New to spearfishing, want recommendations

[magicwanz]

The gun does'nt matter hear in puget sound, The things you do to it, and how you hunt is what you need to learn.

you need to be a self reliant diver, (SOLO) You will chase fish if you wound it to kill it, so not to suffer. take the in the gill out the mouth once the spearhead Is off pull spear out and attache the spearhead. Dog sharks are gonna want your booty cause of the blood trail you leave Dont shoot them Just let them know whos boss.

Have fun I spearfish almost every day.

Well..........Ok then.

First of all, as I said before get a gun with rails, this makes a big difference in accuracy. A gun with rails will be far more accurate as opposed to a gun without rails. Rails are what stabilizes your spear before it exits the muzzle of your speargun (as opposed to rifling's). A gun with deeper rails will be more accurate 100% of the time. Accuracy is important for deadly shot selection. When you shoot at a fish you want to aim for a kill shot in the head above the gill plates, ie you want to "stone" the fish. You definitely DON'T want to learn to "chase fish if you wound it to kill it." Better to get into a good habit of aiming to kill the fish every time, this discussion is another thread so I'm trying to be brief here but I saw this post and could not let it go to a beginning spearo. Furthermore, you don't want to waste air "chasing a fish", and you certainly don't want your spear to pull out of a wounded fish. Ok with that, enough, I'm done going there .

"All fish of any size have been hunted by other fish since they were born. . . they have learned to fear any animal that faces them, as a threat. A hunting diver can get closer to fish by keeping their body pointed away from the target and turning their head slightly in the direction of the fish. This works if you are using a speargun or camera." Excellent, I could not have said it any better. Hunting technique is what will bring you close enough to a fish for careful "kill" shot selection.

I have heard both JBL and Riffe Metal Tech recommended both are excellent guns that I use. From what I gather you are diving in low viz, around structure (reef or rocks)?
The rails on the Riffe are a bit deeper than the JBL so the gun is a little more accurate compared to the same size JBL. However, in a low viz short range situation the accuracy of the JBL will remain uncompromised. The Riffe will remain negative after the spear exits the muzzle, where the JBL will become positive and float. Have to decide which is your personal preference for your diving/hunting situation.

The Riffe Metal is a Midhandle speargun, meaning the handle on the gun is offset to the midsection from the butt end. This makes the gun a little more easy to maneuver underwater because there is less drag on the forend of the gun. The JBL of the same size will allow for more extension (about a foot on shorter guns) when shooting a fish in between rocks and/or reef. Are you willing to compromise the extension for a little more maneuverability in open water? Only you can decide based on your diving conditions and personal preference. Both guns, JBL and Riffe, are excellent choices.

p.s.....VooDooGasMan maybe you can start a thread in spearboard on how to "let them know [the sharks] who's boss" based on your own experiences spearfishing every day? I'd love to watch this one go

 

[VooDooGasMan]

Wkyongae you must have read it wrong, most people know you dont eat dogfish (dogshark) thats a given here in wa state.

So Mr. Magic I am glade you spent the time to explain, but, you also did not understand.

I was making a point to please go kill the fish that you wound, if you wound it.

Spearfishing here is very simple they dont go far, Basically go in the direction they went and you will run in to them again.
Now as for your little laughing guys and the dog sharks, these sharks are totally harmless.
The fact that the OP info gave me is he is buddyless now, His dive buddy just brought up a dead diver this past weekend, My post was to give a little info on the puget sound diving.
I dont know his diving experience from what I read.
These dogsharks will group up and circle you just like you see in shark videos.

I would hate to see this guy have a tragic dive, If he was unaware that he could swim at them point the speargun at them to chase them away a little bit. A 5' dogshark scares alot of divers here easy, The thing is the teeth are small.

Now a 5' lingcod ling cod can leave a nasty scare or kill you, thats when you only shoot for instant death. lings are real simple and easy for instant death.

Killing a fish in one shot is easier here than one can Imagine.
It is hunting, Your not out there to reload your speargun on one fish, but it does happen.

The game that we can shoot is not very much, short season for lingcod, cabezon at divesites will sit there, not so in the hunting grounds, season longer but not all year.
sole and flounder is the divers catch, there easy and plenty. kelp greenling are a fish worth cleaning. Halibut you need a good gun, air bag to send it to the surface,cause a good size one will most definetly kill you. salmon, steelhead your lucky to get a glimpse,I have taken far shots at them never successful yet. There gone so fast a rebreather is your best chance for that. not so worried about injuring them there plenty full and the sea will eat them right up.

Now for the sixgill sharks I have never had a run in while hunting, so I dont know there behavior.

My slack current is approaching now, so I hope this clears up my past post a little, If not Oh-well cause its time to go kill.

 

[Hank49]

The Riffe will remain negative after the spear exits the muzzle, where the JBL will become positive and float. :

I have two models of Riffes and they're more neutral with a shaft on the gun but both float when empty. Both are wooden guns though. The Metal Techs remain neutral? What's the advantage of that design?

 

[magicwanz]

I have two models of Riffes and they're more neutral with a shaft on the gun but both float when empty. Both are wooden guns though. The Metal Techs remain neutral? What's the advantage of that design?

Yea that right the Metal Tech was designed to be negative without a spear loaded. This helps when you are hunting the bottom in low vis or freeshafting on the bottom so the gun won't float away from you after you take a shot.

 

[stuckiniraq37th]

i haven been spear fishing long but what i have seen i havent been to happy with the jbl guns i shot 3 good sized grouper last weekend and lost all 3 all 3 shoots were very well placed how ever my dive partner was shooting a long gun rife and shot 3 larg grouper and got all 3

 

[stuckiniraq37th]

:11doh:i haven been spear fishing long but what i have seen i havent been to happy with the jbl guns i shot 3 good sized grouper last weekend and lost all 3 all 3 shoots were very well placed how ever my dive partner was shooting a long gun rife and shot 3 larg grouper and got all 3

 

[Hank49]

:11doh:i haven been spear fishing long but what i have seen i havent been to happy with the jbl guns i shot 3 good sized grouper last weekend and lost all 3 all 3 shoots were very well placed how ever my dive partner was shooting a long gun rife and shot 3 larg grouper and got all 3

RIFFE INTERNATIONAL / Spearguns

Here's the Riffe site. If you hit those three groupers on the lateral line just behind the gills...maybe it didn't have the "punch" to penetrate far enough? How did they get off the spear?

 

[Captain Walt]

I lost a big Grouper with a JBL Sawed Off Magnum. Not the guns falt, operater chose to big a target at to long of range. I use JBL Magnum XHD and have "never" had a problem with penitration at any range. The JBL SOM is for shots on medium targets. Patiance.....stalk and chose your target well. I hunt on wrecks offshore Savannah Ga. and go down with my JBL Magnum XHD and a JBL 5' pole spear for the black sea bass option. The JBL is in my opinion a supirior tool with it's interchangable parts. I use a 20 ft. 400lb SS leader cable with swivles on both ends. That (cuts down on)eliminates intaglement unlike the nilon cord and it wont cut on the wreck. Just dive and you will fined your place. Good hunting diver....

"Shoot'em in the face!"
RLTW!

 

[Spearo]

One must need to understand to match fish size with gun size, distance and the location and point of shot entrance.

A well place shot (in the right place) thru a fish can be done with any gun including JBL.
JBL and others like them also have many "lower" or less expensive guns that in my opinion should not be in the water for the purpose of hunting fish. To be on the safe side of things always look for their most expensive and work down from there a few "steps". aways avoid low-end models.

There are a few JBLs with 3/8 shafts that in my opinion are way too thick. to be safe pick a 5/16" diameter and change the muzzle.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Have been following this thread with interest.

Penetration of a shaft from a spear is the function of mass X velocity = penetration, not the brand of a gun.

A lighter shaft a 5/16 will have lower mass therefore higher velocity and greater penetration
All being equal heavier 3/8s shaft will have greater mass but a lower velocity and less penetration.

Most commercial guns have slings that require about 60 pounds to cock and sears that will generally operate satisfactorily with in the range of several hundred pounds of sear pressure. Therefore a JBL/ Riffe/Biller with stock slings will create 60-120 - or 180 if three slings are used as on a JBL NW special.

However slings are subject to deterioration, wear, from usage and tension creepage after being cocked or maybe the incorrect size installed by the shop or previous owner if a used gun. Slings also come in a variety of diameters, colors and rubber formulas. Therefore, all these factors affect the sling power of an individual gun --

Serious spear fishermen of California ( I can not comment on your area) have as part of their amentarium a "sling tester." The slings are homemade, tested on a sling tester and often trimmed to require as much as 120 pounds per sling to load, consequently a 3 band gun will require 120-240-or 360 pounds using all three slings. The slings of choice is the very stable black thick diameter "Prodanovich Modulus." These types of guns are generally long barreled customs and requires a special trigger mechanism such as a Prodanovich, Riffe, Gibbons or preferably an Alexander to operate satisfactory under a increased load, however stock original Cavalero Arablete, JBL and a few such as the one piece Prodanovich/Potts (Bottom scratcher)mechanisms have been used satisfactorily with decreased power prior to the Gibbons introduction.

Therefore for increased power and greater shaft penetration always use shorter never damaged fresh slings on the gun with a file sharpen point.
sdm