Unspearing bass

[Wanny]

ok, so I have speared a nice bass and strung it but it is fiddly to get the spear back out without the flopper grabbing.

I have seen some guns set up with some kind of clip on the line to undo and slide the fish easily off the line.

Anyone using this set up? are you just using normal fishing swivel clips? they would need to be pretty big ones to manage with gloves on.

any knot tips to tie the line off to the swivels?

cheers

 

[Alison]

Hi Wanny
We've been using these with success for about a year now, they are easy to use and dirt cheap
The 400lb ones BTW

 

[Pablo FR]

Hi, I use standard fishing swivel clips but I only undo them as a last resort. The best bet is tu turn your spear constantly while pulling it out. It prevents the barb from opening.

 

[grahamfoster]

I use the same clips as Alison suggusts thanks to Spearo Dave showing me the way and they are ideal for when your spear just wont come out whatever you try. First time I used the clip though I lost my spear :duh At some stage you will be left holding the end of the shooting line between your thumb and forefinger and the clip in the other - this is the danger time! The clips work much better with mono - braided line would be really fiddly and you need to keep a bit of constant tension on the clip so that the line doesn't end up round the clippy bit.

 

[Alison]

Just a point I think is important (well for me anyway) It might be what everyone does anyway: but make sure your fish is on the stringer and dead before uncliping your line because sods law says your fish will come back to life and get away along with your spear.
Wanny you asked about knots, I used to use either a bowline or a round turn and two half hitches to tie the lot together with nylon but am using mono now, take a look at the tips section on that link I gave it has very good instructions

 

[Wanny]

thanks guys. I rigged something up on saturday but didn't catch anything yesterday to test it out! maybe next weekend!

need to redo it anyway as i could only find bright yellow line, thought it may be ok but it glows underwater!

 

[Alison]

Wanny, are you in contact with the Jersey spearfishing club? I'm sure they would help you loads too

 

[Wanny]

yes, I know a few of the guys from the club, they are a helpful bunch. in fact this week's dinner is a very nice 7lber which chris donated after yesterday's bass comp - his winning fish! he quite clearly catches too many. he won most of the trophies, a good few quid and a rather nice carbon gun.

 

[tucunare]

I'm sure I don't shoot the monsters you guys do but I hate unclipping anything in the water. ( just call me butter fingers) I usually pull the spear right through so the fish is on the line. I stick the spear in the eye till he does the death twitch and put him on my stringer. then i just flip the spear and thread it back through. Thats jusyt my two cents

 

[Jon]

I put the fsh on the stringer and pull the spear, and line, all the way through so that I can turn it aorund and push it back through where to came from.

If it's a tough one I clip the spear back into the gun, so I don't loose it, and then unclip the line from the swivel to just run it through the fish and then re-attach it when I'm done. Since the gun is clipped off to my float line I don't have to worry if I drop it into the silt that covers the bottoms of so many of our lakes.

Jon

 

[portinfer]

I just make sure the flopper is on top and it seems to come out without any trouble - just practice I guess... seems unecessarily fiddly to unclip and so on but I guess that's not very helpful to hear !

Cheers
Ed