I was advised to ask you guys.

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

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

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

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.