When to go spear fishing?

[t_barcode]

Hi all,

I just started spear fishing literally 1 day ago. I managed to get a couple of fish throughout the day.

I was just wondering if there is a magic time to be in the water? or whether it is a timing or a tide thing?

I've lurked the boards and only found one thread which mentioned anything about timings and they went during the rising or setting sun. But that thread wasn't really about timings it was mentioned more as a side...

Any suggestions?

 

[Killa]

I usually hunt during the early morning, although depending on the location you can hunt during the day too

 

[spaghetti]

Re: When to go spear fishing? When it's fishy!

Best moments of the day are, for specific reasons, the following:

1) Very early in the morning (fish are still moving around after the night activity. But to hunt at that time you'll have to dive in the coldest water day round, and to get up very early).
2) Sunset (fish become very active, preparing for their night hunt, from the exact moment when the sun starts sinking behind the horizon. That's the golden hour. But, being late in the day, you risk to skip dinner, and anyway will hardly be able to cook your catch of the day for dinner time).
3) Whenever the tide is moving (tide moves water, water moves nutrients, nutrients move fish. But when is it that the tide is moving then?).

Then bear in mind that a sport like freedive spearfishing must be a pleasure and a moment of fun. Go when it's comfortable for you.
That's the best moment: when it's okay for you, and you can take it easy, without an alarm clock tickling in your arse, with no hurry to come and go, when you're free to relax and have fun with no timeline or deadline, that's the best time.

Any of us will tell you about great fish caught in middle morning, at noon, in the earliest afternoon, in the middle of the afternoon....

 

[azapa]

I like the late afternoon. like 2 hours before sunset. The underwater shadows draw long and fish seem to come from nowhere. Nice for aspetos. Also, being in the water at sunset is cool, especially if it sets over the sea as it does in my spot

 

[Bill]

Today. If the fish aren't there you can check again tomorrow.
If the fish are there you can check again tomorrow.
Wind and chop are less in the morning.
Viz is better at high tide.
Fish are shallower at low tide.
Fish are active when the current is moving (between tides in coastal areas).
Easier to cover more ground in light current.
Right after new moon is the worst weather.
Full moon brings out the lunatics.

Pick one, or two, or three.

 

[t_barcode]

lol love the replies

Bottom line: Whatever suits me. I think I can handle that ;D

I'm glad it's not like deer hunting when the best hunting is during twilight!

 

[spaghetti]

Still a matter of fact that dawn, sunset and tides make the fishies get around a lot more than in other times of the day. Moreover, to dawn and sunset you may add another plus: there's normally less boat traffic at dawn and sunset. Boat traffic distrurbs the fish, and may be a danger for you, making you feel less comfortable to focus on hunt and dive.

But this doesn't mean you will catch more fish at dawn and sunset than in other hours. You'll have more theoretical oppurtunities to catch, but no sure catch.

You have to add so many other factors to the clock factor: visibility, a sudden pour-in of colder water in the bay, wind from land or wind from sea, season of the year, presence or absence of bait, and most of all, that is yourself.

If it's fishy, but you can't get the proper concentration because you didn't sleep enough, or because you know your wife is waiting for you home on a strict timeline, or the lads are waiting at the pub, or your boss is waiting for you at the office, for sure your hunt is gonna be less satisfactory even if it's the "right" time.

 

[Claudio]

Aside from great advice already posted, another important piece of information to help you best decide when to go out is to know the particular behaviors of the top 2 or 3 target fish species for your area.

Things like what season they are most active in, their preferred prey, hunting behavior, the water temperature they prefer, where they are most often found in the water column, what type of bottom structure they prefer, how they behave in dirty water vs. cleaner water, etc.

A great start is to visit online angler forums for your area. They will often contain great gems of information on the type of fishing available in your area and what type of sea conditions will bring the trophy fish out.

Be safe out there! :friday

Cheers,
Claudio

 

[t_barcode]

Great advice! I've taken it all in and I'll try hard to retain it!

 

[spaghetti]

Today. If the fish aren't there you can check again tomorrow.
If the fish are there you can check again tomorrow.
Wind and chop are less in the morning.
Viz is better at high tide.
Fish are shallower at low tide.
Fish are active when the current is moving (between tides in coastal areas).
Easier to cover more ground in light current.
Right after new moon is the worst weather.
Full moon brings out the lunatics.

Pick one, or two, or three.

Bump!
That was a cool post of Bill, I had forgotten to give credit to.

 

[arrowloopboy]

Where i come from,we spear when we get Viz,wev'e had none for the past 4 months.
Top of my list are Bass,the best time to hunt bass in shallow water(my favourite type of hunting),is dusk,this is because (i believe)they are starting to let their guard down because of the onset of darkness,this is espically true of the bigger/smarter fish.