Polespear

[Tarzan]

Hi
Being a newly signed member, I just would like to say hello to the DeeperBlue community.

I'm heading back to Mauritius island beginning of November and planning to take up polespearing activities inside the lagoons. I would appreciate any advice on what best polespear (fold one preferably) to purchase, other relevant paraphernalia involved, and most importantly, details on how it functions. Thanks a lot.

 

[agbiv]

Welcome from Texas! No info on pole spears from me but I'm sure there's some out there who'll help you.

 

[azapa]

HI and welcome. I would recommend for safety, fun and a quick learning curve that you hook up with someone to go polespear fishing with. It's a little harder than it sounds!

There is much info here, use the forum search.

Good luck

 

[Salehthefish]

Hello and welcome on DB all best in ur trip...

 

[Tarzan]

Salam malecoum Saleh,

Thanks for your good wishes regarding my trip.

 

[Salehthefish]

wa alikom salam yes and wish u'll get big grouper!!! i find it difficult to get fish with pole spear i used it b4 like three times and compared to speargun it is slow i believe users of pole spear are faster and more patient than speargun users (Just my opinion)

All best again...

 

[Wasted Seaman]

Hi,
I'm glad you have chosen the polespear. It takes a lot more skill and patience to hunt fish with one rather than a gun as you have to be within a few feet of your target. I'm from Bermuda and we are only allowed to use polespears as such I fish exclusively with polespears, even when I travel to spearfish.
If you are traveling then it is defenitely easier to do so with a break down spear. The highest quality production breakdowns are the Manny Puig or the Henley. Bang for buck is best with the Manny Puig. Same quality less $$. You can probably get one for about $180 where as the Henleys are high $200's. These are both suitable for bigger game. However if you are new to this it may be a better reccommendation to go with a 3 piece, ABBiller or JBL as they are alot faster in the water and far less $$ like $50. A good smaller 3 piece aluminium spear will costs about $75. There are alot of pros and cons. remember that the fiberglass will bend and then bend back but an aluminium spear will stay bent.
Personaly I use a 6 foot solid 5/8 fiberglass pole with a custom injector tip with either a swivel tip or a breakaway for smaller stuff and a Manny Puig 3 piece or my own solid 9 foot stainless for bigger fish like grouper.
You can find them online or at your local dive shop. Online I shop at www.spearfishingworld.com. Ulyses and his guys have reasonable prices and good service. Tell him Scott from Bermuda recommended him. He has a good selection of polespears including some killer Hawiian made Gat-Ku break down spears (I may just have to buy one to put in my quiver!)
To shoot it hold the rubber sling in one hand. grab the spear near the tip in the other hand. Bring the hand holding the rubber toward the hand holding the spear until the rubber is stretched out. (don't overstretch usually go to about 3/4 the length of the pole.) Now grab the pole with the same hand you have the rubber in. So now you are holding the spear in one hand fully cocked. To fire point at your target and ease your grip. Don't let go of the elastic altogether just the pole. NEVER NEVER NEVER cock a polespear out of the water. ESPECIALLY A MULTI PIECE MODEL!! trust me I learned the hard way when mine broke at a joint and I'm lucky to be alive.
Good luck with it!

 

[Tarzan]

Hi Wasted seaman,

Like in Bermuda, Mauritius island prohibits the use of spearguns. For that matter I have no other alternative but to resort to the polespear. It seems you have a partiality for fiberglass pole. Doesn't aluminium polespear travel faster than its fiberglass counterpart? And what do you mean by "5\8 fiberglass"?
Thanks a lot for your informative tips.

 

[Wasted Seaman]

I favour the fiberglass for my smaller spear if I'm using a fixed swivel tip as the fish fighting puts lateral stress on the pole. If the fish is big enough it may bend an aluminium pole and you can never get them perfectly staight again. The fiberglass pole flexes much more and is still very strong. I also prefer a solid one piece fiberglass pole as the joints in a multi piece pole provide points of lower flexability and possible fracture points if it is bent hard by a large fish. Break away tips can go a long way to alleviate that stress also.
By 5/8 I mean inches. I don't have it in front of me now but I know that it is a bit thicker than the stock fiberglass poles currently produced by trident or biller. It is an older spear. I've had it for about 15 years at least, maybe 20.

 

[Tarzan]

Wasted Seaman,
Thanks for your prompt response. It's been enlightening by all means.
Since most on the Mauritian lagoons are within the 15 ft depth (max), the fish get spooked easily (more tourists than fish indeed) and tend to instinctively seek refuge among coral reefs, the 5-6 ft fiberglass spear (as less thick as possible) would be a better choice, don't you think? The trophy size of fish (not to mention its reducing population owing to improper regulation) would be in the 5-7 lb unless I venture farther outside the lagoon. A 61 year old, albeit fit, has not only physical limitations to tangle with sharks: he may also one day forget the direction to the shore. As I'm travelling, the multi piece is more practical even though I concur with your choice of solid one piece.