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Nothing left to learn?

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.

spaghetti

Campari Survivor
May 31, 2005
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Six days and zero posts in the "beginner hunting" section of the forum...
Are we all experts about anything in here? No more questions to ask?
Don't be shy and feel free to ask: remember that "nisciuno nasce 'mparato", nobody was born learned.

I'll give the good example and ask my own questions, as I'm preparing for summer holiday in a flat, sandy piece of sea where it's said it's good for flatfish (sole, plaice, cuttlefish) I'm not familiar with:
How to spot flatties? What sort of bottoms? How to shoot and retrieve them? Tricks? Tips? Taps?

PS: Please fill in with answers AND more beginner's questions on anything you wish to know about spearfishing but didn't dare to ask....:)
 
Flatties ..... Ive never spotted a buried one im just rubbish, my only catches have been flounder who seem to like coming in with the tide and sitting on rocks which are the wrong colour for their camo lol , they arnt the brightest fish!

Several times Ive dived down to pick something up and a plaice has shot off when i got close, leaving me thinking, wtf didn`t I see it!

As for retrieving them i'm always torn.... fire at them and you risk blunting / bending your spear, but when ive tried hand spearing sometimes they get spooked by the approaching spear.

Either way make sure you keep them pinned to the bottom asap, get your hand underneath and force them securely onto the spear.
 
Padaxes: thanks, this will help me especially with the rtrieving trick. Now the hard part for me will be to spot/recognize them flatties, as I lack a trained eye on this sort of fish.

Trux: thanks for asking. Re. increase bottom time, it is assumed as hystorical truth that Enzo Maiorca (the villain character in Luc Besson's "Le grand bleu" motion picture) used to eat lots of garlic to increase his bottom time, either raw garlic or baked garlic, cooked in countless different fashions. According to Besson's film, Enzo was often busted while degorging with a dish called Spaghetti aglio oglio e peperoncino (Spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and chili pepper). You drop a thin "film" of extravirgin olive oil in a pan with a few garlic cloves (some use them whole, or skinned, or very finely minced), turn on fire and soon as the garlic turns slightly blonde you drop in the cooked spaghetti and the chili powder. Let it melt on a zesty flame for a minute and serve. You can grate some aged sheep cheese or Parmigiano on it if liked.
Try this and let me know when your bottom times will improve! :)
 
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I was sure you were always cheating, and using illegal substances, Spago!
 
look for the eyes spaghetti. They always has their beady little eyes out of the sand.

....like a doll's eyes chief...
 
And you need to get low the the sand (great for Dynamic training) to spot the buried ones, then use your gun as a hand spear. Don't hesitate, just poke all suspicious shapes in the sand. Look at the way the sand forms with the wave action, then look for shapes that don't fit the pattern. Sole are nearly impossible to see during daylight. Flounder and Plaice are normaly on the surface, but can be buried. Look for the eyes, thats why you have to be low. Turbot are deeper and are expertly camouflaged, though you can (just about) make out their outline in the sand. All of the above fish are way tastier than any bass IMO.
 
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Buried plaice. Part of 2 eyes, the mouth and 2 orange spots just showing. I find most of my daytime catches of flatfish by prodding "lumps".

Dave.
 

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I think with flatties, maybe you've just got to decide "today I'm going to look for flatties" because, when left to my own devices, I tend to avoid monotonous, flat sandy bottoms in favour of boulders, reefs and kelp/weed beds - and I never see flatties (maybe once, just the wisp of one the first day I speared, over the flat sandy sea bed on the way into shore).

On holiday in Devon last year, the day I met Spiderman, I saw mainly pollock but managed to get a modest bass. Was surprised when a young Cornish spearo said he speared a plaice just down the beach, close to shore, maybe a couple of hundred feet further down. I'd stayed close the reefs & weed beds. He, I guess, must have searched over the sandy sea bed, straight off the sandiest part of the beach.

I went out for 3 hours this weekend but the viz was so good I decided to stay in an extra half hour and just swim along the beach to see if I could find a flattie, or a ray (a young lad caught one nearby once when I was there). Unfortunately, what I have long supposed to be a flat sandy bottom was nothing of the sort - it was covered in weeds with the odd boulder for structure too. Surprise!

They say night fishing is good for catching flatties as they come out to play but I think some of the continentals frown on that, isn't that right Spaghetti? One of the Dorset angling stores I use suggested a couple of locations where streams (drains even) flow onto the beach -- I guess it washes food down - and parts of an estuary/ria. I know a few local spots that are well known for their flatties but just can't get enthused about diving them. Scanning the sea bed should get easier as I am getting increasingly long-sighted but strangly it seems more of a strain on the eyes than before (or perhaps that was my leaking mask - now fixed:)).

BTW One of the forum members posted a clip on YouTube of himself spearing flatties underneath Brighton pier - those were relatively easy to see. Although OMD's pics above and other clips I've seen from S. Devon & Norway make me wonder how on earth anybody sees them.
 
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Hi.

I'm new to spearing. I have borrowed a gun a few times and enjoy catching my own food but really my passion is freediving.

One barrier to my participation in the sport is the fact i have no gun. So i can't just go f*** it, i'm off to wales for a quick spin in the sea to catch my tea.

So my question is...... who will sell me a gun that is reasonably priced, looks really good (like some of those home made ones that i've seen) that isn't being gotten rid of because its basically had it or not suitable.

I'm at Vobster weekend and will be in Wales loads in July / August motivate me :)

Newbie spearo...... with a decent bottom time ;)

p.s. I willhave spondoolies with me at Vobster and when i'm in Wales for a good spear gun.

Cheers :)

The perfect UK gun is..........

And how do i attach a camera to it? That makes some cool video :)..........
 
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Spago, search the area of sand with in 3m of the reef edge, look for the eyes and the out line of the mouth when it comes to flat head. when you shoot them shoot from the front of the fish on an angle - not straight down - this way if you don't kill it with the shot and it tries to swim away it will move forward and up the spear allowing your flopper to engage. Also after the shot push your spear further into the sand to get the flopper through the fish to maximise chances of engagement. And last of all, aim between the eyes a little behind and try kill them with the shot, makes life easier and you'll risk losing a lot less fish.
 
So.. The fish live in the blue/brown stuff.. Ahhh.. Yeah! :)

Makes more sense now, i did wonder what i was doing wrong.
 
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Don't mistake an electric ray for a flattie! You probably have them in Italia as well. Here's a pic of a ray hiding in the sand which I found last year.
 

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The perfect UK gun is..........
Omer XXV 80cm - but probably not for your first gun. Depends where you will dive most. As OMD said a 75cm gun from any of those makes would be good (e.g. Cressi Commanche - nice looking, not overly expensive, used by a World Champion, Omer Excalibur, haven't tried Beuchat guns but like the Beuchat gear I have). I tend to think 80-100cm for Cornwall/Channel Islands (i.e. 90), 75-90 for Devon (i.e. 80cm), 70-80 for Dorset (i.e 75) and maybe 65-75 (i.e 70cm) for Sussex/Kent. But it depends on the visibility on the day and the place/conditions - found myself using a 75 everywhere last season & enjoyed it. Check out Ryan's add for guns made to order if you like wood.
 
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Okay. 75cm. I like Cressi, they sell good stuff.

So you reckon Comanche Mr X?

I looked at the site there is about 7.

Three are geronimo's. Sounds like one of those re-usable condoms rofl but are they any good ..... the guns that is

the comanche and the sioux.

The other two are pneumatic. Too new fangled gadget for spearing so i'll write them two off.

Votes. so far its the comanche. I used to hve a comanche kayak too, its fate i think.

Thats it then. I'll see what i can get one for.

I like forums, now i don't have to think about it i'll just buy a gun.

Good thread start Spago!!

Next question

Does anyone know which way the sea is?

I only dive normally in quarries rofl
 
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