Reels, Reels and more Reels!!!!

[miles]

Hiya

I see that many spearo's are now starting to use reels as an alternative to floatlines. (myself included!! )

Advantages :
- No more tangling in your float line (hooray!!!!)
- Easy to hide (no floatline showing the fish where you are)
- Easy to dive in thick kelp (no floatline getting stuck and tangled)
- No worries about floatlines getting washed onto rocks when diving close to the shore or pinnacles that break the surface
- No more tangled floatlines on the boat
- No more floatlines in the boats props

Disadvantages:
- Diver isn't easily visible to his buddies or other water uses (especially boats!!!)
- Easier to lose your gun should you drop it in deep water or in dirty water or water with a ripping current
- Where do you put your fish you've shot if you're shore diving??
- Easy for a spearo to get seperated from the boat if the conditions are bad (windy and choppy sea). Buggy boy can't see you !!!!

Strategies i've employed are as follows:
When diving thick kelp beds, i take my float and stringer along. The float gets tied to a kelp stalk or i use a drop weight to anchor the float. I then hunt the kelp beds, returning only to stringer fish. In areas where there is very little worry of sharks, i normally carry a body stringer. Usually on our west coast, shooting bream type of fish in very thick kelp beds, in very cold water (8-14 degrees). Started to review my thinking after being charged by a 2.5m Bronze Whaler two weeks ago in 13 degrees water in the kelp beds!!!

When diving off a boat, a gun held high in the air and a shout, generally works in attracting the boats attention. Otherwise i simply try and stay reasonably close to my buddies who are using floats

Back to the reels. I use a Omer Pelagic 100 on my 115cm Carbon Rabitech Apex and a Omer Pelagic 30 on my 90cm Carbon Rabitech Apex. My C4 came fitted with a standard reel which is mounted vertically as opposed to the Omer Pelagics which are mounted horizontally. I also use a Rabitech Pelagic reel as a belt reel. This enables anybody on the boat to use a reel as they simply put the reel with belt around their waist and then clip their gun to it. I've tried using salt water fly fishing reels as speargun reels. They do work, but the thorough cleaning ritual after every dive might not be everybodies cup of tea!! (Used a Shimano Ultegra)

I'm using white dyneema on my C4 and yellow spectra-dyneema on my omer pelagics. Haven't really tried any other types of lines yet.

Any comments or idea's or reports on other types of reels would be welcome!!!

Regards
miles

 

[tangigi]

miles,

where did you purchase the dyneema and what is the pound test?

Lar

 

[miles]

Hiya Tangigi

Dyneema spectra i bought from Tecnosport ( www.omerdiving.com ) The dyneema i bought from Rabitech in South Africa.

Don't remember the pound test of the lines though. Not too fussed about breaking strains. I spent 8 months last year as a commercial fisherman. Catch fish with handlines. My big fish lines were 52kg's, 60kg's and 70kg's breaking strain. We would physically pull a 15kg fish into the boat (over the gunnels) with a 52kg line. No gaffs are used, as some buyers don't like the fish to have holes in them. Lifted 18kg+ fish into the boat with a 70kg line. Never had a line break yet.

So when looking at reel line, i'm more interested in abrasion resistance than in breaking strain. You'll never be able to pull hard enough to break a 200pound mono-fishing line. What does cause your line to break is the little nicks and cuts it gets. This significantly weakens your line, hence the choice of dyneema which is very difficult to damage!!! (try cutting it with your knife!!!)

Hope this helps.

Regards
miles

 

[tangigi]

thanks for the info.

yes, big jacks and doggies scraping against corals are my worst fear.

Lar

 

[uluapoundr]

I had to add pics of my babies like any proud father would. Pelagic 80 on a Rob Allen and an Omer 50 on Beuchat.