Sea Angling for Spearos

[Mr. X]

I recently started sea angling ... as an activity to do between dives, with the family & when diving is not possible. I got really good advice off some of the spearo forums - turns out some spearos are expert anglers too. Thought I should move the discussion off the regional threads to a dedicated thread - to avoid boring those without an interest, & to concentrate the info. for those that do have an interest.

Feel free to ask & answer questions here. Tell us about your catches, your gear, technique, locations, tides, bait, whatever....

There are dedicated fishing forums & even dedicated kayak fishing forums out there already - feel free to reference them.

 

[Mr. X]

Intro.

My knowledge of sea fishing is minimal. I did quite a bit of coarse fishing & a little game fishing as a teenager and started spearfishing last year - so almost a blank canvas. One of the reasons I have shyed away from seafishing in the past is the vast amount of gear & techniques that seem to be involved.

However, I bought an incredibly good 6.5ft Shimano carbon spinning rod & reel (2000 capacity) for a family member while in the US, for very little cost. We never used it. Magpie put a link on the Dorset 2006 thread to Mike Ladle's on-line fishing book...which, combined with my new found interest in bass (from spearing) re-kindled an early interest in spinning. While teaching the family member the basics of fishing, I have become rather hooked myself! They are now able to fish unhelped & want exclusive use of the rod, so I recently started looking for my own rod & reel.

With the help of forum members & Dr. Mike Ladle, I ended up buying a 10 ft Shakespeare Royalty (for lure 10g-60g -- an incredibly wide range) & a reel (Leeder 60 capacity 6000). My new rig feels heavy & cumbersome compared to the sweet little Shimano set-up but the rod is light & slim, the reel fast, strong & smooth; I'm still getting used to it. I have already switched from 10lb line to 12.5lb & will likely move to something stronger, perhaps braid, in the near future. I am also thinking of getting a smaller reel to reduce weight, even the little Shimano 2000 seems to hold more than enough line for a long cast...with a strong but thin braid, perhaps this is the way of the future?

 

[Mr. X]

First trip out with the new gear -> Dorset

After loading up line & a few practice casts in the garden & local recreation ground I was keen to try my new gear at the coast. A spearing trip to Dorset last weekend provided angling opportunities at Chesil & Portland Bill.

After fishing a while, I had a 20oz lure snap off of my 10lb line - which surprised me. Fortunately A young but skillful teenage fisherman quickly recovered the lure with a single, v. accurate cast with his rapidly assembled beachcaster. Visited 2 locations and enjoyed several hours fishing without further incident.

Next day, I switched to 12.5lb line (bought last year). Unfortunately, I had not loaded the spool well (done quickly late at night, without the rod). After fishing a while without problem, I switched lures to a darker one (as it a bright day & the water was clear) but eventually the loopy line caught & my most expensive lure snapped off (a Rapala, grey, jointed - hard to see in the water:waterwork ). It was hot & I thought I could see the lure. So I stripped off & dived in after it! The water was deep & cold. What I'd seen from shore was not the lure after all, it was actually just a cluster of white feathers and a series of small lobster pot floats! However, I saw what I thought was the lure caught on the lobster pot line & started to untangle it before realising that it was not my lure at all but another one! Having freed it once, it immediately re-tangled . Eventually I freed the lure & headed into shore, still a little disappointed to loose my best lure, I carried on scanning around. Just as I was about to give up, I spotted my lure out to one side & returned to the shore with 2 lures in hand!

I chatted with several fishermen around Portland during the evening - they all had different ideas to offer, several contradictory (e.g. line size 6lb, 14+lb, 20-30lb, 20-50lb...) ... I guess there is more than one way to skin a cat. One local guy recommended using a small Eddystone eel (like the one I use from my kayak hand-line) - but with a 5 foot leader & a 2oz barrel weight in line...he reckons it'd catch any of the fish around Chesil; I will probably give that a try. Another suggested a 60g Toby-style lure (3x heavier than those I use now!). Most had at least one rod ledgering rag worm though. Another local angler suggested different places to go on high & low tides. Folk were really generous with the advice -- there was a really good atmosphere. I had to stop chatting with them in the end as I was exhausted & I couldn't absorb any more that day!

I managed to try out 3 lures (HJ-14 style minnow lure, Rapala J13, plug with adjustable lip blade & holographic markings) & a spinner this weekend; no bites though. I will probably move on to some stronger line (braid?) once I have lost some line off the spool. Thinking of getting a smaller reel too, my right shoulder was aching from all the spearing, carrying & casting this weekend! The retrieve rate on my Leeda 60 is probably too high too (5.5:1) -- any fish wanting my lure had better be fit & fast!

 

[foxfish]

Good idea Mr x. I'm in.

 

[miles]

Hiya

Mr.X, you've absolutely no idea just HOW complicated this fishing can become!!!

The first thing to remember, is to keep your tackle balanced. You'll notice on the rod itself there will be a recommended line rating. Similarly, on your reel, you'll have a line capacity for varying diameters line. Use these as a guideline as to which line to use.

10 and 12lb lines are fairly thin for sea fishing. Nothing wrong with lighter lines, as you'll have more FUN, but you need to alter your tackle a little bit. Start off by adding at least a 25lb leader. This length of leader should be roughly two meters longer than your rod. So when you have the lure attached to your leader, ready to cast, there should be a couple of turns of leader on your reel. This will prevent you from breaking off when casting. Since you're fishing with lures, you tend to cast alot. The first two meters of your line takes a beating. Thats why the thinner line will snap after numerous casts.

BRAID. Stay away from that evil stuff!!! They're horrible to knot, difficult to cut, expensive, have no stretch which means more fish lost to hooks pulling out, but more importantly, WILL CUT YOUR FINGERS TO THE BONE!!! (especially when your hands are wet!!) They have their uses, such as fishing off a boat in deep water or in strong currents.

When i worked in London, i use to purchase the Sea Angler and Boat Angler magazines. The Sea Angler has PLENTY of good tips on fishing as well as regional reports. There are loads of cantacts in there and the guys are really helpfull!! I had a angler i met through the magazine give up his Sunday to teach me how to pendulum cast!! Really nice guy!!! After several practice casts, i was able to put a 4oz lead consistantly over the 130m mark.

Hope that helps!!!

Regards
miles

 

[Magpie]

I'll add a few thoughts myself as someone who's come to spearing from fishing.

For UK shore spinning I think you are best off with braid. There are many reasons for this.

1) Instant hook up, the lack of stretch means you are immediately in touch with the fish and can set the hook straight away.
2) Stronger. I use 40lbs braid when plugging. Its fine diameter allows plenty of casting distance but it gives you the added bonus of being able to pull the lure out of most weed beds. It is more expensive, yes, but it pays for itself in lures you would otherwise of lost.
3) Its limper. Braid is not as stiff as mono so it sits on the reel better and doesn't spring off the spool causing tangles.
4) Touch. You can feel whats going on with braid due to the lack of stretch. This means you can feel when the lure is touching the bottom or weed and stop the retrieve, allowing a floating lure to rise above the obstruction.
5) No leader, you don't need a leader to cast as the mainline is plenty strong enough.

You will need a decent reel though, as you say, a 6000 size is far too big and unweildy. For braid a 2-3000 is plenty. MAKE SURE you get something that had a good line lay and an oversized line roller, preferably with some kind of twist busting system. The arch enemy of the plugger is line twist. You are retrieving so much if you have a reel that twists your line every other cast will end up in a nasty tangle. Also, for the same reason, do not over fill the spool, leave the line a mm or two below the lip, this will cut down the tangles. Also put a small swivel on the lure link to remove as much as possible.

Braid is not difficult to knot, I've always used a 4 or 5 turn grinner or uni knot, which are easy to tie and never had any problems. As miles says its the last few metres which get the abuse so cut a bit off every couple of trips.

This is all specific to lure fishing and doesn't neccessarily apply to anything else, Miles has it right warning how complicated it gets! But its all good fun. You don't need complicated casting styles for lure fishing, they'll make no difference to distance, but a sound technique would be useful.

And finally just a little bit of boasting, 130m eh Miles, nicely done in one session, keep practising and you might catch me.....224m :t

 

[omega3]

Hi
Apart from the odd bit of Mackeral fishing locally the sea fishing I do seems to be in places where you put anything with a hook in the water you catch a nice fish ie. GOM and while bringing it in a bigger fish takes that one and so on is the joke!

My last rig was some heavy duty mono, weight, trace and hooks(100lb at a guess) borrowed off the Italian engineers. A handle I made myself from marine ply. With a few of the hooks and stainless steel band from a pipeline armour jacket bander I made some lures. The remoras just couldn`t keep away from these!!!! so I gave up on them but it was fun trying to stick them onto unsuspecting colleagues or Yokohamas. On prawns from the galley I caught 67 small Tuna in an evening on one evening. The Italians called them "Tunni" and the Phillipinos had them made into a great soup!

Was always after the Barracuda though and used to send off a live hooked Tunni to find one but it didn`t work as half the time only half a tunni came back or was ripped open. One of the engineers with a rod setup got a monster though. There was also a 6-7 foot wahoo living off the stinger but it just wasn`t interested in anything thrown at it and would turn and face the other way.

The Phillipinos all were good at catching fish which they used to dry on board an send home. The Norwegians do this too with cod on the vessels locally and it is... minging! they don`t like us fishing at work in the N sea. though I sometimes see a line sneekily dangling from somewhere!

 

[miles]

Hiya

Magpie, all of the above-mentioned reasons are spot on, BUT, i still wouldn't advise a NEWBIE angler to start off with braid!! For an experienced angler it works great though!!

And finally just a little bit of boasting, 130m eh Miles, nicely done in one session, keep practising and you might catch me.....224m

Well, i returned to SA and started practicing!!! Managed to consistantly get over 150m with my Daiwa Amorphous Whisker Beach rod and my 7HT as well as the 6500 Rocket. How-ever, i pretty soon reverted back to my normal SA tackle, as the .35mm mono was simply too weak. Got my 7HT EMPTIED by a large fish!!

So now i'm back to my Purglass (locally made rods), fishing with either my Daiwa SL50SH, Saltist50, Saltiga50 or the Shimano Trinidad20. Spooled with .50mm and .55mm mono, plus a leader, casting a 6-9oz sinker!! With a bait on, some wind from behind, i'm LUCKY to even get 100m with this set-up!!

My wife recently started off rock and surf angling. I bought her a soft 13' carbon rod, and put on a Daiwa 20 or 30 loaded with .40 and .45mm line respectively. No leader, casting 3-4oz sinkers, into the gulleys as we moved up the beach. She had HUGE fun, and so did i!! Forgot how much fun it is catching 1-4kg fish on light tackle!! (YES, .40 is considered LIGHT tackle here!!)

Still amazed at your 224m!!!

Regards
miles

 

[Magpie]

Thats a fair point, mono is simpler to use, and less expensive if you are having to replace it regularly. It also, as you say, is more forgiving on the fish if you're not experienced at letting the rod and drag do its job.
End of the day either will work fine, I know lots of very good lure fishermen who use mono, its just my personal preference is braid.

Daiwa AWB's are lovely rods, I've got a match version built on an amorphous base blank (bit better bite detection). No problems with fish emptying spools here unfortunately . For casting I'm using Century rods mainly, Carbon Metal Express and Kompressor WR300, though I've got a Zziplex Primo FT too. Reels are all Abu, 6500 ct's and Ultra mags of various types, all mag braked. I'm not going to list the kit I use for fishing, I'd be here all day!

I'm off to a big casting competition next week in the UK, all the best casters in the world will be there and my distances will look pitiful next to them at 250-260m. South Africa has had some very good casters in its time too, even has a technique named after it.

 

[miles]

Hiya

On the subject of distance casting....... When i was a ardent rock and surf angler, the emphasis was always to TRY and cast your bait out as far as humanely possible. When i started boat fishing here, we always tried to get as CLOSE to the shore as we could!! Often you'd hear complaints, from the shore anglers, that the fish is simply too far out or from the boat anglers, that the fish are too close to the surf zone!!!

When i started spearing, i was limited to the shallow thick kelp beds, due to me being scared to death of bumping into a shark!! We all know that the area i dive in is reknown for GWS, so i was extremely cuatious. How-ever, it was amazing how much fish life was found very close in-shore!! Especially diving in kelp or very rocky area's.

I decided to try some experimenting. When the viz. was too poor for fishing, i'd take a 7' fresh water bass rod (Shimano Crucial) with a Calcutta 400. Using a 1oz ball sinker, i had HUGE fun catching small fish in the gulleys. Getting broken up by larger fish was quite common, but every once in a while i'd manage to land 5/6kg sized fish in the foul area's. My wife used to fish with a 10' carp rod and a fixed spool reel with the same success. How-ever, she demanded equality and i ended up getting her a 7' Shimano Beastmaster Special Tiger and a 200 Calcutta. Immense FUN catching a multitude of species in one session, even though most of them rarely exceeded 1kg's!!

Only problem we now have is this: when the weather is too bad for spearing fish, what do we do? Rock and surf fishing? Light tackle Rock and surf fishing? Light tackle boat fishing? Estuary fishing? Freshwater dam fishing? Freshwater river fishing?.............yes, its DIFFICULT living in CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA!!

Regards
miles

 

[Magpie]

Its as true here as most places that often you are casting over the fish, but its a useful tool to have when the fish are far away. After all, if they're close I can lob a bait 20m, if they're far away someone who can only lob 20m needs a boat

Ah yeh, you may have that variety, but living here I've got beach fishing, rock fishing, harbour fishing, float fishing, spinning, freshwater lakes (both coarse and game) and cabou bashing all within 5 minutes drive......so we can't complain really

 

[Old Man Dave]

I indulge in a bit of rod fishing. However I nearly always have the thought that I should rather be diving and probably for that reason alone I’ll never be a great angler. Unlike my brother (Foxfish) who is a bit of an expert.

I mainly fish off my boat using fairly crude gear. I tend to use a short rod (more convenient on the boat) with a multiplier reel and 28lbBS braid. At the moment this is all Penn stuff, which I really rate. Rods are Medium Reef 6ft (12lb class) and reel is a level wind 310. End gear is either 5 feathers (sometimes baited) with a 12oz pirk or 6ft flowing trace with 5oz bombs and 3/0 to 5/0 hooks (sometimes pennel rigged). Bait is usually sandeel (occasionally live) or mackerel fillet. I usually fish as does my boatman and other divers between tanks and we catch a variety of fish to 5lb.

I also shore fish but only really 2 ways. I fish with 8 to 11 ft light carbon spinning rods, fixed spool reels and light line (sometimes braid). Some gear is mine but most belongs to my brother. I fish for bass with surface lures but with little success, however I am determined to catch a few, even if it takes me a few more years of trying. So far I have seen many, many landed by fellow “experts” but have only managed to hook and lose one so far. The other shore fishing I do is float fishing for mackerel, garfish and occasionally bass. Am pretty good at this and usually very successful. However don’t go too often as I am not much on catch and release – I like to eat my catch and not too fond of garfish. Do like them for trot bait though.

So on to trots or technically “Long Lines”. Most boat days I dive, rod fish and set 2 x 25 hook trots. I love doing trots, you never know what you’ll catch. Pulling in a trot is just like opening Xmas pressies – you never know. Trots are also very efficient. Often you rod fish for nothing all day right next to your trot, yet when you pull the trot it’s full of fish.

Highlights so far this year have been a 12lb turbot on my trot and a 5lb turbot on my rod. Both were firsts for me, although have caught the odd hundred turbot on the spear. Then there’s mackerel. I just love to catch and eat mackerel. It’s one of the few fish I’ll take my boat out to catch and leave the dive gear at home. Such good fun feathering mackerel. I do try to limit myself to eatable numbers plus a few for trot and rod bait. Some people go mad and catch 4 or 5 hundred but that’s excessive IMHO.

Interesting thread Mr X.

Dave.

 

[Mr. X]

New equipment, trip 2 - Dorset again

There are plenty of keen fishermen on our thread Mr X,...I find drift fishing from my boat the most effective & enjoyable way to catch fish. I have a
favourite spot only 100mt from shore which has a sandy-gravely bottom. I drift down tide with my
bait on the bottom, I find shellfish works the best as a bait. Razor clams or sand gaper clams
are very good because they attract most species. I use light tackle, 1oz weight, 10lb braid & 3'
of 8lb mono hook length. Of course you have to be there at the right time & tide.
If you can find a similar spot on the edge of the tide about 40-60' deep you may well find
success.

Of course, this would assume I had a clue as to how to collect clams! (Sorry, I guess if you live by the sea, you probably learn this as kids). Are limpets any good? (My father-in-law grew up by the sea, he rarely talks about fishing though but when I asked him while crabbing last year he suggested limpet).

I am surprised to hear that you are using braid for only 10lb breaking strain -- that sounds like a fine, sensitive fishing technique compared to most advice I have heard. Do you cast with that set-up or just drop & drift?

I managed a spot of fishing at Ringstead in Dorset yesterday, after a fruitless but enjoyable spearing session (got a nice spider crab...not so many around now though). I managed to do a direct comparison with the sweet little shimano set-up & my new rig. The shimano set-up is far lighter, easy to cast one handed & set up quickly (or leave set-up). Compared to my new rig it felt toy-like though -- but it worked just as well! The adjustable-lip plug helped us get deeper in the water than our usual lures ...although the lip always reset itself by the time we got it back. Also tried a 17cm Eddystone Eel, with a section of large split shot that I made up last year. Nice eel action, need a longer leader & proper weight set-up. Was not surprised to get no bites - only saw wrasse & just 2 small pollock (were many more last visit) while diving.

I thought we weren't casting far at first (we use those old plastic "tennis" balls with lots of holes in to practice casting...which are heavier than our lures & go much further) but then I realised we were reaching onto the reef ... over where the fish usually hang out. So I guess it was far enough.

 

[Mr. X]

... GOM ... A handle I made myself from marine ply. With a few of the hooks and stainless steel band from a pipeline armour jacket bander I made some lures. The remoras...Yokohamas. ....a 6-7 foot wahoo living off the stinger...

Sounds interesting Omega3 but I didn't understand some of the terminology [see above]. (Are you on rigs or boats?)

 

[Mr. X]

Miles & Magpie - you guys sound pretty seriously into it. I have come across Daiwa Whisker rods before, albeit for spinning (apparently whiskers add strength). I looked up some of those reels -- very nice, professional and priced accordingly! Sounds like you are both fans of the same gear though - which is interesting. Gear selection is quite a task.

I have avoided proper beach-casting fishing. I want to keep my focus on spearing while at the beach -- and beachcasting seems like "serious fishing" to me. While spinning is a "handy time filler" -- quick to set-up & quite relaxing.

Do the multiplier reels cast long distance better? They seem popular for breachcasting & boats. I have always used fixed spool reels inc. closed faced Abus (had a cheap Penn multiplier years ago but got birds nests practice casting in the garden & never used it - I didn't realise that you were supposed to use your thumb to brake the spin). Looks like many modern multiplier reels (except boat reels?) have some kind of magnetic brake to help prevent it. I'd quite like to try one of those little bass baitcaster reels that are popular in the US.

...
...

So on to trots or technically “Long Lines”. Most boat days I dive, rod fish and set 2 x 25 hook trots. I love doing trots, you never know what you’ll catch. Pulling in a trot is just like opening Xmas pressies – you never know. Trots are also very efficient. Often you rod fish for nothing all day right next to your trot, yet when you pull the trot it’s full of fish.
...

Trots sound like serious fishing -- pro-technique. I think the closest I can hope to use is a few feathers off the back of the kayak! Interesting to hear about baited feathers. I spoke to a 70 year old fisherman down in Dorset yesterday & that is what he had started off using in the morning. I wonder if is worth smearing lures with some fish oil, or putting a little bait on, to leave a scent (or at least mask any unpleasant man-made smells).

 

[Mr. X]

. Spooled with .50mm and .55mm mono, plus a leader, casting a 6-9oz sinker!! ...

I thought 1oz was heavy...9oz. Why do you use so much weight -- esp. if it reduces your casting distance? (Strong currents?)

 

[foxfish]

Mr x I do in fact use lots of different rod & line combinations. However I prefer to use the lightest tackle I can get away with. The 10lb braid is so thin I only need 1oz of lead to keep my bait on the bottom. If I was using 30lb mono I would need 5oz to present my bait. Of course your rod must be matched to the line as well, in this case a 10' carbon rod with a fiberglass tip section. The light weight & the non stretch braid gives me instant bite detection, allowing me to react appropriately to the type of bite different species give. If for instance I felt the bite was a flatfish, I would immediately pay out some line, other fish require less line or a strike. Of course I am not targeting huge fish but smallish edible bottom dwelling fish maybe up to 6 or 7lb.
When drift fishing I will let out quite a bit of line so the bait is safely on the bottom, maybe 40-60mts in 12mts of water depth. I dont think you will find much luck using limpets for bait, but you can buy clams, worms etc from tackle shops.

 

[Magpie]

Lots of questions, I'll try to answer all I can remember.

Right, multiplier reels, do they cast further? Yes and no, for light weights, plugs etc, no, for beachcasting, yes, in the right hands. Is the difference in distance noticeable? No, not really. I prefer using multipliers for all of my bottom fishing, from 1oz up to 8oz, but for plugging fixed spool is the way to go.
You do not need to brake the reel with your thumb (apart from stopping it at the end of the cast) as long as its set up correctly for type of fishing you are doing. I could talk for hours about how to set up multiplier and the different types of braking etc but you're better off sticking to fixed spools, the wrong multiplier will be an absolute nightmare if you don't know what you're doing with it. Most of my multi's (I have faaaaar too many) especially the ones used for proper distance, are customised to casts specific weights on specific line diameters.

There are many reasons to use heavy weights, tide and large baits being the main ones, most people will cast 4-5oz the furthest, though 8 can be cast plenty far enough, I can do 200m with 200grams, which is about 7 1/s oz, and I'm not that good on the heavier weights.

The daiwa whisker rods are not akin to the amorphous wisker rods we're talking about, they are spinning rods, and very good ones, but we're talking about top level beachcasters. A bloke called Paul Kerry used one to cast 290 yards....they haven't made them for many many years because the material became too expensive.

Limpets will catch you small rockies but not a lot else.

 

[miles]

Hiya

Fixed spool reels have received a bad reputation here. They were considered toys and not REAL fishing tackle and were considered only good for very small fish and to be used by total novices!! How-ever, over the last couple of years, fixed spool reels have advanced HUGELY!!! There is now a BIG variety of QUALITY fixed spools at a very reasonable price.

I started teaching my wife to fish rock and surf with a fixed spool. Its very simple to use, very rarely do you have to sort out birds nest (over-runs), handles light sinkers very well, is ideal for lighter lines and its generally easier to fish with. She has now progressed on to multipliers, simply becuase she WANTS to!!

One of my friends fish's with a Shimano Stella off the boat. He's caught EVERYTHING, from 90kg+ Yellowfin to 200kg+ marlin on his STELLA!!! Yet, many of the old salts here STILL scoff at using fixed spool reels!rofl

Over-runs (bird's nest), the BANE of all multiplier users. No matter HOW experienced you are, we ALL fairly often STILL get over-runs!! Not as bad as a beginner would get, but we STILL get them all the same!! Its very difficult for a beginner to enjoy his fishing if every cast is thwarted by an over-run. Thats why a fixed spool is so much nicer. Less hassles, means more time to ENJOY your fishing.

Magpie, Foxfish, OMD and others: we've recently started using BERKLEY POWERBAITS. Its a SCENTED plastic worm/crab. The freshwater black bass guys have been using it for ages. I've used it on a 7' Shimano Crucial rod with a 400 Calcutta, flipping it into gulleys inbetween the rocks and kelp beds. Haven't taken anything spectacular on it, but i have caught quite a bit of fish on it!! Same off the boat. Nothing big, probably just under 5kg's, but since the season is over, i'm pretty sure it'll get a good work-out in summer. Have you guys tried this yet?? Think of the possibilities.......no more digging up rag/lug worm or running around catching peeler crabs!! Simply grab a packet or two of the Powerbait worms or crabs and off you go!! No more have the Dept. of HOME affairs nag about how smelly the 'fridge or freezer is becuase of your bait!!rofl

Regards
miles

 

[omega3]

Sounds interesting Omega3 but I didn't understand some of the terminology [see above]. (Are you on rigs or boats?)

Both Mr. X(by the way is that handle from a book ? can`t remember the name but about some fella in hiding and he had a cat called "Asmodius") but in this instance a pipelay barge.

I will explain with the use of pictures being worth a thousand words. I don`t know the people in the pictures, companies involved where they were taken etc. I found them. Sorry if it deviates from topic a bit.

GOM= Gulf of Mexico
Yokohama= large buoy. In this instance black and covered in tyres
Remora= type of fish with suction pad on its head
Bander= used in packaging. tightens a band around an item to secure it or its contents contents
Wahoo= big fish looks a bit like a Barracuda
Stinger= as in scorpions tail. interface between barge and water for laying pipeline on seabed

Please excuse the few extra pics that are off topic ....they seem to show a bit of pollution which does`nt help anyones fishing!