• Welcome to the DeeperBlue.com Forums, the largest online community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing. To gain full access to the DeeperBlue.com Forums you must register for a free account. As a registered member you will be able to:

    • Join over 44,280+ fellow diving enthusiasts from around the world on this forum
    • Participate in and browse from over 516,210+ posts.
    • Communicate privately with other divers from around the world.
    • Post your own photos or view from 7,441+ user submitted images.
    • All this and much more...

    You can gain access to all this absolutely free when you register for an account, so sign up today!

Rig mono w/ breakaway

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.

Standfor

New Member
May 29, 2010
12
1
0
Hi, I got Riffe Islander with a cable shot line, and I like to change the setup for a breakaway with possibly Mono instead of the cable.
Right now the cable length is enough for 2 loops (some 22' of cable or so)

I liked the simplicity of the Hawaiian breakaway, Am just not sure if to cut the access cable shorter or change the cable completely and go with longer line (probably mono)

what length do you think is appropriate on the Islander gun, in the kelp hunting for white sea bass?

I intend to use the same float line which is some 125'
 
For SoCal hunting, I'd replace the cable with mono. Its rare that our shooting lines get dragged around anything that would cut the mono, and it provides less drag to the shot than cable. Its also a lot easier to cut if its tangled around kelp or around you.

Two wraps- around 22' feet- is what I use. One wrap isn't long enough to let you use the full range of the gun, and anything longer is not necessary.

The 125 foot float line is perfect, but just don't put a float on it, or at least don't put a float on that is anything more than something to grab when its all pulled through your hand.
 

Attachments

  • break1.JPG
    break1.JPG
    281.1 KB · Views: 285
  • break2.JPG
    break2.JPG
    168.7 KB · Views: 291
  • whitelineorangefloat.JPG
    whitelineorangefloat.JPG
    193.1 KB · Views: 284
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: spaghetti
Thx Bill, What about swivels? Do you use any on the shot line itself ?

No, its not necessary, and the fewer connections the better. The snap swivel on the end of the float line is all you need. And as far as that goes, a lot of people use a tuna clip on the end of the float line, and that doesn't even have a swivel, but you don't need one.

Edit- where in SoCal are you?
 
Last edited:
Here is a photo using a tuna clip instead of a snap swivel.
 

Attachments

  • breakaway.JPG
    breakaway.JPG
    140.9 KB · Views: 284
BTW, I think this forum is intended for equipment used by pure freedivers rather than spearfishermen. Maybe a moderator could move the thread to a more appropriate forum.
 
Did you use some metal ring where the mono hooked to the shaft fin ?
also am not if is refletcion, but the gun set with the green mono have an extra wrap then the one with the red mono?
 
Did you use some metal ring where the mono hooked to the shaft fin ?
also am not if is refletcion, but the gun set with the green mono have an extra wrap then the one with the red mono?

I think you're right about the red mono only having one wrap. That photo was from years ago, and I recall that I tried to get by with one wrap for a while, but went back to two. BTW, that red mono is pretty out of the water, but red is the first color to disappear with depth, and then it might as well be black.

That green stuff shows up great wrapped up in the kelp down in the murk, and its very popular in SoCal.

That green thing where the mono attached to the shaft is a steel spring loop protector. It turned out that its plastic coating over mild steel, and it rusts. Now I use stainless springs. They are not absolutely necessary though, and most people don't use them. Some shafts will require enlarging the hole in the fin with a drill to make it big enough to get the spring through it.
 

Attachments

  • springs.jpg
    springs.jpg
    144.3 KB · Views: 247
  • springs2.JPG
    springs2.JPG
    92.9 KB · Views: 267
  • greencoil2.JPG
    greencoil2.JPG
    146.6 KB · Views: 255
  • greemono.JPG
    greemono.JPG
    89.9 KB · Views: 257
If you happen to be close to San Clemente, I'd be glad to help you rig with green mono and show you various things. All you would have to do is listen to my stories and nod now and then.
 
Thx for the groccery list :) 7.99 for 50 yard sound cool, where did you get that ? Am in San Pedro now
 
I get it at the Jig Stop in Dana Point, but I think they carry it at Melton's in Anaheim and The Angler's Center in Newport Beach. And I'm afraid the price has gone up- something like $13 at the Jig Stop and maybe $15 at Melton's.
 
Moderator's note: I've moved this thread from the Freediving section to "Hunting equipment" (in the "American spearguns" sub-menu) where it's appropriate, as Bill suggested.

BTW It's all very, very informative! :)
 
Last edited:
thx spaghetti, I just came back and this is what I ended up with, from the local stores.
The mono feels kind of wimpy compare to the cable, but that is probably just a mental barrier.
I was about to test it in the water but with close to zero viz, cold beer at home had more appeal ;)
One thing that bothers me is I'm right handed, and not sure what will stop the tuna clip from ripping off my hand when relisted in some positions.
Did you ever encounter such a problem with that?

Thank you so much for the offer, San Clemente is only some 65 miles south, I might take you on this one down the road, I love stories, especially if they include detail information of some certain diving spots ;)
attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • breakaway.jpg
    breakaway.jpg
    79.2 KB · Views: 392
That shackle is pretty bulky. If you want to use one, they have sleeker ones at West Marine. Or another possibility is one of these Quicklinks.
 

Attachments

  • quicklink.JPG
    quicklink.JPG
    311.8 KB · Views: 253
  • floatlinequicklink.JPG
    floatlinequicklink.JPG
    189.6 KB · Views: 246
Some people think its important to keep hardware from banging the gun and scaring white sea bass. Here is a cheap and easy way to do that.
 

Attachments

  • floatlinequiet.JPG
    floatlinequiet.JPG
    202.1 KB · Views: 278
I can actually hook a similar link right to the spectra insert, good point to silence the banging too...
What is the yellow line? I love it that you put knots instead of crimps...
 
I ended up reversing the old pigtail bungee.
Thank you for all the help and illustrations
 

Attachments

  • breakawayfinal.jpg
    breakawayfinal.jpg
    84.4 KB · Views: 271

What is the yellow line? I love it that you put knots instead of crimps...

Its this stuff.

Q Power Line Spectra

I like it for reel line. A lot of people are using it for shooting line, and I've tried it. The thing I love is that it shows up as bright at 50 feet as it does at the surface. I'm just worried that its a bit more likely than mono to tangle in your wishbones when you shoot. I'm not sure that's true, but for now, I just took it off of a couple of guns and went back to mono.
 
Last edited:
DeeperBlue.com - The Worlds Largest Community Dedicated To Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing

ABOUT US

ISSN 1469-865X | Copyright © 1996 - 2024 deeperblue.net limited.

DeeperBlue.com is the World's Largest Community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving, Ocean Advocacy and Diving Travel.

We've been dedicated to bringing you the freshest news, features and discussions from around the underwater world since 1996.

ADVERT