Is my knife long enough?

[Krakenlims]

So I'm from UK, off to Gilli Islands Indonesia and i will be spear fishing on my days off…
My current knife is a stiletto style Omer with a humble 8.5cm / 3.5 inches long blade...
I've shot larger game fish in South Africa but used someone else's larger knife...
Will my short Omer knife be long enough to kill larger game fish?
Do I need a new longer knife?
Cheers

 

[landshark sa]

In most cases fish brains sit quite shallow and even on big fish should be should be accessible with a 8cm blade. If you are really struggling to dispatch the fish via braining to the top you can always go in via the gills, this is also sometimes a better option when the fish has a hard plated or very bony head.

The problem with longer knives, on smaller fish there is always a chance of pushing the knife right through the fish and if you are holding the fish towards your body into yourself.

I prefer to go for a smaller more compact knife, but as with most spearfishing kit it's really up to what you prefer and feel comfortable with.

 

[Mr. X]

I'm afraid I can't answer your question - it is something I have wondered about too. I expect the knife would be long enough but would it be strong enough/optimal?

Another option occurs to me: an iki jimi spike. Rob Allen make a v. nice looking one, pricey though. Alternatively, the long tri-cut spike on Rob Allen's stringers (which are quite large & heavy duty) makes a darn good iki-jimi spike too (no handle but quite long) - as well as a first class float stringer.

You could make your own: I generally use one of those red thermo-plastic chainsaw file handles (cost: £1) for the handle, an awl spike & then make a sheath/holder from a piece of car antenna tubing (flattened & drilled at one end) & some thin bungee rubber to secure everything together.

 

[hyeparis]

Size matters

 

[Krakenlims]

yea actually the strength of the knife might be an issue, it is a fragile knife, not to be used for anything except killing fish i was told in shop, so i hope it doesn't break, i have heard you can just rip the gills out and that kills the fish?