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totemsub pelagos 90

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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anton

Well-Known Member
May 28, 2004
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Hi all,
After lurking for quite some time I figured I would throw out a question I have been mulling over. I have pretty much settled on getting a totemsub gun, problem is I am not sure if it should be a 110 tahiti or a pelagos 90 (or so).

For those of you with Pelagos 90's, I would like to know what type of bands you run in them and what kind of range your are shooting with regularity... I have read plenty here about the tahiti (Shane and others) so that is pretty clear. Just need info on what you can do with a Pelagos and/or mods. Also, any recomendations on reel setups for the Pelagos?

I go hunting both free (newbie) and scuba and may be moving back to europe soon where I can practice more without scuba. I am not sure if I really should go for the tahiti @ 110... but I am worried about a single band on a pelagos not giving me the power needed. I bounced one off a <large> grouper on Saturday with a longer range shot and it just looked at me and moved off... 3 weeks ago I lost a big Kingfish when I didn't get the penetration I needed at range :-( ( I did get 2 decent Jacks and a pair of big barracuda but they are both "soft" and easy to penetrate)

anton
 
Anton

Welcome to the Forum :cool:

From my knowledge Shaneshac has a Pelagos 90 and can fill you in on what you want to know. Ive got a Tahiti 120 and what I can tell you is this:

Totems come with own brand made reel: the T80 or T100 with 80 or 100 meters of 1.5mm line capacity respectively.

Bands are also own brand made and for Pelagos come at optional 17.5mm or 19mm with wishbone of your choice, but articulated tied as standard.

Fabrizio D'Agnano Totemsub owner gives a 4m absolute kill range on the 90 "...enough power for a 90 to nail the shaft, on a wooden board, to the flopper pin at 4m".

Modifications for totems can mostly be fitted on request at the factory (wishbones, line thickness, band thickness, shaft thickness). The speargun is flawless once it gets to you and theres nothing really you can add to it. All I have done is add a shooting bungie betweem the shooting line and the reel line.

Overally you cant and wont regret getting a totemsub. Only complication I see is that while doing scuba, things can get impossibly ugly using a reel for strong pelagics. Picture shooting a sizeable amberjack, and having taken some of your reel line decides to gift wrap you in it (which is standard behaviour for shot AJ). Id rig a float.

Yeah groupers head can be like stone. Use a 7mm for more penetration. Rule is when holding a "weak" gun and aiming parallel to a big grouper at a distance, go for a good body shot, instead of aiming at the head. Try do get a vertical angle when shooting in the head (even 90 degrees), because power is increased by the shaft "sinking" and better chance of penetrating the hard head bones of grouper.

Salutations to Qatar and Safe Diving

:D

Baur
 
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Hi Anton,

As Baur rightly states I do own a Totemsub Pelagos 90.

It comes with a 19mm single amber band and 6.5mm Devoto shaft. The bands can be shortened but at stock length they carry enough power.

I bought this gun for sea bass hunting in murky water but have used it succesfully to nail Bonito at max range 4m.

What suprised me more about this gun is that the shaft travels completely straight (no noticeable drop) up to the end of shooting line.

To be honest I have not tried it against a big grouper, and if that is your target species I would go with the Tahiti.

For the Pelagos, the T80 reel will be more than enough. I have the T80 on Pelagos and T100 on Tahiti for bigger species.

Here is the bonito that was slain by my pelagos
 
People, easy with the bad karma its getting ridiculous. For the above I received an anonymous: "Good Post", result .... -6 points rofl rofl rofl
 
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HEHEHHEHE

I've had the same in he past Baur.

Here have some good KArma to make up for it :D
 
Thanks Shane:waterwork :eek: :D :D Just wondering which prominent deeper blue member is getting kicks out of this...the human mind is a great mystery.
 
Thanks Baur/Shane,


I am thinking more and more Tahiti... The grouper was larger than normal but I when I am not shore diving, I usually find a lot of Jacks and Barracuda of decent size 1.5-1.75 meters. I am not to worried about the reel although I would prefer if I could remove/add it as I like... with the cuda, its like fighting a pitbull underwater and I have my technique which works so far... I just em in and so would not use the reel since I would get my a@%$% bitten most likely... For the bigger stuff I would want the reel (the Kingfish are out right now).

Have either of you tried pulling off the reel or is this feasible/easy with the totemsub....

anton
 
Why don't you think about pelagos 110??? It should have enough range and power for what you are talking about. It should be easier to aim and track the fish with that one also, isn't it shane?;)

I know fellow hunters here that taking 10-15 kg groupers here with 90cm gun 6.3mm spear, most of the time head shot between eyes:cool: Friend of mine also got 70 kg AJ with 90cm penumatic in the 70's...

Don't forget, you will hunt with that gun all day loooong... so choose it accordingly...
 
Reel & Float

Most of the guys here and myself uses both reel and float, float connected to butt of the gun or the anchor...
 
Murat, A pelagos 110 would be easier to track. I mentioned Tahiti as the option of 2 bands will always be there. Good when your hunting varies within the same session.

Murat, I do not feel comfortable hunting grouper with a 6.3mm shaft. As you know I lost a big grouper for lack of penetration :( even with short 20mm bands.


The reel is not as easy to be removed as the ussual Euro guns as there are 2 bolts which must be unscrewed. on the other handt the method murat suggests is also an option.
 
Anton

The reel (T80 or T100) has a brake, in the case you do not want the line to be deployed after every shot.

It will however release itself after excessive resistance. So you could come up with something (bracket?) to lock it into place rather than fitting and unfitting it which would wear the gun out.

Heres a couple closeups of the Tahiti reel
 

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Hey Baur, you should have seen how a 4kilo Dentex tore line out my reel yesterday morning. After a long aspetto at 17m a decent one swm in between a group of small ones. The shot was good but the reaction of the dentex is awesome. I hit it below center :(

The bugger broke free after a real long run. I had heard that Dentex were hard fighters but OH MY GOD!!!!!

They are monsters.

Might get a thin Devoto slip tip to avoid the flesh ripping. I have seen it on my Gianfranco Donati video and it works a treat.
 
I never tried using floats as Murat recommends. I have seen them here in the shop that has the Riffes. I think some of the sports-type visitors may use them far offshore where the real big stuff must be... I will probably give floats a go once my buddy gets his bigger boat (good stuff is 20km-110 km offshore).

As far as the reel on a tahiti, does that come standard? The web site is a bit vague... my Italian isn't good but I am trying to figure what it comes with for the price quoted... a T80 or? Good idea locking the reel-would save on wear if I could come up with something.

As far as my hunting, lots is with scuba but hey, it drops to 18-20 where the fish are and vis sucks real bad on a normal day so you have to drop to around 5m over the bottom... I usually go for grouper, Jack <trevally of some sort>, and "Rabib" which I just figured out today is golden trevally (very tasty but damn quick and don't like to stay on a spear), and Kingfish. If I am not getting those and some large barracuda cross my path then they are next on the shopping list. I am concerned that as I grow in skill, the pelagos will not be enough or is not enough stopping power at range. Here, the big ones are just at the edge of visibility, normally when it is better than usual so it is already a longer shot... Also, as Shane indicates, my hunting varies greatly (if a buddy calls me at the office and says be at the boat in 45 minutes, its time to go and big stuff is on the shopping list but if not, its shore and the smaller guys.) and the price difference between the guns (tahiti and pelagos) is small. I still would only be getting one now though.

Until recently I was happy with a Riffe #3 or a good size JBL. That was until I went to a good offshore site with 2 friends and we broke 2 JBLs and 1 Riffe (#2 ) on 2 Kingfish and a big trevally... After watching 3 fish swim away with my buddy's spears and one (I swear he was laughing at me) leave after I sunk one about 6 cm in his side, I am taking gear a bit more seriously and will get a serious gun.
 
Shane

Sorry to hear about you losing the dentex. Its the worst anti-climax possible especially after a long aspetto to get it in range. Ultimately, for fish this size (average) its a judgement call, you let it run free with the reel or you just draw it close to you as quick as possible if its a bad shot.

Slip tip allows you to do exactly that (with average sizes) without fearing it ripping free, but accuracy is affected somewhat. What I would say for an immediate precaution against ripping, is to file down the edges of the flopper, or even replace the flopper with a "flat edged" longer flopper. You'll see quite a difference.

I have some good ones from Omer designed by Stefano Bellani, they work great and Id recommend them, but dont know if they are still in the market.

BTW Be careful they bite (even through suit)!!!!

Keep those dentex coming

Baur
 
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Give a double flopper try...Probably less hassle than slip tip with more holding ability than single flopper.:hmm
 
Thanks for the advice guys.

Murat the double flopper was ordered a while ago and will arrive with the Air Gun from Maorisub.

Baur, is your omer flopper longer than the Devoto floppers?

I had never heard of Dentex biting but thanks for the info. I will be careful in future. ( Anyway, Murat will agree that a bite is a fair enough price to pay for a 4-5 kilo dentex "Battle Scars" HEHEHE)
 
I see that i'm not the only one losing dentex those last past days...

Shane, I was thinking the same : buying a slip tip for my gun...it should be a good compromise, I don't know.
 
Shane

The Omer flopper I have is 10cm (from the pin). After 4cm it becomes almost completely flat (no edges).

Flat surface puts pressure on the wound and cuts the fish less. Dont know what the material is but it is a much lighter alloy than the shaft.

The Devoto I just measured at about 7.5 cm (from the pin).

Battle scars..have a little one on inside of thigh from a dentex that bit through the suit while I was trying to subdue it after the shotl.

Baur
 
Hey CECE,

Devotosub have a slim 6.5mm Dentex Slip-tip. YOu can see it in action in Gianfranco Donati "Pesca Grossa in Mediterraneo" DVD

The results are really amazing.


Let me know if you need some further information.
 
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