Your first fish

[C3Diver]

How many outings, weeks, months... or years did if take before you speared your first fish?

I'm going on my 3rd year and still nothing. My target is a Striped bass over 28" I've passed up many fish not sure about the size.

Last year I got really discouraged about my short time on the bottom so I took up the habit of Very slowly snorkeling the shore line. I did see a lot more fish but mostly all schoolies...After a lot of reading I'm finding hiding on the bottom and waiting for the Stripers to come to you seems to be the #1 tactic.

I'm guessing most people got there first fish within a year:blackeye

 

[Broseidon]

3 years and no fish.....?

Are you sure this is the sport for you?

 

[C3Diver]

Well my first year was a joke, The water is very cold around here and I didn't even have a wet suit. Anyway the 3rd summer is still young!

I know this sport is for me because I STILL absolutely love it. I use to surf-fish all the time but ever scene I got my hands on a speargun rod & reel fishing just seems boring (and I'm always successful with a rod&reel)rofl

 

[Broseidon]

I know where you're coming from - I live about 2.5 hours from the coast so I hardly ever get down.

My first spearing trip I went with a friend, all we had were badly fitting surf suits, 1 gun and a LOT on enthusiasm! We arrived to find thick fog with freezing rain combined with around 0.5m viz great. Great! To add insult to injury, while we were in the water, someone stole my friend's wallet with all of our cash for the weekend in! Brilliant!

Last year was a little better, still in badly fitting surf suits but this time managed some 2m viz! Spear has not gone well for me so far but I love it.

Have got all the kit this year! Fish will die! :martial

 

[pinoycatfish]

goodluck on your quest and be safe

 

[BenFord]

Gosh guys, sounds like you both have had bad luck, im sure with alittle time your both get there, i admire target c3diver, i only like to shot fish i sneak up on.
Good luck guys!

 

[Mr. X]

I was very lucky and got a bass, first shot on my first dive - which is probably why I continue to spear fish - hooked! I would have got a second except I stupidly used the safety catch, despite being told not to. It took a few dives before I got my next one though. I don't think it was totally luck though. I was quite "swim fit" & covered quite a lot of ground in the time allowed by my inadequate shortie wetsuit & fins. I didn't have a weight belt either - so shot from the surface. Also being my first time out I was quite excited and very alert and always had the gun at the ready (per Len Jones excellent book). I picked a location that I knew others had speared successfully from in the past too.

The fact that you have stuck with it makes me think this still might be the activity for you.

 

[Tong]

Its not kit that makes a spearo!! its the determination and passion.

I have been diving 2 years now, i still use a 543 surfing suit and a mishmatch of weights and kit. but i take enough fish to keep my ever expanding waistline expanding!!

 

[nostres]

One of my first fishy.

DeeperBlue.com Gallery - Nostres and his HUGE fishy

Gun is not mine but I think it has some potential
:blackeye


Like the book says, objects underwater appear bigger than they really are...


Come to Wisconsin, You will only have TOO MANY fish!

P.S
What is Your weight and height? I have one commercial diving wetsuit I don't use anymore and I am willing to give it away to person in need.

But it was custom made and I am 6'4" tall, skinny like hell too

 

[Tong]

One of my first fishy.

DeeperBlue.com Gallery - Nostres and his HUGE fishy

Gun is not mine but I think it has some potential
:blackeye


Like the book says, objects underwater appear bigger than they really are...


Come to Wisconsin, You will only have TOO MANY fish!

P.S
What is Your weight and height? I have one commercial diving wetsuit I don't use anymore and I am willing to give it away to person in need.

But it was custom made and I am 6'4" tall, skinny like hell too

Nice fish there roflrofl

I have the same model gun just a shorter version, i love it

 

[foxfish]

I can remember my first fish quite well, it was a plaice that I caught in Alderney (an even smaller island than Guernsey) but not sure how many times I had trying before it came along? However I was 11 years old at the time & in those days the sea was overflowing with fish so I guesse it was not very difficult. Having said that, I was not wearing a suit of any kind & I used a penknife to impale it!
My two elder brothers both had home made suits at the time (almost 40 years ago) & I eventually got a modified "pass me down" shorty. I could then follow my broes out a bit further & using my "handspear" started catching a bit more, my first free swimming fish must of come when I got my first gun but I dont think that was until I was about 16?

 

[slingshaft]

I was fortunate enough to start spearing at Haulover Inlet on Miami Beach, I used a U.S. Divers Arbalete, rofl This was in 1959. Of course I shot the first fish that swam up to me! I'm sure it was a helpless Queen Angelfish, :duh:head:rcard:yack However, the Snook drifted closer, they were 'easy pickings'. I ate like a King for many years. When it became illegal to spear Snook, I really concentrated on Mangrove Snapper, life was good!

 

[Mr. X]

Although I had an inadequate wetsuit & fins, no weight belt, a chisel tipped SCUBA knife, SCUBA mask & recreational valved snorkel, I did have the beginnings of some rather better kit too: a pretty nice speargun, float, floatline & stringer - all Rob Allen .

 

[BenFord]

when i first started i had a pair of aqua fins, a rash vest, snorkle and mask that i used to go snorkling with and i got a cheap sopmap gun on ebay, never tied the mono film to the spear and nearly lost it!!!!!
but over time i have invested in all the 'gear' and i can stay out longer and i enjoy it even more,

 

[willloomy]

My first fish was within a month of when i started to dive. it was a lai (leather back jack) a uncommon fish didn't see one again till last week, almost a year later. i just got lucky to see it and even luckier to hit it with a three prong in open water (no rocks to pin it to). i was wearing a decent mask, duck feet fins, a weight belt with a waist Kui (belt stringer) and board shorts (no knife) that dive i also shot a nenue (chub) and in the coincidence of the year with my first speargun i shot the same combo (both much bigger though)

 

[DSRTEGL]

My First fish with my polespear was a 16" Striped Surfperch and I got him right in the head. Think the lord above was looking out for me that day.....Surf was just barely in my comfort zone and I was in open water on the outside of the reef with no swim fins, no weight belt, and no clue.....But I got a fish and called it good. On my way back a larger surge nearly dumped me right on top a large lincod.

That was an eye opener!

Swells were 4-6' water clarity was AMAZING for California's North Coast and I have not been in the water since....More than a year now....

Bummer!


DSRTEGL

 

[vali]

first fish was a little turbot
first day/first shot
but with the turbot things are somehow easy...not very big deal
important is to see it
on the other side....with the mullet....not so easy task in my early spearing experience

 

[lilhatchet]

My first was a small chub I had not clue what he was just shot him cause he looked big until I pulled him in. I flilleted him and cooked him up not a very good meal to tell the truth. Now I study my cards and read on here to learn what are good to eat. My next one after that was a parrot fish. It took me about a month that was only going 2 or 3 times in a months so not bad I guess. I need to get a target to practice on. My depths have gotten better I have got down to 47ft so far.

 

[fishimani]

My first fish was a blue trevally (skip-jack) he was a good 3-4 lbs first shot on first dive. I was wearing a neoprene vest a pair of board shorts scuba fins a hideous mask ...oh man....it was bad....and this diving doo-rag kinda thing....my dive partner (an avid spearo) said i looked like a gay underwater pirate.. but i was still very happy with my first spearfishing trip and my wife never saw me for more than a few hours at a time after that. Im hopelessly addicted:t

-pete

 

[rickey05]

My first fish was the Grey Triggerfish. I was diving in about 75ft of water on an artificial reef made of Large Culverts. It was about 25 miles east of Mayport (Jacksonville) in North Florida. Also took a spade fish on this dive and blew it on a school of amberjack.

I freaked when I saw the huge amberjack emerge from no where after I had missed on another fish and was trying to re-load. I was new and not quick enough. The school of amberjack did circles aournd me as I was on my knees on the ocean floor trying to reload with extreme adrenaline at this point.

As they took off, I took off after them but they were too fast and disappeared into the deep blue. Oh well. It was amazing none the less. This is when I knew that this was the sport for me.

Oops, almost forgot. This was my first hunt.