound of leather on willow :) Personally diving for me is about looking around and like Tom maybe taking one for the table. That's why I don't enter comps. Day or night - it makes no difference to my attitude - I have the greatest respect for the marine world and find it enriching to my life. There are different types of divers out there - perhaps more so in Europe ? I don't know ? There seems to be less of the 'your not a diver unless you have a bulging stringer' over here than elsewhere. People here fish in moderation. I think alot of my friends who dive have taken a max of 7 fish on a dive but generally I think that the average is a couple - this is not due to lack of fish (cept maybe this year ...) but more a question of 'I have a few so I'll leave the rest'.
I often go diving and take no fish despite seeing some worth taking - some days it just doesn't feel like a killing day. That's the root of what we do - kill. This is a fundamental responsibility and not one to take lightly.

It's very hard to compare oranges with apples when it comes down to your personal ethics (within the legal framework of being allowed to shoot fish day or night).

On a different note I watched 'our daily bread' ( [ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Daily-Bread-Nikolaus-Geyrhalter/dp/B001CHG06S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1255589082&sr=1-1]Our Daily Bread [DVD] [2006]: Amazon.co.uk: Nikolaus Geyrhalter: DVD[/ame] ) recently.

Worth watching for anyone who eats food....

Ed
 
I wouldn't focus the discussion on the word "sporting/unsporting" but rather on a "fair play". Anybody that has his own brain will draw his own conclusions and some will fish only during the day, some at night and some will make things very easy for themselves by throwing a bomb into the sea (this is obviously an exageration, pleas don't take it seriously and yet don't try it!roflroflrofl).
In the past I've heard somebody to say: "we can't promote the selection and the sustainability of our activity whilst fishing at night and in the holes". I partially agree, but I don't personally promote this selection and sustainability and so don't really mind how other chaps catch their fish and don't believe they can actually have a serious impact on the fish stock at least at the moment in uk as there're not many spearos yet (in italy, spain and france there're really many spearos!)
The reason of my previous post was just for the people who do promote this selection and then fish at night or with tanks.
Sorry if I offended somebody...I didn't mean it.:):):):):):)
 
Does this fall into the "Unsporting" catagory? Might sort out those pesky mullet though rofl

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk6Puz_sdts]YouTube - RPG Fishing[/ame]
 
Dario, i dont think you offended anyone, just raised a good point :) its good to discuss and develop our ethics.
I hadnt thought about using a lamp to attract the fish before as robbo suggested - will have to give that a try (with a camera handy of course!), although experience suggests it will be limited success... difficulty will be balancing the light levels... winter project methinks...
Trelawney -that's a classic :) doesnt crocodile dundee do a similar thing...
 
I'm sure most of you will already have heard about the monster stingray landed by a shore dangler this weekend??

59lb!! Monster.

Seen anything that size OMD or others. Proves they are about I guess.
 
Wow that’s a big fish. Where was it caught?

Caught a big ray years ago off Brehon Tower tank diving, but never seen a stingray (not locally anyhow, dived with them in Antigua)

Went in yesterday over the low. Was good viz and flat calm. Very few fish around though. No flatties or bass. A few big rockies and came across 5 triggers in an abandoned pot! One was dead so I cut the netting and allowed the others to escape. There were shoals of small Pollack.
 
  • Like
Reactions: foxfish
It was off the back of Vermerette (spelling??) in Herm mid afternoon.

Glad you saw no bass as I certainly didn't catch any!!
 
Ah right.

I lived in Herm during the early 1980's for a couple of seasons, and used to spear out that way, was good for plaice (a long walk though).

Another good spot in herm for plaice is just off rosaire steps amongst the moorings - low water only when it becomes a lagoon, don't even think about it when the tide is running. Also there is a sandy bay inside gate rock which is often good for sole.

I first met OMD in the White House kitchens at that time.
 
hi peeps glad to see people have been geting in lately iv had a lingering chest infection for a while so no fun for me. i was wondering does any one know when the black bream stop being cought and whats good to go for this time of year on the boat rod and line.
 
Afternoon all, just back from hols on the Greek islands so thought I'd post a quick report on the spearfishing/diving down there.

Islands covered: Naxos, Paros and Santorini

Positives
Increadible visibilty by which i mean 30ft+
Calm conditions
1m tidal range
Warm water
On the smaller islands (Paros in particular) spearfishing is like a national sport.
Santorini was the most impressive as the shallows extend only 30ft before plunging 300m with large shoals congregating on the edge of the shelf

Negatives
On most of the islands you've got to head a long way out to see anything bigger than a couple of lbs leaving diving around the shore feeling like swimming in someones aquarium.
Licenses from the local port authorities are in theory required (apply 1 week in advance) but most of the locals I spoke to said it wasn't necessary.

In brief if you're heading to any of the Greek islands its definitely worth taking fins and mask. Don't bother with paying the excess baggage on a weight belt or suit for that matter as most dive shops will lend / hire.
Gun wise I didn't bother this time and it turned out to be a good decision as the time we had available meant I was just shore diving and didn't have the opportunity to to get a boat out to the deeper water where the bigger fish are.

Nice to be home though and looking forward to geting in over the next few days......although looking at the forecast and the chop out there today it looks like I'll have to wait till the weekend.

Mike
 
Good to hear that people are getting in - yesterday was super-calm!
sounds like you had a good trip Moz.. better than my sardinia experience anyhow.

I went South with Portinfer yesterday; we planned to try diving one of teh reefs down that way; first up was pleinmont ledge, but when we arrived tehre was one pinnacle just about in my reach and the rest was 9m+. so after a few zig-zags trying to spot a shallower area, we moved back round to Les Kaines D'amont - a series of pinnacles according to the chart... we approached in the boat from downtide , watching the sounder running 15m, 12m, 10, 6, 2, 1.2m... STOP.
Straight away we realised that there was too much tide but we tried to swim up to the reef, but it was a non starter, so back to the boat :(
decided to head into a bay and at least get a swim. so we headed back to by just inside the pea stacks and tried there (in my case very unsuccessfully!)
lots of firsts, including first boat dive, first use of the new danbuoy (needs a mod), wifes first time running the boat. Sons first time off the boat :)
so not an epic day, but it was super weather which made up for the poor diving. will have to sort out the time/tide a bit better next time.
 
Last edited:
Nice pics Jonny! Also nice to know it was probably not worth going in, as I was very tempted at the weekend!

Haven't posted for a while as have been taking son to Uni, etc, and had a weekend in France a few weeks ago in Carteret. Also while there we took a trip across the peninsula to St Vaast, and interesting little port. Saw this boat being built/restored - pics attached for the boatbuilders! Also a pic of a cheeky little wine seen in a French supermarket!rofl
 

Attachments

  • france.jpg
    france.jpg
    84.7 KB · Views: 194
  • france2.jpg
    france2.jpg
    57.3 KB · Views: 186
  • France1.jpg
    France1.jpg
    62.2 KB · Views: 194
Thanks Jonny !
Top day out - really enjoyed it - not always about the catch. Wow, nice shiny new boat and still smelling of fibreglass.
Had a few dives down to 'near' the bottom at the first spot (Kaines) but with the current it was more like one of those lap training pools with the jets of water.

Rest of the dive was great - lots and lots of shoals of small pollack being curious - not much else but did hear the loudest crack underwater a few times. Had a prod about but couldn't find the culprit (lobster ? conger ?).

Reckon the answer for trips like this is to work out the time for the slackest water (bang on low water on the south coast ? i.e so go an hour before to an hour after if on a spring?). Then plan the dive around the current and depth. Maybe a drift dive along the cliffs with the boat in sight to pick you up. Think this style is mentioned in 'Last of the Blue water Hunters' ?

Am guessing that the places further offshore get less current ?

Spose the answer is to find places shallow enough on a neap tide when the current is less anyhoo...

Well anyway - great day and many thanks to Jon and his patient crew :)

Ed
 
  • Like
Reactions: Old Man Dave
I'm sure most of you will already have heard about the monster stingray landed by a shore dangler this weekend??

59lb!! Monster.

Seen anything that size OMD or others. Proves they are about I guess.


I have seen 3 stingers in my over 40 years diving. In the same time I have seen hundreds if not thousands of blonde ray and more than a few electrics, small eyed and undulate ray.

I saw my stingers in Rousse (20ft deep), inside vermarette towards herm harbour (10ft deep) and just this year up north on a gravel bank in 100ft deep. In addition I know of a diver who got stung by one in perelle and I weighed one that was speared off Herm (36lb).

They are very heavy for their size compared to other species of ray. The ones I've seen would I guess weigh from 30 to 50lb. The biggest was the Vermarette one although that was 20+ yeas ago and that could have been bigger than 50lb. It looked about a foot thick in the head region which is why they are so heavy, with other rays being much "flatter".

The one I saw this year when scuba divng in 100ft, I had a really good look at. It was just like the pictures in the books lying half buried in the gravel with a sting about 4 inches long half way down the tail. Underwater they always look black (as do electric rays) although out of water they look dark brown. An old car tyre is a good discription of a stinger seen underwater. In Richard lords photo they don't look so "round" but when I've seen them they appear to be so particularly compared to other rays which are much more angular (excepting the "guitar" like shape of electrics). Picture below is the actual (dead) 59lb stingray photographed by local marine biologist Richard Lord.

Stingray can be common on certain parts of the English south coast often in shallow waters where they are caught by shore anglers. Estuaries and shallow mud flats on the Essex coast are such areas and they often fall to small ragworm baits rather than fish or crab. Max size for this/our species is probably 100lb.

Stingrays are usually said to be inedible and certainly there is no market for them although spaghetti says you can eat them and offered reciepies.

Bearing in mind the fuss there was when an angler caught that big porbeagle last year I'm suprised there has been no critisism of this catch. At least the porgy was eaten. Assume this ray will just be "dumped". Not going to say anything myself and it was obviously a great feat of angling but personally I only kill what I or someone else is going to eat although I don't seek to impose my rules on others.

Dave.
 

Attachments

  • 59lb stingray.jpg
    59lb stingray.jpg
    30.1 KB · Views: 172
Last edited:
DeeperBlue.com - The Worlds Largest Community Dedicated To Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing

ABOUT US

ISSN 1469-865X | Copyright © 1996 - 2024 deeperblue.net limited.

DeeperBlue.com is the World's Largest Community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving, Ocean Advocacy and Diving Travel.

We've been dedicated to bringing you the freshest news, features and discussions from around the underwater world since 1996.

ADVERT