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South Devon 2014

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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Dave L said:
Am I the only day walker left in south devon. All I keep reading is night this and night that. Perhaps I should buy a torch because it appears I'm missing something. Am I ?
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From the posted catch reports it seems to be far more productive than day diving ... It is well practised by anglers and commercial fishermen as well .... .you do not have to pay for car parking either !! It.s not for me though , I just love being out and about during the day especially in this recent weather , who wants to sleep during the day when the weather is fantastic ( unless you have a nocturnal life style anyway ) safety has to be a consideration as well , also the prospect of a well meaning member of the public calling emergency services after seeing lights in the water ( has this happened ? ) also I believe in many other countries it is against the law .
 
This is a long term discussion & debate on the forum, no doubt in my mind, that night spearfishing is far more productive than day time spearfishing & by far, less sporting to those who consider spearfishing a sport!
Whatever your perspective, it is your choice as there are no restrictive laws in the UK toward nigh time diving!
I know several folk who night dive without a gun just for the amazing experience but there are obviously many dangers that apply to diving in the dark.
Don't take chances & do lots of preparation & planning if you feel the need to dive at night.
However for the novice night diver don't expect immediate results like Lee & other experienced night divers, you still need certain skills to be consistently successful!
 
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Dave L said:
Am I the only day walker left in south devon. All I keep reading is night this and night that. Perhaps I should buy a torch because it appears I'm missing something. Am I ?
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Its basically much easier to shoot large amounts of fish when your hidden behind a lamp,akin to lamping rabbits,foxes and deer(poaching).
During the day,the fish can see you,at night they can't see anything ,as your torch is blinding them.
 
So I'm on the fence really lads. I know there are far worse things one could be up to at night time. From my own personal experience scuba diving at night. It really doesn't take much skill to shoot fish in the dark. I rank it with spearing on scuba to be honest. I'm not trying to stir up a s#!t storm here but that is my personal opinion and I stand to be proved wrong. I neither spear at night or on scuba because I see it as unsporting. That doesn't mean we can't be mates any more but that how it sits with me. I'm naive to this night spearing lark and I know a large proportion of you enjoy and endorse it on these forums. So for what it's worth my advice is carry on doing what your doing if you enjoy it. Your not going to please everyone all the time. And go to a fish market and see the tonnes of prime fish landed daily and realise that us lot don't even scratch the surface of fish stocks. Peace
 
I look at spearfishing in two ways.
I dive during the day, have fun with my mates, revell in the stalk and hunt, come home with one or two fish, and have a BBQ. This is fine and dandy. Everyone has a great time.
But, I also like to eat a lot of fish, so night diving for me is like a late night trip to the fishmongers. It provides me with a variety of fresh fish in the shortest possible time. It is one of the fundamental reasons why I dive.
Once you get good at it, it can seem like a turkey shoot on some nights. You just have to be selective, take only what you need, then call it a night.
 
Reactions: Dai ASBO, scrumpy, steviehype and 1 other person
I more or less agree with all that T,everything in moderation ,its rarely the method that is wrong,generally the man ,its catching ,not fishing .
 
Reactions: Dave L
All interesting points of view. Personally I really enjoy the experience, everything is quiet, calmer, can make you feel very small being in that big expanse of water with a tiny torch, a good reality check. You can see plenty at night and it fascinating to watch. It's really up to the diver how you want to react to those situations and decide how much you really need that fish. If it doesn't go to waste and you're shooting legal sized fish, I really don't see a problem.

I also go in the day time and love it just as much. Different experiences of the same hobby.
 
I dive much more during the day than the night but enjoy the ocasional night dive. Night diving is clearly the easier time to catch fish but a major part of the attraction for me is the opportunity to see different species out and about.
 

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Spiderman said:
I dive much more during the day than the night but enjoy the ocasional night dive. Night diving is clearly the easier time to catch fish but a major part of the attraction for me is the opportunity to see different species out and about.
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Nice pic Spiderman .
 
While on the night diving topic, to those that do go, what is a good torch to use. I have a Princeton tec but it's a bit bulky and what's a good brightness.

Also I had an issue this week of spearing a couple of nice bass but they managed to get off the spear before I could get down to them as the fish holder at the end of the spear was not opening up, is there anyway round this as it happened to two out of three fish yesterday.


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Fish normally get off the spear because they have been shot in the belly!
It is easy enough to see if your spear barb is able to open & close properly.
Don't take snap shots but, take time to hit the fish in the head, a miss is better than a lost fish.
Most successful hunters will learn that stealth is the way forward, get close to the fish & hit it cleanly.
 
Reactions: scrumpy
Not sure i want to enter this debate but it has taken me 3 seasons of night dives to start to perfect my dives but I am no expert. Like foxfish mentions don't take random shots but good head shots, I've missed many a good bass because there hasn't been a decent shot. Sometimes you get an easier shot but many times bass are off before you know it. Again as previously mentioned stealth is key, if your not seeing bass, you've probably already scared them off. My photos might show a good catch but that might be a 5 hour dive + an hours drive home, walking in the door at 4am and up for the school run, wash kit and back to work for a late shift. That takes commitment.
I always dive alone, so there is that added risk, not many dog walkers at 2am! to shout to. I never take anything undersized, if it looks iffy then it is. All my fish are eaten at our table or that of friends, never sold or swapped.
I usually dive once or twice a week but with shifts and conditions might be weeks between dives, where as fishing vessels are taking masses on a daily basis.
Also just watching squid dance around in front of you, is a wonderful sight. Red mullet seiving food from the particles of sand. The abundance of life is amazing to watch, you don't have to shoot

On another note many on here us the Xtar D06 Chinese torch around £60.
 
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Reactions: Dai ASBO
scrumpy said:
On another note many on here us the Xtar D06 Chinese torch around £60.
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I've had mine for a couple of years - it's a good solid bit of kit. Perhaps way too bright when fully charged but you can adjust the brightness.

Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for comments, the torch looks a much better, smaller, brighter than my current torch and cheaper. Does it come with a charger or do you just use rechargeable batteries in it?

I have similar reasons for doing night dives as I'm a single dad so main time to go is when she is in bed and my housemates in...so when I go it's usually a long walk to a good spot and a long dive too. I have been seeing bass and not rushing shots at all, the two that slipped off, one was shot from directly above right through the back just behind the head and the other just behind the gills and up on the fleshy part. Should I loosen the drag on the reel once I've shot, swim towards the fish or is there a spear that will reduce the chance of it coming off or is it just a shot right in the head that will guarantee getting in the fish. Not a fan of shooting a fish and then it not being put to good use (feeding family and friends) although I am sure one of the seals nearby picked them up!!


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Hursty12 said:
Thanks for comments, the torch looks a much better, smaller, brighter than my current torch and cheaper. Does it come with a charger or do you just use rechargeable batteries in it?




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It comes with a Panasonic 18650 rechargeable, charger and case. You'll get2-4 hours out the battery depending how bright you run it. If you're getting a second battery spend the money and get a genuine one. The cheapies just don't last very long.


Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk
 
To be honest, if you are shooting bass at night, then even with a 75 gun, in most cases the spear should be going right through the fish & out the other side!
It is when a wounded fish has leverage against the spear that it can enlarge the hole & then the spear will slip out.
Any well placed shot should stone the fish dead, but of course in the real world this does not happen every time.
There are lots of spear choices, for close up shooting (night fishing) a trident head will almost guarantee a stone shot but will also damage the flesh or even cut a smaller fish in two. A twin barbed spear is a good choice for night diving but even a single barb spear should work well.
 
I only ever take my 50 on night dives. 75 stays in the car just in case the bands break. Often the bass are out of range, you have to slowly work your way towards them. I always aim for a stone shot, failing that I restrain them and dispatch as quick as possible. Head shots normally just pass through. Never put a wounded fish on the stringer, it will suffer and /or break off and always stringer first, then remove spear
 
These fish that got off were in the day as I've had a week off, so I guess it would have been that they were at a bit more range and the fish would have ended up halfway down the spear and work their way off, will get a bit closer from now on. I always try and dispatch them ASAP which is another reason I want to prevent them getting off the spear again. I have an 85cm at the moment and was thinking of getting a smaller gun, any pointers on a good, shorter gun to get?


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A 75cm is normally considered a good all round gun. My dive buddy uses a beaten up Omer Excalibur 75 for all his hunting, be it day, night, weed or reef. He never really fails to get something.
 
scrumpy said:
many on here us the Xtar D06 Chinese torch around £60.
Click to expand...

I also have one of these. I got the kit that came with a mains charger, car charger and spare o-rings etc. As grantl said, make sure you buy genuine batteries as there are a lot of fakes out there that result in either rubbish performance or a health hazard!

Take a look at Torchy the Battery Boy's Dive Torch Database for a fairly comprehensive look at a lot of torches on the market. There is also a good 18650 battery test page to look through.

Gun wise, I was using a Cressi Geronimo 90cm but I realised it is just too long for me a night so I got a Cressi Geronimo 60cm (I like the handle on that series) which suits me much better.
 
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