I am a total newbie interested in doing some freshwater hunting. Panfish, catfish and bass will be targeted in water with a spring and fall viz of 10-15 feet maybe more it gets pretty clear. Some advice on gear would be very helpful to save me some hassle/money on trial and error. I am a strong swimmer and athlete but a big man 6'0 275lbs who plans on using the gear often and for a long time(26 years of age). The lakes are private one is 16acres max depth of 27feet and the other is 1.5acres with around 13foot of water. Bluegills, Bass, Crappie, Catfish may all be targeted I have read the rules and regs but the property is gated and the fish are mine as far as im concerned. Anything will help thank you in advance for your replies.
-
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!
I was advised to ask you guys.
- Thread startervolktron58
- Start date
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.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
Sounds like an ideal set-up to me.:friday
You need a decent,but not top of the line, set of fins to get up and down from those depths with a full 5mm suit and weightbelt in the winter time. A shorter gun, around 75cm, should be plenty. It doesn't sound like you have to use a dive flag, but a float to hang things on might be nice.
Since the lake is shallow you don't even need a low volume mask as most anything will do for those depths.
Make sure to get yourself a rubber freediving weightbelt- they make that much of a difference. I would also try to make sure your weights are small, like around 2 pounds, so that you can really fine tune your bouancy.
For safety sake I would HIGHLY adivse a buddy to spot you and shoot some fish for themselves.
Most important is to get a camera and post some pictures for the rest of us to check out.rofl
Jon
You need a decent,but not top of the line, set of fins to get up and down from those depths with a full 5mm suit and weightbelt in the winter time. A shorter gun, around 75cm, should be plenty. It doesn't sound like you have to use a dive flag, but a float to hang things on might be nice.
Since the lake is shallow you don't even need a low volume mask as most anything will do for those depths.
Make sure to get yourself a rubber freediving weightbelt- they make that much of a difference. I would also try to make sure your weights are small, like around 2 pounds, so that you can really fine tune your bouancy.
For safety sake I would HIGHLY adivse a buddy to spot you and shoot some fish for themselves.
Most important is to get a camera and post some pictures for the rest of us to check out.rofl
Jon
Volktron - Private lakes huh? lucky 
I'm fairly new myself and these guys have helped lead me to find the right stuff- Alot of the stuff your going to buy depends on your budget. you want a good wetsuit I ordered mine from Home they are custom made from Italy. They can be expensive or you can get the econoline which starts at $240 or so and goes up from there- I would suggest getting a 5mil suit. Seeeing how your 6' and about 240lbs I would suggest getting a custom made suit from ELIOS but it takes about a month. should be warm enough for the cold water and allow you to stay in longer- I ended up buying 2 one Elios suit 6mil and a AKONA 3mil for when it gets hot.
I bought alot of my gear from Buy scuba gear, scuba diving and snorkeling equipment, and everything underwater from LeisurePro.com They probably had the best selection and are fairly reasonable. I had started a forum called "New to the Sport" which could also answer any questions you have. but Anyways heres some stuff you'll need:
-Wetsuit,
-Fins (I use a short pair and a longer pair about 36" in length)
-Gloves (I also have 2 pair of these 3mil and 5 mil)
Jon suggest getting 3 fingered gloves.
-Socks- (aka boots to keep your feet warm either 3 or 5mil)
-a Hood if your suit didn't come with one (probably 5mil)
- Weightbelt and weights (how much pounds will determine on your wetsuit and your body fat, my friend doesn't use any he's super skinny and in a 3 mil, I on the other hand am fat and have a 5mil so in need like 30#)
-Floatline and Float (floatline attaches to you then to the float This is a must have it's the LAW. I had bought 100' of float line "A little too much" I ended up cutting it into (4) 25' sections, I was getting tangled in the 100' line. Your float must also have a Dive Flag (most floats come with one). I'm not usre if you would need one seeing how you would be on a private lake. But I would get one anyways- incase you decide to come to one of the events.
-Mask, I have black on the sides and my friend has it clear on the sides- he gets alot of glare because of the sun.
-Snorkle - The simple ones work great, Some have the Purge valve in the bottom that is nice also.
Fish Stringer- your going to want a place to put your catch-
and SPEARGUNS! - I have 4 spearguns, one is a little Sawed-OFF JBL with a trident tip on for shoot panfish, my Favorite one is a JBL Sawed-Off Woody. It's about 46", 3 bands, shoots about 18'. It's wood so, it floats after the shot which is good- then I can let go of the gun and chase down the fish. The other 2 are spares or extras incase someone wants to try it.
-Knife - get one with a serrated edge on one side and maybe a blunt tip. It's good to have one (you never know when you'll need it)
I thinks that's about it for the Basics. You could always look at getting a Underwater Camera someday - It's great to share you photos.
Pretty much all my Gear I got at LiesurePro.com - Like I said they had a broad selection. Good luck!
----------Scott
I'm fairly new myself and these guys have helped lead me to find the right stuff- Alot of the stuff your going to buy depends on your budget. you want a good wetsuit I ordered mine from Home they are custom made from Italy. They can be expensive or you can get the econoline which starts at $240 or so and goes up from there- I would suggest getting a 5mil suit. Seeeing how your 6' and about 240lbs I would suggest getting a custom made suit from ELIOS but it takes about a month. should be warm enough for the cold water and allow you to stay in longer- I ended up buying 2 one Elios suit 6mil and a AKONA 3mil for when it gets hot.I bought alot of my gear from Buy scuba gear, scuba diving and snorkeling equipment, and everything underwater from LeisurePro.com They probably had the best selection and are fairly reasonable. I had started a forum called "New to the Sport" which could also answer any questions you have. but Anyways heres some stuff you'll need:
-Wetsuit,
-Fins (I use a short pair and a longer pair about 36" in length)
-Gloves (I also have 2 pair of these 3mil and 5 mil)
Jon suggest getting 3 fingered gloves.
-Socks- (aka boots to keep your feet warm either 3 or 5mil)
-a Hood if your suit didn't come with one (probably 5mil)
- Weightbelt and weights (how much pounds will determine on your wetsuit and your body fat, my friend doesn't use any he's super skinny and in a 3 mil, I on the other hand am fat and have a 5mil so in need like 30#)
-Floatline and Float (floatline attaches to you then to the float This is a must have it's the LAW. I had bought 100' of float line "A little too much" I ended up cutting it into (4) 25' sections, I was getting tangled in the 100' line. Your float must also have a Dive Flag (most floats come with one). I'm not usre if you would need one seeing how you would be on a private lake. But I would get one anyways- incase you decide to come to one of the events.
-Mask, I have black on the sides and my friend has it clear on the sides- he gets alot of glare because of the sun.
-Snorkle - The simple ones work great, Some have the Purge valve in the bottom that is nice also.
Fish Stringer- your going to want a place to put your catch-
and SPEARGUNS! - I have 4 spearguns, one is a little Sawed-OFF JBL with a trident tip on for shoot panfish, my Favorite one is a JBL Sawed-Off Woody. It's about 46", 3 bands, shoots about 18'. It's wood so, it floats after the shot which is good- then I can let go of the gun and chase down the fish. The other 2 are spares or extras incase someone wants to try it.
-Knife - get one with a serrated edge on one side and maybe a blunt tip. It's good to have one (you never know when you'll need it)
I thinks that's about it for the Basics. You could always look at getting a Underwater Camera someday - It's great to share you photos.
Pretty much all my Gear I got at LiesurePro.com - Like I said they had a broad selection. Good luck!
----------Scott
Last edited:
If I purchase an omer T20 online should it come with everything needed to hunt? Do I need to purchase accessories such as extra shafts, tips or bands? Thank you for your advice.
All the spearguns I've bought came with a tip- I wouldn't think you would need extra bands or a spear- the bands should last you a couple years at least and unless your shooting fish with large teeth that could cut your line. Your spear should be ok. :martial
Have fun!
-Scott
Have fun!
-Scott
The Omer T20 is a great gun, and it comes with everything you need. You can get another band but its plenty powerful with one. I shoot an omer excalibur and its great, the main difference between the excalibur and the T20 is the excalibur has an 16mm band and the T20 has a 18mm. Also, wear gloves with the Omers, the wishbones can be nasty.