new gun, new questions

[shark_whisperer]

Ohhhhhhh boy. I just got my first gun, and I'm extremely excited to tag some fish with it. :inlove 100cm Beuchat Mundial competition, modified with hammerhead open muzzle, 2x14 bands, and track, thanks to the guys at Maui Sporting Goods.

Here are the questions however:
How big of a fish can i reasonably take without needing a reel?

fully loaded, ive got enough power to penetrate a fairly large fish, but is it enough for me to just clip my gun to my float?

i live on Oahu, Hawaii, and usually dive reefs, so the biggest stuff i hit are parrotfish and trevally (though i might start aiming for deeper spots (50-70ft) when my boat is functional, thus.... larger fish).

It would mess up the shot if i simultaneously loaded two differently sized bands, right? I was kicking around the idea of having one 16mm and a 14mm, that way I would have a bunch of options when it came to power adjustment. (Would putting the 16 on the front fin and 14 on the back fin even out the power distribution?) This might be an incredibly stupid question for various reasons, but Id like to put it out there before i try it out and maim myself somehow (or even worse, screw up a good shot).

I realize these are fairly amateur questions, and might be answered in the beginner's guides, but I wanted to see if anyone had any unique feedback/suggestions.

mahalo

 

[miles]

Hiya

Congratulations on the new gun!!

Very few spearo's use 2x14mm's, most opting for 2x16mm's. How-ever, 2x14mm's will work extremely well on the set-up you have. Before trying various band configurations, rather try using it as is. Pretty sure you'll be happy with the performance. I think the fact that few spearo's use 2x14mm's is simply becuase 14mm bands are not freely available. I waited 2 months to get some 14mm bands here in South Africa. That said, i think Brett Vercoe, Australian spearo who makes some good video's uses 2x14mm's on his Rob Allan with very good effect.

Once you start experimenting with thicker bands, like 2x16mm's, you'd most likely also need to upgrade your spear to a 7mm and you will lose some accuracy. So first try your current set-up and if its found wanting, then look at upgrading.

You don't need a reel to spear large fish. Quite the contrary!! Reels are mainly used by divers who hunt smaller fish. You use a reel simply so that you don't need a floatline. Like when diving close to shore with big swells, which would wash your floatline onto the rocks, or, diving off a boat, where you don't want the floatline to tangle the prop's on the boat.

Its much safer to use a floatline. You'll be able to land bigger fish. Reelguns are also VERY easy to lose!! From a safety perspective, a float will also show other boats where you are.

Hope this helps!!

Happy hunting!!

Regards
miles

 

[shark_whisperer]

Thanks a ton for the feedback.

I'll have a go at it a few more times, but just for the sake of theory, would having a aftermarket track help stabilize the shaft under extra power (2x16 as you mentioned)?

Also, just hypothetically, would two different band sizes mess up a shot, or could this possibly produce some complex physics that could be advantageous/detrimental to a shot (2 unequal forces at different times throughout the firing event)? this is probably slightly irrelevant and beyond the scope of these boards, but i figured id ask anyway.

thanks again!