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who? waHOO that is...

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

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May 28, 2002
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Ok, here is the condensed version of my first bluewater hunt....

Approaching our first stop of the day, Capt Bill assured me that this spot was wahoo heaven. I was second in the water and started my drift parallel with the oil rigs mooring bouy. As I slipped into the water I noticed my tip wasnt sitting quite right so I started to adjust it. When I looked up I noticed 7 large fish approaching...wahoo! I dove slightly and using a tip from Bill I curled into a ball. When I looked up The damn fish was so close I couldnt extend my gun all the way! I noticed my dive buddy lining up to intercept another group of hoos and I knew if I didnt shoot first it would be game over so I took the shot(about 10 ft).

I will never forget how fast the float line zipped away and then my bouys went with the back one spiraling due to the flag. Awesome. I raised my gun to signal the boat and yelled in excitement. My buddy was pumped for me and assured me that my shot was spot on. The 2 other divers in the water said my fish zipped right past them gear in tow. Not a bad start for the day considering we had been in the water less than 5 min...

The boat picked me up and dropped me off at my floats and a short tug of war insued. My shot was right behind the gills missing the spine by centimeters. The fish went 42 lbs.

The morning allowed me to work on my stalking as I saw fish frequently. I did shoot one other about 65-70 # but he pulled off during the fight...My buddy did land a nice 80+ hoo near the end of the day and it was massive.

Thanks to everyone for the advice while I was preparing for this day... I promise pics this week and everyone is invited over for fresh grilled hoo.:p
 
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Great story Rig! I've never done any blue water hunting but I hope to someday. Your story took me there though and I appreciate it.
God bless,
Israel
P.S. Where did your hunt take place?
 
10 feet away.... under 5 minutes....40+# Wahoo.........YEP................ I HATE YOU !!!!! I REALLY HATE YOU !!!!! I DESPISE YOU !!!!!!!!! :p :p :p I should lend you my MT0 for 10 feet work .....:eek:


How does a 65# Wahoo looks like underwater.?..I can only imagine...... lucky you. Nice catch Kapiten.

How deep were u when u pulled the trigger ?
 
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hi

Nice story Rig but dont tell me you used a Riffe :D

cheers
 
didnt think I had to state that b/c after all I did LAND the fish so of course I was using a Riffe:cool:
 
hi

Damn it bloody Riffe :naughty . Remember Abri speared that 37kg hoo with a Railgun so were still holding in against the riffes.

BTW when you dive on that lump you can never see the bottom right so I guess you just look ahead cos otherwise you will get dizzy looking at a bottomless blue at least I do anyway. And do your Yellowfins swim by really quickly.

cheers
 
Bill Delabar shot a 105# hooter there last year with his Riffe;)

Guess Im too busy scanning for makos to notice if I am dizzy:D

Those YF swim by so quickly that I havent seen one yet:cool:
 
Ivan,

If one's stalking is good and can get to 3-4 meter of that wahoo, the railgun ( anything above 120cm ) will be deadly too but I can guarantee that 6.5-7mm shaft will bend (permanent ) once the big Hoo accelerated fast. Water pressure under such speed is destructive. This is the very reason I do not like to use even 8mm, too flexible. I don't use float or reel so I ruined quite a few 8mm already.

There is one video I saw a spearo using RA single 20mm, probably 6.5mm shaft. Hit a cobia, probably 30 pounder and I saw a 20 degree permanent bend on the shaft. Cobia is slow, a Hoo is the fastest sprinter I ever seen on video ( no personal experience, I'm sorry ). Spanish Mack don't seems to be that fast a sprinter. Doggie is quite slow but has got the lasting power.
 
hi

Iya that was some good info. On the spearfishing movie Spearfishing Safari in the Coral sea Oz champ Andy ruddock stones a 70lb wahoo with his 1.2 single band Picasso it is the best shot ive ever seen the big fish just rolls over. Cobia are known here to be the most powerful fish for weight some even say that that they are more powerful than a Marlin for weight to weight :hmm Spanish only usually make then one relatively quick run then there stuffed, But like you said Doggies might not be very fast but I reckon their lasting power and weight to weight ability to pull floats under puts them above every fish in the ocean okay maybe except Marlin :D

cheers
 
Originally posted by Iyadiver


If one's stalking is good and can get to 3-4 meter of that wahoo, the railgun ( anything above 120cm ) will be deadly too but I can guarantee that 6.5-7mm shaft will bend (permanent ) once the big Hoo accelerated fast. Water pressure under such speed is destructive. This is the very reason I do not like to use even 8mm, too flexible. I don't use float or reel so I ruined quite a few 8mm already.


Hi Iya

Arent you pointing out the difference between a hawaian/tahitian (sp?) shaft and a slip tip? as far as i know, you can get a sliptip for a RA, but most people choose not to use them. over here, we see the shaft as a disposable piece of equipment, so if you bend your spear on a big fish its no big deal. we pay R120 for a new shaft/mono all installed at RA, or R80 from Jack Lugg.
the problem is when you bend the spear on the big rock behind the small fish that you just missed. thats when it hurts, or so ive heard:hmm

but how was the tuna dive? cant wait to hear how it went

cheers

mark
 
hi Griff

I think Iya posted his Tuna story in another thread. And yep I treat the shaft as a trash item if I get my spear into a 50lb fish I dont give a stuff if it bends it 90degrees as long as I dont loose the fish it is still a success :D

cheers
 
Congrats

Way to go Rig. Save a few for the rest of us. One of these days I'm gonna get out there and try it for myself.
Jay
 
Hi Griff,

My unsuccesful tuna dive was at that "Storm" post.

I am pointing out the shaft diameter,nothing to do with slip tip or hawaiian type flopper. Slip Tip in my opinion is not good with shaft thinner than 8mm, that is why in SA, assuming 7mm is the popular shaft size, it is not popular. It is bulky for 7mm thin shaft and inaccuracy might be higher, unlike when placed on 8mm or 9.5mm shaft.

I guess shaft is indeed disposable in SA, afterall the RA shaft is not 17-4 stainless steel and thus more reasonably priced. With all the big fishes found there, even to throw away a 9.5mm shaft for a good fish.....THAT I WILL DO !!!! :D

Here in my country it is not easy to find raw material for shaft, I mean quality ones ( steel type like RA). One must custom made them if the raw rod is available, that is a bother. 17-4 stainless is almost non existant in 2mm or bigger, unless someone order by the super bulk...I guess.

One more thing I can not afford to bend a shaft is that being a scubahunter, I sometime get two shots on big fish per tank. Getting back to the boat and back in the water again is a waste of time and bad deco profile, thus a reliable tough shaft is a must.

I have tested thin Hawaiian shafts to quite an extend.
7mm x 86cm up to 5 bands (9/16" 14mm )
7mm x 115cm upto 4 bands (9/16" 14mm )
8mm x 157cm up to 4 bands (5/8" 16mm )

Power transfer wise, 7mm is not efficient. The penetration is but not the punch and range. The shorter the shaft ( thus less mass ), the more ineffecient they are, IF lots of power is availble. Even 8mm shaft is considered thin for me if above 127cm/55" long. Up to a certain rubber power, 7mm & 8mm stop being a good choice, more obvious in short shaft/gun.

Speed is one thing with 8mm shaft at 157cm long but at the end of the range, 9.5mm is still ahead. In fact if say at 60% of the maximum range of the gun, the 9.5mm probably overtake the 8mm shaft in getting to the fish first. Only the initial muzzle to 60% of the range, a thinner shaft is fast : IF power available from the rubber is massive, say minimum is 5/8 x 4 bands.

I tested 8mm Hawaiian shaft of 157cm on my Riffe #4 and I don't like it, not with 4 x 5/8 bands. It is too thin and inefficient in the power transfer. In low power setting, I don't know cause I have not try it yet. I am kind of greedy on bands quantity.

I have not shot anything above 20kg with my biggest gun to date, so I have not bend the 9.5mm shaft yet. So far so good. I once shot a small doggie from top side and missed, hitting the rock under the doggie. The Slip Tip needed sharpening, that's all.
I've heard people saying the bend a shaft by hitting a rock, this I never experience, it is always the pointed tip that get damaged. If it hits between two rocks, that I never experience, maybe it will bend a shaft.

Since I shoot mainly from far away, I guess 9.5mm will still be my favourite. However, the penetration ease of 7mm tri cut hawaiian is very-very mouth watering....:p. That why I have my own Apollo 11 shaft for my 81cm gun.... :head
 
hi

Iya I always shoot Coral trout directly in front of a rock and band the spear threads the fish a takes a big hole out of the boulder coral behind it, but no bends from hitting rocks :cool:

cheers
 
Iya
Your theories on larger dia shafts being superior to smaller are right ,but only if you are using US style guns with heaps of rubbers with only 1 or 2 rubbers a 7mm shaft will outperform an 8 mm shaft- 7mm=9/32 mm=5/16
if you need more range use a longer gun a 140cm gun with 7mm shaft still has good range with 2, 16mm or 9/16 rubbers.
I dont know how it compares to spears but with rifle bullets a smaller dia projectile of a given weight has a much flatter trajectory than a lager dia projectile of the same weight.
Therefore if my theory is right a shaft of 1.8m length and 7mm dia will shoot furhter than a shaft of 1.4m or 1.5m length in 8mm dia with similar power source-does anyone have any practical experience with this ?
I am assuming that the guys making Euro style guns are working on this principal. anyway I,m very happy with my 7mm or 9/32 Riffe shaft with 2 5/8 rubbers it shoot better than me.:p
 
hi

But Iya is one of those guys using 10 rubbers and trying to make effective shots at 10m :D Well not quite that much but close. I totally agree a 150cm Ra with 2 16mm rubbers and a 1.9m 7mm spear will handle anything but the largest Tuna This is my set up :cool:

cheers
 
Hi Poacher,

That is why I said .........IF power is abundantly available...like 4 x 5/8 rubbers. So this is definitely a US type telephone pole.

If u can use a long 7mm shaft and its weight can be much more, then it will have the mass. However, 7mm shaft longer than 150 cm seems quite flexible, for me.

I love short gun for tracking capability. I prefer 130 cm gun ( +- 140cm shaft ) as maximum and the only way I can power up without shaft whip and utilize maximum rubber potential of my Riffe is to go 9.5mm shaft. I am not keen on long guns like Riffe Blue Water, cause I am short and prefer more rubbers than longer gun for range....habit. In fact my coming MT3 rigged as ordered will out priced a basic Riffe Blue Water, won't out shoot it but it's coming close. Just consider me power crazy.

Fire arm theory can be used but shaft speed of a speargun relies on how fast the rubber contracts/shrink back, unlike gun powder explosive power, which is lightning fast. Speargun is more mechanical than chemical. It is easier to hit maximum limit of a given projectile mass against speed on a speargun.

I really enjoy seeing 9.5mm shaft launch out at good speed...:D :D

In my own terms, I will power up the gun as maximum as possible as long as it does not break my wrist and I can still hit a 60cm rainbow runner from 4-6 meters. This indicate accuracy still maintained even with all the recoil. I find it a challenge to shoot a fish from far away, land based hunting bad habit. :eek:
 
hi

Cmon Iya when are you going to put 10 rubbers on are you getting slack :D

cheers
 
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