RA 120 Tuna Railgun Test

[fishimani]

I just bought a RA 120 Railgun and mounted a SS reel with 600lb dacron line. Took it out on the reef to test it out. I was looking for some big skipjack ...i spotted one going out towards deeper water instead of the usual crusing along the reef. It was going to check out a silhouette (a big one) in about 100' of water ....it was a big dogtooth. I swam out and put a shot in the gill plates. My line went off faster than i have ever seen and the fish dragged me about 100 yards before it ripped off....there is no apparent damage to the gun and tackle except a groove which got burned into the muzzle of the gun by the speed of the line that the fish tore off. A huge kudos to the RA company. Sorry no pictures....but i swear by this setup. Next time i will stone the bugger!!:vangry

 

[jimy286]

You might want to put on a float set up as well if have not allready. Otherwise bye bye gun!! Also people have black out not letting go of the reel gun and before you know it there 50' deep with no air!

 

[fishimani]

Thanks for the concern Jimmy. I AM buying a float rig for my arsenal and a 140 railgun just for the doggies and other large fish. I have never heard of someone drowning from not letting go of the gun (do you have any links to articles i could read?) But i will be sure to be more prepared next time! Good Hunting

 

[jimy286]

Hmm I know of 2 cases in AU but would not have a clue were to find and article.

One of my best school mates Dad had a best mate die that way on a tuna.

Good luck though

 

[Mr. X]

... My line went off faster than i have ever seen and the fish dragged me about 100 yards before it ripped off....there is no apparent damage to the gun and tackle except a groove which got burned into the muzzle of the gun by the speed of the line that the fish tore off. A huge kudos to the RA company. Sorry no pictures....but i swear by this setup. Next time i will stone the bugger!!:vangry

Good story. RA make good gear but not sure why you give RA so much kudos in this case - the fish managed to tear off the spear & your muzzle got permanently grooved by the reel line. At least you didn't loose your spear - somebody else posted that RA don't fix the reel line to the reel, so when he hit his first big fish it pulled all his line off the reel & took off with his spear! Apparently this is done dilberately - perhaps on the assumption that folk using a reel often don't have the gun attached to a float line?

As jimy said, sounds like a float rig would be handy/necessary for big fish. But usually you use a reel or a float rig, not both - or at least that is my understanding (just think of the tangles). Rob Allen offer quite a range of floats, shock absorbing bungees (should help reduce tear out), floatlines, line pouches and break-aways rigs.

Seems like you have at least 3 choices:

Reel system you currently use - popular for small and medium-large size fish.

Float-line attached to gun (no reel), spearline attached to gun. For small & medium-large fish.

Break-away rig: spearline attached to floatline. For medium to very large fish.


Float rigs can be quite involved, judging by the RA products.. e.g. floatline attaches to 5m bungee attaches to solid 11 litres float. But for bigger fish, that float might be attached by another floatline and/or bungee to yet another float - possibly with a shock absorbing line pouch in between, that will only release its extra line under a heavy load. We don't get much call for float rigs or even reels over here (read Miles posts on Bluewater hunting for more on that), so post some more and let us know how you get on.

 

[fishimani]

Thanks for all of the great tips Mr X...i plan on going with the breakaway rig for anything "towing" size.

My kudos to RA guns comes from my comparison with my previous dive partner's 110 Riffe euro ......he shot a skipjack which was (supposedly) upwards of 50 lbs ....after stripping all his line off he was still holding on to his gin and the fish ended up tearing the handle off of the teak stock. He had to chase down the stock and the fish STILL tore off! (I am still trying to fix his gun (i cant find a handle for a euro anywhere!!!!) ....but needless to say, it didnt stand up as well.

Youre right though, the groove sucks but 25 bucks for a muzzle isnt a bad price for a good ride and a good story!!!

~Pete

 

[Mr. X]

Sounds like you had some adventures. Foxfish had several Rabitech handles a while back. I believe RA sell their parts too.

 

[mishu1984]

go for a breakaway system. you can fire your gun and keep it as you swim to the surface, and should the tax-man show up you have something to push him away with. also, its cheaper should $hit the fan. worst comes to worst you lose a spear, and float with a float line, but you keep your gun.

also a breakaway tip could come in handy as they reduce tears in the flesh, which is one of the leading causes of tear-offs. i still havent gotten my hands on one, but freediveshop.com sells a rabitech slip tip that can be fitted on a regular pin. all you have to do if file off the existing pin, remover flopper, and then re-pin it.

 

[jimy286]

The RA slip tube is better or as some say goooda!