Single or Double? with Bungee?

[floatingbeatle]

Hi people,
Newby here. I have 2 guns, a Cressi Mohawk 110cm with 16mm band and a 7mm spear, and a Rob Allen Scorpia, again 110cm, with 16mm band and a 6.3mm spear. Wondering what the general spearfishing public think about the power of these guns and whether to go for single wrap or double? Would double be too long?
I would like to eventually get reels for both guns but in the meantime will stick with mono. Mainly shore stuff and reefs accessible with my kayak.
What do people think of the use of muzzle bungees? Good idea or do they make too much noise through the water and scare fish away?

 

[ReefTroll]

Ive just added a small bungee and swivel to my gun, haven't tried it yet but will let you know how it goes.

 

[floatingbeatle]

Hi Reefy, Thanks mate. Just that I've read elsewhere from more experienced fishers that they don't use bungees because they make too much noise in the water. Also, I remember when I got my cressi, it came with a bungee, but when I got my RA, it came without one!

 

[sjurba]

I use a fairly long homemade bungee,I find it helps avoiding the spear ripping loose on those not so good shots. Ive never had my bungee make any noise,my rubbers on the otherhand,they can make quite a racket on fast sidesweeps.

 

[Scoobaru]

Hi floating Beatle, they are both good guns and will catch fish. I have personally removed all the bungees of my guns as they used to have metal swivels and clips. I found that these would rattle against the barrel of the gun and scare fish, especially when looking in holes. I now use bungees without any clips or metal, these are basically a strip of rubber with a hole in either end that is twisted around the mono. These are silent and allow a small mouth of stretch in the mono to keep the line tight when in the line release clip.

As for double wraps I used to double wrap all of my guns, however I have found it is un-necessary and a bit of a pain to load in the water. I always have my guns attached to a float line, so if I make a bad shot I let go of the gun instantly and feed line out. Then swim down to retrieve the fish. You should concentrate on relaxing more and keeping still allowing the fish to come within range as appease to relying on a longer shot. If you are diving around reefs a lot I would recommend using single wraps as the more line you have out the more a fish can tangle it in/under reefs and seaweed.

With regards to your gun setup, did the Cressi gun come as a factory setup with a 7mm spear and 16mm rubbers?

Matt

 

[floatingbeatle]

Thanks Sjurba. Thanks Matt. Sounds like good advice to me. Now I just need to find a place where I can buy some latex rubber tubing so I can make my own bungees without the need for shark clips and swivels. I'll have a look around.
I think I will take your advice and stay with single wraps. Makes good sense. As far as the Cressi goes, the gun came stock standard like that but I have seen them in other shops set up differently. I have read that a lot of stores will set them up how they like them and not necessarily as they come from the supplier.

 

[Scoobaru]

These are the bungees I use http://www.eurodiveshop.com/omer-rubber-bungee-cf5.html

The only reason I asked about your gun is a 7mm spear with 16mm rubbers is an unusual setup. Most guns that use a 7mm spear use either 20mm rubbers or even double banded (2 x 16mm rubbers). I'm wondering if maybe the gun is slightly under powered with that setup. If you were to reduce the spear size you will find the gun a lot lighter and less strenuous on your wrists. Or if the gun can handle a larger rubber without flexing the barrel you will see it has a lot more punch and possibly more accurate, just remember to always match rubber and spear together and ensure the gun can handle the setup. I hope this is of some help to you.

 

[Mr. X]

Floatingbeatle, where in the world are you and what size/type of fishing are you hunting?

I agree with Scoobaru, in general, double-wraps are usually more trouble that they are worth IMHO, for the UK. "Keep it simple!" If your water is much clearer (as 110cm spearguns suggest) then perhaps range is more important for you - but then perhaps it might be better to get a longer speargun (e.g. 120, 130,...).

Re. muzzle bungee noise, for sure the old RA ones used to rattle against the aluminium barrel - which may or may not be a bad thing - depending on if you think the noise attracts curious fish or repels wary fish. I see some of them now have a clear plastic sleeve to stop the metal clips clinking against the barrel.

Recently I have been trying the Omer "rubber bones" type bungees (see Scoobaru's link & description above) that you wrap with braid yourself - very light (suits my slim, light, carbon Omer XXV), simple, strong (because you wrap your own strong cord around them) & practically silent (no metal parts):

I like them very much so far: simple & effective. They should be cheaper though and, as rubber deteriorates over time, I'm not sure how good an idea the 5-packs are (idea: store unused one in a plastic bag in the freezer ). As they come w/o instructions I expect some will use them in unintended configurations that may or may not work.

I use a sheet-bend or double sheet-bend to tie this bungee to the loop in my spearline - in theory you could undo that (like a clip) in the water but in practice I suspect that might prove impractical. That might have been a problem with my big old RA 6.6mm spear - which I occasionally unclipped - but the Omer XXV's 6.3mm "racing" spear (with low-profile flopper/barb) is usually easy to pull back out of fish, even big ones and I have never felt the need to unclip the spearline, to pull the spear through. Possibly a significant advantage for competitive spearfishing but handy for normal food hunting.

I recall Spaghetti describing how some Italian spearos make their own bungees out of old inner tubes. You can also make your own by wrapping cord/braid around a piece of bungee cord, Guern-style [Foxfish has posted images on this].

 

[floatingbeatle]

Hi Scoobaru,
Yes. I can see where you are coming from with the spear gauge, however, I went down to my local beach(headland) and tested both my guns up against some soft drink cans from the same distance, just to see the difference. The aim, and power, of both guns were very similar but I must admit that the overall feeling of the RA was so smooth. Similar length guns but different gauge spears. I would agree about getting a smaller diameter spear for the Cressi for a more refined shot, and in the end, a similar feel to the RA. I'm thinking along the same lines as you in putting 20mm rubbers on the Cressi for ocean stuff, since I've got the 7mm spear, and keep the same configuration on my RA for everything else! Awesome! When I sort it out I'll let you know. Thanks for your knowledge!

 

[floatingbeatle]

Hey there Mr X,
Love your Avatar! am a fan myself! I live not far from the Queensland/NSW border near Byron Bay. We have great territory around here. Most of the time water vis is 10-15 metres, and the sea life is incredible and varied. I like to target Jewfish, or Mullaway, the biggest I've speared was 11.2kg, under a pile of logs in the river when I had an old Bazooka, and when you could spear in the river.
Now the government won't allow it. I've seen a mate catch one on line tipping 20kg. I can still find big ones out on the reefs when I kayak out to them, but I have to practice more in breathe holding and just laying still in wait (Just getting back into it after a 3 year layoff from a frozen shoulder. No way can you load a gun with that affliction. Wouldn't wish it on anyone!) I don't think I need a longer gun at this stage, coz I'm not really targeting palagics in open water. Anyhoo, I'm inclined to agree with you on the single wrap at this stage. I guess the only problem you will have is if you don't get a lateral line shot on a larger fish. Then again, I have a float line attached to my gun, so hopefully I wouldn't lose it. I like the look of the Omer bungees but they look like they wouldn't offer much stretch or relief. I've ordered some surgical latex tubing and 3mm spectra so I can make my own. That way, if I lose fish or gear, I know it was my fault. I like it that way.
Thanks for your reply. I enjoy reading your posts and learning from more experienced spearos. Cheers.