Techniques for different fish

[Abriapnea]

Hi everyone,
What do you think about a thread on techniques of spearing the various fish that we love to hunt?
Although the best way is obviously to get in the water and observe the fish's behaviour , this may be usefull to novices as well as experienced spearo's visiting an area with fish they are unfamiliar with.
Members can contribute with information on those fish they specialize in:hmm

 

[Abriapnea]

Green Jobfish

Green Jobfish / Kaakaap Aprion Virescens
Indo - Pacific

This is one of my personal favourites. An aggressive predator , it is however very shy towards divers.
I have found these fish from 10 to 40 m. , usually over sand close to the reef edge in tropical/subtropical waters.
When hunting these elusive fish you should avoid dive-bombing any seen from the surface or chasing any seen in midwater.Glide as quietly as possible to the bottom and lie motionless on the sand. At all costs avoid eye contact.
To attract the fish throw handsfull of sand into the water and keep your gun close to your body. If a fish approaches extend your gun directly towards it to present as small a profile as possible , still avoiding too much eye contact and perhaps throwing more sand. The fish should provide you with a small window of opportunity when it turns side on to get a good eyefull of the proceedings.
Jobfish are strong fighters ,but having big scales are not prone to pulling off.
Hunting these fish obviously requires very good breathold and great care should be taken not to overstay , since they have the maddening habit of hovering just out of reach.
I have on occasion speared Jobfish in midwater , where they have the habit of hiding in dense schools of baitfish.
Tying some sardines in pantyhose with a weight and dropping this in a likely area also attracts them.
NOTE: Since I have no girlfriend , collecting these articles have earned me a totally undeserved reputation amongst local girls!
P.B. 12.5 kg
S.A. record 12.5 kg
Bigger fish have been speared/seen in Mozambique.

 

[Abriapnea]

Sailfish

Sailfish Istiophorus Platypterus
Indo- Pacific (I think they have a different species in the Atlantic)

With sailies it is not so much technique as being in the right place at the right time. These fish have little fear of divers and are very inquisitive.
I often encounter them in 30 - 40 m. of water swimming lazily upcurrent , specially over deepwater pinnacles and tips of reef facing the current.
Flashers are very usefull and big ones at that. Have your "school" of flashers dangling under you to roughly a third of the water depth. Sailies normally cruise around between midwater and the surface. I speared my 6th sailie without getting my head underwater - had pulled my flashers to 3m. after spotting some wahoo , next thing seven sailies came swimming through underneath me , one peeled off heading straight for my flasher - say no more
Sailies are strong swimmers , if you want to save your spear try to aim from slightly above and behind.My favourite shot is from just above the pectoral fin exiting through the opposite gillplate.Not only will this guarantee the spear won't pull out , but the pressure on the gillplate will prevent the fish from breathing properly thus tiring it faster.
Since we mostly find our sailies in pretty sharky waters this is understandably high priority
P.B. 48 kg.
S.A. /world 65 kg.

 

[SASpearo]

YellowTail

Seriola Lalandi

A couple of subspecies exist, I reckon that hunting them should be the same ....

The most distinctive aspect of the fish is as the name suggests, the yellow tail. They undertake short migrations between the various reefs and banks along the coast, in response to wind changes and subsequent bait movement. They congregate in shoals and feed mainly upon small pelagic fish and squid.

This is the main reason why hunting for them behind kelp forests where baitfish congregates works so well. Another good method is to drift behind flashers on a chickenfloat.

A tip that Andersn has supplied me with, and which has worked VERY well, is to chuck a spoon at them. A normal tablespoon is thrown on the surface in the direction of the fish, then followed after a couple of seconds. The fish is very inquisitive of this spinning, falling object, and comes closer for a look-see .... into your sights. I haven't tried this on many other fish species yet. It doesn't work on Tuna .......

They're pretty strong swimmers, and can give one quite a fight. Found in medium to deep water (as shallow as 2 meters and as deep as 40) they appear out of nowhere, swim in large shoals with the biggest members at the back.

Diving close to groups of floating sea birds eating baitfish normally guarantees either Yellowtial or Tuna. This is especially true for the False Bay are in the Western Cape.

Personal Best : 20.5 Kg's

Name : Yellowtail, North American
Biological : Seriola Lalandi Dorsalis

From ISBRC and IUSA Record Books
Weight : 34.95 Kg's
Who : Doug Kuczkowski
Where : Pilot Rock, Guadalupe Island Mexico
When : June 25, 1999

From ISBRC Record Books (Women)
Weight : 14.97 Kg's
Who : Linda Gray
Where : Catalina Island, California
When : USA July 1977

From IUSA Record Books (Women)
Weight : 19.95 Kg's
Who : Ana M. Roper
Where : Cedros Island, Baja California
When : September 9, 2000


Name : Yellowtail, South American / South Atlantic
Biological : Seriola Lalandi Lalandi

From ISBRC Record Books
Weight : 36.50 Kg's
Who : Rene Rojas
Where : Robinson Crusoe Island
When : May 05, 1984

From IUSA Record Books (post 1997)
Weight : 25.1 Kg's
Who : Carlos Sicupira
Where : Queimada Island, Sao Paulo Brazil
When : October 23, 1999


Name : Yellowtail, Australian
Biological : Seriola Lalandi Grandis

From ISBRC Record Books
Weight : 47.7 Kg's
Who : Allan Langton
Where : Three Kings Island
When : New Zealand Feb 1974

From ISBRC Record Books (Women)
Weight : 34.8 Kg's
Who : Shirley Dryden
Where : East Coast Norhland
When : New Zealand Feb, 21, 2001

 

[SASpearo]

Note on Sailfish

Two species:

Atlantic Sailfish
Istiophorus albidans
Open Record

Pacific Sailfish
Istiophorus platypterus
From ISBRC Record books
63.5 kilos
Allan Heydorn
Leven Point, Zululand, South Africa 31 September 1992

From IUSA Record Books
25.4 kg
Kevin Scully
Santa Cruz Island, Baja California May 22, 1999

Regards,
Riaan C