mono leader for reel set up?

[jtkwest]

do i need a mono leader on my reel set up ?what about a bungee? can i just hook the dyneema directly to the spear and be done with it?

 

[irtrogdor]

instead of a mono leader you could just man up and use steel cable. Get the thin stuff they use for angling. I wouldn't just use the dyneema though - to risky.

 

[ILDiver]

What is wrong with using Dyneema? It's as strong or stronger than Mono. Mono weakens with the crimps. I'm curious what the risks are.

 

[irtrogdor]

I think of the chafing on rocks mainly. I don't know much about dyneema though, does it have a really high chafe resistance?

 

[ILDiver]

I've had good luck with it, but I have not put a lot of stress on it really. Dyneema is supposed to be the strongest synthetic fiber. But I've had limited use in salt water and the rock in the freshwater I spear in is not near as harsh. One thing about Mono, it's a little more rigid. Dyneema seems like it tangles a little easier. I just thought you maybe had a bad experience, was wondering if I was making a big mistake.

After talking with Masahiro Mori I'm going to try a mono shooting line again on my trip to Florida later this week..

 

[jtkwest]

After talking with Masahiro Mori I'm going to try a mono shooting line again on my trip to Florida later this week..[/quote]



what did he say that led you to this? iwas thinking that the hard mono shoots though the water nwith less resistance, so it may be beter to have 20 ft or so of that on the gun first, and dyneema is SUPER strong, it is the line used for riffe powerbands i have no doubt of its strength or abrasion resistance, only its suitability of attahing directly to the spear, and do i need a bungee, or does the reel's drag take care of this?

 

[strangelove]

One adicional advantage of the mono is you get less tangling on the reefs (if that is your area of fishing), but make sure to size it properlly too thick of mono and too thin of shaft can be a bad combination.

 

[ILDiver]

One of the things I like about the Dyneema is that it is light and I know it has 0 effect on the "flight" of the shaft. With the mono, it seems more rigid and like it would/xould have a slight effect.

As far as what Mori told me...it was not so much of it's advantages, more just that they use it out there a lot. I know they tie into bigger fish than me and it works. I shot with the Dyneema shooting line last trip and I'll try mono on this one (I leave in 3 day...no I'm not a bit excited!) and see if I can tell any difference

 

[tucunare]

Dyneema tangles and knots easier. Quite often when I shoot fish they do a death roll and mono is easier to unwind. If you do mono though change it from time to time because it gets weak near the crimps.

 

[blaiz]

On my riffe I do use a mono shooting line, a bungee, and then a reel. The only difference I have noticed with the Mono is that its cheaper and easier to change. I change my shooting line ever 10 dives or so. Not necisarily because I need to but more so that I would hate to loose a fish due to a bad crimp or a nick in the mono somewhere. I get it tangled in the coral all the time and the most damaged part of the mono seems to always be the loop thats connected to the shaft.

The plus with having a bungee and a reel is that if you know you will be targeting smaller game you can tighten down the drag on the reel and just use the bungee as a buffer. I hate it when a small fish takes out 50 ft of line and then I have to spend the next 10 minutes untangling it and reeling it back in. THat being said, I still see a lot of guys here that go straight from the reel to the shooting line. Some guys even yse the tail end of the dyneema reel line to make a short bungee. Less connections and crimps to fail.

 

[jtkwest]

On my riffe I do use a mono shooting line, a bungee, and then a reel. The only difference I have noticed with the Mono is that its cheaper and easier to change. I change my shooting line ever 10 dives or so. Not necisarily because I need to but more so that I would hate to loose a fish due to a bad crimp or a nick in the mono somewhere. I get it tangled in the coral all the time and the most damaged part of the mono seems to always be the loop thats connected to the shaft.

The plus with having a bungee and a reel is that if you know you will be targeting smaller game you can tighten down the drag on the reel and just use the bungee as a buffer. I hate it when a small fish takes out 50 ft of line and then I have to spend the next 10 minutes untangling it and reeling it back in. THat being said, I still see a lot of guys here that go straight from the reel to the shooting line. Some guys even yse the tail end of the dyneema reel line to make a short bungee. Less connections and crimps to fail.

thanks for the info, so far , i have been hooking the dyneema to the mono, with no bungee, but maybe i will add one. how is the reef diving and spearing in hawaii? i know you guys got good blue water, but what about nearer to shore?i used to think that you guys had the best in U.S. but a few people i have talked to say otherwise. i moved to key west4.5 years ago and it is so easy and covenient to go diving here but it is somewhat overfished, so you have to go to the less traveled spots that ARENT on any charts.daryl wong was in the keys last month, staying with friends in marathon key. he said the proximity and ease of spearing here was better than hawaii, which surprised me big time.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

The plus with having a bungee and a reel is that if you know you will be targeting smaller game you can tighten down the drag on the reel and just use the bungee as a buffer. I hate it when a small fish takes out 50 ft of line and then I have to spend the next 10 minutes untangling it and reeling it back in.

I've never understood the need for a bungee when using a reel. If the shooting line is attached to the gun, then the bungee is necessary to absorb shock. But with reel, the drag just slips and prevents any shock.

As far as a small fish taking out all the line goes, it won't happen to me because I grab the line and use my hand to adjust drag. For instance, with the 62 pound fish in my avatar, I wanted to force it to turn and wrap up in the kelp before it got to the bottom. I would put on as much pressure as possible, let off just enough to get to the surface for a breath, and then put the pressure on again. I think I went though three cycles before I got the fish stopped. But if it had been a small fish, then I just wouldn't have given it any line.

A bungee is just something else to get tangled.

 

[jtkwest]

I've never understood the need for a bungee when using a reel. If the shooting line is attached to the gun, then the bungee is necessary to absorb shock. But with reel, the drag just slips and prevents any shock.

As far as a small fish taking out all the line goes, it won't happen to me because I grab the line and use my hand to adjust drag. For instance, with the 62 pound fish in my avatar, I wanted to force it to turn and wrap up in the kelp before it got to the bottom. I would put on as much pressure as possible, let off just enough to get to the surface for a breath, and then put the pressure on again. I think I went though three cycles before I got the fish stopped. But if it had been a small fish, then I just wouldn't have given it any line.

A bungee is just something else to get tangled.

i think i agree, i just tied a snap clip with swivel to the end of the spectra line, for easy changing of spears. the drag will do the job of the bungee. also, one question for ya: do i need a bungee on my float line? i have a set up that the spear is directly attached to the float line. i got a 75' riffe float line, but now i see they sell a "bungee float line" and a standard one. i only saw the standard one in a dive store here, so i bought that. do you even use a float line with a reel set up? i guess you really dont NEED one at that point. i got a 110 euro riffe with a reel, but my blue water set up is a float line

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Unless you are shooting big tuna, marlin, etc. I don't think a bungee float line is required. I guess you could make a case that a marginal shot that might have torn off with a regular line might have been saved by a bungee, but that is a stretch (pun intended).

A float line, preferably rigged as breakaway so that your gun is out of the chain, is an alternative to a reel. You don't need both. However, some guys I know are using a float line attached to the butt of the gun as a "chicken line" so that if the reel jams, they have a backup to keep the gun from being lost when its pulled from their hands.

 

[Daryl Wong]

Aloha,

the spearfishing in The Keys was a blast. The fish are more numerous and many more varieties to shoot. I shot Muttons, a black, and tons of mangroves which were spawing last month. Pretty much anywhere in the US has fish that are easier to spear. Its not a knock on the area or fish, just a fact that everyone here spearfishes at a young age and the fish have been shot up by the time there are legal size to shoot.
Northeast has great spearfishing too. Big tautogs and stripers.
one thing Hawaii does have is nice Giant Trevally. They are our trophy fish.
Here's a samplling of what I did two weeks ago and this weekend. Shot a few uluas.
Hunting fish in different localities and meeting new friends and diving with old friends is a blast.

Aloha,Daryl