Help me decide!

[popgun pete]

If the fish is not swimming properly and lost all its co-ordination then you throw your gun aside as you need both hands to grab it, if it is swimming strongly then of course you keep your gun and have a hand on the line to steer it around if you can and have your associate finish it off. It all depends on the size and strength of the fish, at times I have grabbed the shaft and jammed it into the bottom, or have turned the shaft vertically and had the fish slide down to me. Basically anything that gets your hands on the fish because the longer it struggles the dinner gong is ringing. I have cut some fish heads off while still alive and pulled the heads and guts clear out of the body, that is what that serrated blade knife is for. Unlike spearfishing videos some kills are violent and as the old saying goes, red in tooth and claw, although blood at depth can appear green. A kill knife for sticking in the brain is of the stiletto type, that is all they are good for, but the day I took that photo I did not have my kill knife, although you can see it on another thread.

 

[popgun pete]

As a matter of interest the knife on the plastic outdoor table that I have had for about 18 years is available again.

WIL-DK-621 PREMIER Scuba Diving Camping Hunting Fishing High Quality Knife | eBay

PREMIER Scuba Diving, Camping, Hunting, Fishing, High Quality. The knife is designed for scuba diving, snorkeling and other water sports. Military style, multipurpose and super quality diving knife.

www.ebay.com.au

Not the greatest knife in the world, but it has a few things going for it. The blade is thick and has a big tang running right through the handle. The hammer butt screws off and you can pull the handle completely apart, although the butt is only chromed brass and not stainless steel. The cross guard is a thin metal shell cupping the front of the rubber handle and not solid as you may first think, but it does the job of your hand not sliding off when you apply thrusting pressure with the blade. The serrated teeth are good for sawing fish heads off or far enough through to cut the backbone which calms them down immediately after an initial struggle. The hard plastic sheath is good because you can put it on a belt, separate from your weight belt. From memory I paid about 24 bucks, but that was a long time ago and it looks like the handgrip molding has been improved, it being rather roughly moulded on mine. Made in Taiwan.

As you can see my table was in much better nick when this photo was taken,

 

[gouthro]

Thanks for all of the information, Pete. It has been very helpful. I just ordered a few items, such as the boots. Should be ready for an outing in a couple of weeks. I only do snorkelling, by the way, but I don't think it will make any difference for your advice. When you mentionned one hundred feet, i then assumed that you do scuba diving.
Thanks again G

 

[popgun pete]

Thanks for all of the information, Pete. It has been very helpful. I just ordered a few items, such as the boots. Should be ready for an outing in a couple of weeks. I only do snorkelling, by the way, but I don't think it will make any difference for your advice. When you mentionned one hundred feet, i then assumed that you do scuba diving.
Thanks again G

I used to do both, but in recent years only freedive. Spearfishing on scuba has been banned here for many years, so guns on a dive boat with scuba divers is now illegal as you cannot prove that the scuba divers did not use the guns. Spearing at night has also been banned as poachers operated at night and the law now assumes you are a poacher.

 

[gouthro]

Sounds like pretty restrive laws. I assumed that Australia would be more free wheeling.

 

[popgun pete]

Sounds like pretty restrive laws. I assumed that Australia would be more free wheeling.

Just the opposite, marine parks stole a lot of good spots after fishermen of all types were asked about their best fishing locations. A year or two later they all became marine parks with no take.

 

[gouthro]

Just the opposite, marine parks stole a lot of good spots after fishermen of all types were asked about their best fishing locations. A year or two later they all became marine parks with no take.

il

 

[gouthro]

il

Australia is a whole continent. you would think that there would be plenty of open places and you wouldn’t need too many parks. it seems especially viscous, though, to canvass fishermen and then close off the areas they had mentionned. not too many laws here in the Gulf of St. Lawrence regarding spearfishing, i don’t think. but lots of other laws inhibiting freedom. not allowed to get lobsters in any way for instance. i think it is even illegal to pick the snails on the rocks. fortunately, where i go is pretty isolated.

 

[popgun pete]

Australia is a whole continent. you would think that there would be plenty of open places and you wouldn’t need too many parks. it seems especially viscous, though, to canvass fishermen and then close off the areas they had mentionned. not too many laws here in the Gulf of St. Lawrence regarding spearfishing, i don’t think. but lots of other laws inhibiting freedom. not allowed to get lobsters in any way for instance. i think it is even illegal to pick the snails on the rocks. fortunately, where i go is pretty isolated.

It was entirely political, the main party vote here is split about 50:50, so preference votes are sought by either of the two major parties from second tier players and one of the most prominent is the Greens. In a deal to support a Labor government the Greens demanded marine parks and at the next election demanded even more, at one stage it looked like the entire coastline of my home state was in their sights. No one actually stated what the real threats were, protection was often using a precautionary principle which runs along the lines of we don't really know but will lock it up anyway. Shore developments which often severely degrade areas, e.g. run-off, pollution, etc. still got the go-ahead as money talks.

 

[burjegol]

I am also spearfishing in Med. Usual catch is common sea bream aka Sargo, amberjacks, and dusky groupers. Sometimes, i do try my accuracy on speeding blue runners.
My set up is 90 homemade wooden spear gun with 2 16 mm rubbers and a 70 mares pneumatic for inside rocks shooting, especially groupers. My Mares gun was obtained 2012, and is working perfectly till now. I have replaced the piston twice but the shaft, hhmmm. Methink I've lost 4 or 5 of them, stuck inside the rocks with groupers in them.
Also freediving, but once in a while, using tanks as well.
Enjoy mate. Keep safe and dive safe. Never, ever push beyond your limit.

 

[burjegol]

Lost my Mares 70 Jet, got a replacement Cyrano 1.1 90 cm with power adjust. Works perfect except for some minor things, such as, the spear shaft tends to bend every time I reload, and only comes with a single barb, instead of a threaded double barb. Other than that, it works fine, and is accurate.