Replacement spear

[misterlizard]

Was out fishing at West Bay yesterday when I saw the barb from my 75cm Cazador gun floating down into the kelp. Grr. No way I could find it. Got 2 pollock before heading back in, but I don't think I would have got away with it if the fish had been bigger.
The spear I have doesn't have a screw-on tip, so I guess I need to replace the spear. Are they universal fittings? Can I just buy any spear suitable for a 75cm gun?

 

[Old Man Dave]

All euro guns have the same trigger type and so all make of spear will fit. The standard 75cm euro gun uses a 6.5mm diameter spear that's 115cm long. Never heard of a "Cazador" gun though????

Spears are available in diameters from 6mm up to 7mm and beyond but 6.5 is standard. Most euro spears have notches for use with metal wishbones. Spears with sharkfin tabs are also available for use with dyneema.

Standard spear has a single flopper (barb) hinged with a little approx 1.5 mm diameter pin. It is possible to buy new floppers and pins but they can be tricky to fit.

If the spear has snapped at the pin hole it can be resharpened and a new hole drilled further back but you need some fancy tools to do this. Your standard Black and Decker with a HSS twist drill bit will not make a hole in the stainless spear.

Probably best just to buy a new spear. Average cost is £20.

Dave.

 

[misterlizard]

Thanks for the reply Dave. I found a new flopper online and have ordered it, so I'll have a go at fitting that first (I guess it'll be a case of riveting it on?).
Cheers, Tom.

 

[Old Man Dave]

I am an experienced craftsman with an exrensive workshop but even so I have never managed to just rivit on a new flopper. Have tried a few times. The rivit is stainless and very thin (about 1.5mm diameter) When you try to rivit it it bends.

I have done this job one of a couple of ways. I have used stainless welding rod and heated the ends with oxy/acetylene and managed to rivit them over. I have used a silicon brass welding rod and melted the ends to make a "blob" head either side. I have passed a piece of brass or stainless rod through the flopper/spear and bent back the ends (about 5mm length) alongside the flopper.

Good luck.

dave.