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Ideal Speargun

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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oreana123

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Dec 1, 2003
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Some of us beginners would like to know what makes some brands better at speargun manufacturing. Riffe and Wong spearguns seem to be the considered very good spearguns. What characteristics make them the choice of serious bluewater hunters?
I would like to know how spears or spearguns used for hunting large fish end up tethered to floats while the fish is being played out. Is the spear simply tethered to the gun and the gun to the float, or is the spear directly attached to the float somehow. Or does the diver make the decision to attach the gun to the float line, and then head to the surface to pull the fish up.
Thanks John S
 
riffe

get a copy of terry mass blue water hunting and freediving by Terry Mass it is a great read and awnsers plenty of Q's
riffe are good bc they are silent strong and plain pretty.....
try using the search function on the site and youll get plenty of info
hope this help a bit
 
Without trying to sound evasive, John, the best brand or style of gun is the one that is working for you at that point and location.

If you go ask a dozen divers there preferences, you'll end up with at least that many differing opinions and they are all correct - it's what's working for them . I get a lot of good natured:hmm ribbing here for being a staunch proponent of wood barreled self built and Riffe guns and that has developed because they work for me. I have in my arsenal a couple of reworked JBL's and a couple hybrid pipeguns and a :girlie euro gun that I don't let on about. :mute And they all have a purpose and area that they are the best tools for me. Ask Rigdvr Mike his choice and he'll show off his Wongs. And if you ask really nice he'll show off his guns too. The Styron and dqbn are euro afficianados. But then they also wear speedos so what're ya gonna do...

That said, the best thing to do is get in touch with a local dive club in your area and ask around. You'll save loads of grief and cash by taking advantage of others trials and errors/successes.

As to why the spear is tethered to a floatline, the answer is that it's safer and well, safer to let the fish fight the bouyancy of the float rather than you until it tires/dies so you can recover it. A 30 pound fish is very capable of taking you for a ride and if you need to bail and the gun is attached to the line, well, there goes a buncha bucks and a fish. :head Not considered smooth. Most will have the shaft connected to the floatline/float and some prefer to keep the gun attached between the two thinking :confused: that it's a cleaner deal. And then there are those of us that like reels for specific applications. Whatever as long as you can clear out if shit happens.

I agree that picking up a copy of Terry's book will make things a lot clearer. Add that to the local knowledge and you're on a good path.
 
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#1 (11 yr. old son) and I reef hunt. With a Riffe Competitor #2 for him, a Comp #3X for me and a Metal Tech #1 with enclosed track and aluminum muzzle for my night and mullet hunting gun. I like Riffes and Wongs because the stocks and triggers of these guns are regarded as being among the strongest in the industry and from what I have heard they have excellent reputations for warranty work. Not that I would know first hand about that. Our Competitors have three 9/16" bands and the Metal Tech has four, unless #1 is using it, I put on four 1/2" bands for him so he doesn't have to struggle as much. He likes the MT better than his Comp. I feel confident I could safely power up these guns up even more if I felt the need. The main thing I like about multiple bands is we have more power options while hunting. We have the power for longer shots, but can drop two bands off the shaft if we need to shoot into a hole or under a coral head without irretrievably blasting a shaft into the coral.:hmm After that, the main reason I like the wood guns is the aesthetics.

Our float lines are set up just the way you described with the shaft line to the gun, then a rope from the gun to the float. For the kind of hunting we're doing we aren't using the float to fight the fish, but rather stems from the time #1 dropped his gun in water too deep for him to go get it. He had to swim over to get me, then we had to go back and find it and I had to go get it for him.:waterwork But then what are Dad's for, right?:cool: Anyway, the way we're set up now we can just drop the gun to have both hands free for something else, then pull it back up. If we start hunting to need to use the floats to fight the fish I'll rig us up some break-away rigs with bungy float lines and make stronger attachment points to our boogieboard floats.:)

For our next guns I'm thinking maybe Riffe again, or maybe Wong. Or just maybe, I'll get these "old boards" out of the bedroom that the wife has been bugging me about and do a DIY.:)
 
Originally posted by SpearSlinger1
... maybe, I'll get these "old boards" out of the bedroom that the wife has been bugging me about and do a DIY.:)


Just tell her that a little "wood" in the bedroom is a good thing. ;) Of course working your wood by yourself is not looked on as Sultanny. :mute
 
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North Coast Hunting

icarus,

I have just started acquiring the equipment to spearfish in Northern Cali. I am looking to get a gun now. I was looking at a 75cm Picasso Century Speargun. Do you think that it will be right for the North coast? Thanks in advance for any help given.:)
 
Welcome to Deeper Blue, Apache.

I'm not the biggest fan of european design guns, but the couple of times I did use a Picasso, I was impressed with the ease at which they could swing around. Trouble is here in No Cal, most all of the fish you'll want to go for are holed up in cracks and caves so you need something short. Yes, I think that gun in particular is very well suited for your use, especially the length. I'd go for at least a single 16 band and two line wraps so you can reach out and say hi to some of our tasty calicos. Let us know how you do.
 
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Thanks for the...

...welcome. I won’t be able to get out to the coast until the End of February or March due to my mentor being out of the country until then. So far I have picked up a 7mm wet suit. Bit by bit I plan on piecing it all together. I am completely new to this so any and all advice it appreciated.

Best wishes,
 
O.K., I have Terry Maas' book and have read and reread the section on guns. The ones shown in the book seem to be the underwater equivilant of a Westley Richards droplock double. Very desireable but hardly the kind of thing that the rank newbie (and I ain't even got thet fir!) should aspire to. Please, some recommendations for one's first, beach paddling, how-the-hell-is-this-spearfishing-kinder-thang-done gun. Mmmmm?:cool:
 
I would go for a Riffe Metal Tech #3. You are close to the main office. Why not pay them a visit at Riffe's.
 
Id agree.

When we take customers out on hunts we usualy give them a 44" mid handle. Riffe midhandle guns are easier to turn on fish and give you added ease of use in reef and rock areas. Most of our customers have very little experience and prefer to stay close to shore and hunt the reef.

Blue water is another story...

Make shure whatever you take to have a dragline and float. That way on your first time out if you get creamed in the surf you dont loose your new whateveryaget speargun.

I know on my first spearfishing adventures I used a pole spear. Good ole polespear Ill never forget em.

If your in the so cal boderlands you should try to go hunting in the San Felipe area its really nice.

Thats where Ill be
GTB
www.gonetobaja.com
 
honestly your first gun shouldnt be a bluewater cannon anyway...bluewater hunting is a whole nother animal
 
I ended...

...up getting a 75cm Picasso Basik. I brought it over to Kurt’s house and he basically tore it all apart and rebuilt it to be more effective. It was pretty sweet to watch him tear it apart & reassemble it while chatting about his new road bike. I figured it would have taken me at least 10 years to know what modifications to make to the gun! We are going out to a local lake to practice on some carp in a few weeks. Thanks for all of your help. Now I need to look for my next gun to get...maybe DW Hybrid???


Apache~
 
First reef gun

I bought a Spearfishing specialties Rhino speargun out of Florida. The gun is made of wood, and the wood is coated with the material found in pickup bed liners. The gun will work good on smaller reef fish. John S
 
As the guys have said guns are a personal choice or situation and species choice also to some extent big multi rubber guns are good for big fish but some big fish have been shot with Euro or Sth african single and double rubber guns too
The float line can be att to the gun or direct to spearline with a breakaway rig look at ROB ALLEN or RIFFE for good examples of breakaways and buy theres or make your own similar to either one. or as the other guys already said look in Teryy Maas's book good info.
regards Peter
 
i particualy favor euro guns, and that is mostly due to the fact that its the style i learned to spear with and what is mostly available. also feels a lot more sleek than my dad's Metal Tech
 
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