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Laser Pointer - ?

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

New Member
Jul 1, 2006
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How efficient this thing? Can it be used to target fish? And what beam color is the best, red or green?

All comments are welcome.

Thanks in advance.
 
Laser sights have been through the DB washing machine several times before. lt would seem this type of technology is too much for some members to deal with.
Red lasers are useless underwater, green lasers are supposed to work?
Personally I think it is a good idea to pursue any method that helps me catch my tea. Water proof green laser pointers can be found on the net for about $350.
 
I tried applying for a permit to develop a laser sight but the dept of fisheries in NSw Australia rejected it as illegal!
 
garett said:
But why lot of red beam underwater pointers on sell
http://www.island-scuba.com/page/001/PROD/ACCDL70
"...Some fish are even attracted to the red light and will chase the beam!"... - from description.

Garett. Old Man Dave & myself brought that very same laser! We carefully fitted them to our guns & excitedly tired them out in the water. As I said they dont work!!!:head You can see the beam very nicely out of water but at 6'' underwater you could not! I contacted the company in question to complain but they never replied.
Not surprisingly I am reluctant to buy the same company's green model in fear of that not working either. However I am lead to believe that green lasers do in fact work underwater??:confused:
 
rowankimberg said:
Perhaps it has some merit as my tests proved it can work quite well in a few different visibilities.

Hi Rowan, can you give us some more info please.
 
Red light is absorbed very quickly in water, hence the lack of red below 5m, and a near total absence below 10m.

That company seems to have mistaken a cat for a fish when they did their product testing on dry land.
 
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Simply put, you don't need a lazer to aim a speargun.

Spearfishing is done in relatively close confines, so even from the hip, the angle of the shot is easy enough to figure out.

What does work, is a light attached to a gun so you can see where to shoot fish in dark places, such as under wrecks or in holes, etc.

See http://www.mobilescuba.com/Quiver.htm

Chad
 
foxfish said:
Personally I think it is a good idea to pursue any method that helps me catch my tea. Water proof green laser pointers can be found on the net for about $350.
The ultimate conclusion of this approach is pair trawling :rcard If you need to resort to gizmo's like these then there is something wrong with your basic skills (a generalism, not aimed at you mate :))

Chad Carney said:
Simply put, you don't need a lazer to aim a speargun.

Spearfishing is done in relatively close confines, so even from the hip, the angle of the shot is easy enough to figure out.

Maybe Chad and I belong to the dinosaur club, I don't know, but for me the fun is in my skills not in the guarantee of a fish on the table every time I pull the trigger, not that I miss many.
 
foxfish said:
Laser sights have been through the DB washing machine several times before. lt would seem this type of technology is too much for some members to deal with.

I did warn you Garett!
 
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Lazer sights are not worth the time for many reasons.. One is they cant be seen very well at all ( Like Foxfish I have tryed ) and the second one is spears dont fly lazer straight..

If you want to look like a special forces op then thats fine, but for proper spearo just stick with what you got!:)
 
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It looks like lasers are a very controversial subject with DB members. However I would be interested to here Rowans experiences because I can see how a aiming device which you dont actuality have to look down would be a great asset, at least for my style of hunting.
I can imagine the traditional archery fraternity had split opinions when compound bows with telescopic sights proved to be so devastatingly accurate. I am sure there will come a time when technology overtakes us oldies & a search of the net proves things are advancing towards more high tec spear gun design.
For the benefit of the members questioning my interest in the potential use of a laser sight I would like to point out I am not a blue water hunter chasing large fish, I target 18'' to 24'' fish in difficult conditions. During my 35 year of spearfishing I have followed the changes in fins, suits, masks, weights etc. I use the most up to date equipment I can afford including a Mamba air gun. I guess there will always be traditionist but I dont think many spearos use scuba suits & fins just to make hunting more difficult & uncomfortable?
At present there does not seem to be a laser sight system that works but there will be!
 
Controversial? Maybe, more like a waste of money.

Situation 1: Shooting moving fish where you aim ahead of them in order to hit them. Laser is useless...

Situation 2: Fish moving slowly or stationary within 1-2m of the tip of the gun. Do you really need a 300 buck laser pointer to hit them?

Situation 3: Fish is more than 2m away. Good luck finding a laser with a focused enough beam that it wont diffract into nothingness. Now hope for perfect viz as any particles in the water will deflect/reflect the beam.. Laser is pretty useless...

The transmission of energy through dense, moving medium, like water, is very, very different to air.
 
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Shadowkiller said:
Controversial? Maybe, more like a waste of money.

Situation 1: Shooting moving fish where you aim ahead of them in order to hit them. Laser is useless...

Situation 2: Fish moving slowly or stationary within 1-2m of the tip of the gun. Do you really need a 300 buck laser pointer to hit them?

Situation 3: Fish is more than 2m away. Good luck finding a laser with a focused enough beam that it wont diffract into nothingness. Now hope for perfect viz as any particles in the water will deflect/reflect the beam.. Laser is pretty useless...

The transmission of energy through dense, moving medium, like water, is very, very different to air.


My spearo experience is limited to a 5-pronged harpoon with rubber band and no fish. IOW, a novice.

But I'm curious about if any company has ever used the dolphin sonar echolocation method, rather than light? Some kind of micro-chirp transmitter-detector? Isn't that what boat depth-finders use?
Just wondering if its been tried. DDeden
 
Well why not fire and forget spearo systems.. Duck down behind the rock and point the gun roughly at the fish, the gun decides the biggest fish or the one that repersnts the largest threat and fires on that target... Bang heads what have you, bio selective toxins, dp spears etc..

Come on guys this is and old hunter gathrer instinct that does not need sights, if you miss the fish then you miss the fish, try harder next time.

I have had a few beers so may well be talking shite but for fu*ks sake.. Lasers..

Just get out more.:)
 
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My tuppence is I don't see why people are so adverse to people discussing this. I presume you all use band or air powered guns? Why not hand spears or hawaian slings? People will always want to improve their equipment, make them more powerful, more accurate. Whats the problem with them trying to make sure they hit what they're aimimg at?

I also hunt and when doing so it is vitally important that you go to all lengths to ensure a clean kill of whatever it is you're hunting. This means having the best equipment for the job properly maintained to ensure you hit where you are aiming. Anything thats going to help a spearo hit the right part of the fish to ensure it doesn't rip off the spear and swim away injured is to be applauded if you ask me.

Statements like "if you miss the fish you miss the fish" are not telling the full story, if you miss a solid part of the fish and it gets free of the spear it then lives its life out with a big hole in it.

Lasers are not science fiction, or just the preserve of the special forces, they are, in effect, just a very focused torch, and if a set up could be created where they'd have a beneficial effect, I for one would be very interested.

If you don't think it would work, say so, thats fine, but don't slag off the idea just because its not something you would choose to use as you are happy with your spearing as it is.

Just my opinion eh :)
 
One of the main attractions of spearfishing for me has always been the 'neanderthal' element of the hunting. We immerse ourselves in a very alien environment and use fairly primitive (compared to some of the high powered rifles/scopes for land-based hunters) equipment to capture our prey. I've always shot instinctively, like a cowboy shooting a revolver, and have never aimed down the barrel. Personally spearfishing would lose much of its allure if I shot fish using a laser as a guide (I won't even use them on my air pistol/ air rifle).
 
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Magpie

Point well made and I have taken in what you say but for me, like Spaniard, one of the major points of spearfishing is not the kill at the end its the hunt..

A nice Bass/fish is mearly the result of all your actions and dedication, if the fish alone was the aim then just buy a net/fishing boat or sit with a rod. I still stand by " If you miss the fish you miss the fish "

Good discusion keep it going!:)
 
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