freshwater recomendations

howdy yall,

im want to start spearfishing. i am very comfortable in the water. i am in the middle of Texas. all thats legal to fish for here is gar & carp. its nothing close im sure to what yall are going for. what would yall suggest? i know i do not need anything near the power most of yall use. for the avg 15' river or lake at 80' do i need to buy something special or am i better of making it myself?

ive been reading most of the stuff here and it all looks like saltwater game. i would be diving, and for the most part the visibility is from 20ft to 3ft, depends on the river. as a college student i do not have huge amounts of funds and my disposible income is not large. any advice be great. either way im going to contine reading post see what i can learn.

You are looking for a short gun (say 36") or a pole spear. You don't want alot of range in low vis since you will be able to shoot into water you can't see, a no no for obvious reasons. Shaft length is the largest factor in determining range, most people make the mistake of trying to add more power bands to get more range but guns kick and shafts oscillate when overpowered destroying accuracy. Also, long guns take more time and effort to turn and are far from ideal in low vis where you may only see your prey for a brief instant. A pole spear would probably be the best thing for you to get as it is the cheapest, and great in low vis. You have the added bonus of being forced to learn good stalking technique to get close to the fish.

I assume warm water. So wet suit not needed. Low viz, a cheap JBL or AB Biller rock or reef gun would do. Also, look at Spearboard.com for more info. If you want to see spearing in action Youtube.com key question spearfishing.

a pole spear is really nothing more than a sharpened stick that i physically jab at my target? or does it have a rubber band that gives it some omph. or is that a hawaiian sling? is there a difference other than name?

Things are a little different in the water. But a pole spear and Hawaiian sling work the same in that a rubber band propels the spear forward much faster then you can move your arm with very little water disturbance. Add a spear point and you have a deadly combination. Fish can feel water disturbances much the same way you can feel someone walk across a wooden floor. A lot of fish are taken by pole spear but I prefer a cheap spear gun just for the ease of swinging towards my target in low viz. If I ever got in better viz I'd opp for a bigger and better gun. I use a JBL Explorer 22 and I fish in the NW area.

chatfouz:

howdy yall,
im want to start spearfishing. i am very comfortable in the water. i am in the middle of Texas. all thats legal to fish for here is gar & carp. its nothing close im sure to what yall are going for. what would yall suggest? i know i do not need anything near the power most of yall use. for the avg 15' river or lake at 80' do i need to buy something special or am i better of making it myself?
ive been reading most of the stuff here and it all looks like saltwater game. i would be diving, and for the most part the visibility is from 20ft to 3ft, depends on the river. as a college student i do not have huge amounts of funds and my disposible income is not large. any advice be great. either way im going to contine reading post see what i can learn.

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I'm a freshwater spearfisherman with lots of spearfishing in your area. Possum Kingdom, Travis, lake Caddo. . . You'll want a short gun, similar to the widely available JBL 38 special, the "38 special NW" come with a spear with 3 rubber band and 3 notches in the shaft. . . the extra band give you more power for a longer shot or deeper penetration in a 20 or 30 lb carp. Most divers in our part of the country have the JBL as a first gun and sell them cheap when they move on to the better, more expensive AB Billar or the Riffe guns. More money buys a better gun.

When you can afford to travel with your new gun. . . Come north to Oklahoma and hunt catfish, for something you can enjoy to eat, Flathead catfish are mild, sweet tasting. Or, go Northeast to Arkansas, Lake DeGray and Ouachita allow spearing half a limit of any gamefish, check the wildlife department's rules for each lake, and buy a temporary fishing license online.

I've seen JBL 38 special's on Ebay, but you lose the help of a local dive store, in setting it up. Good luck and post your pictures in the bragging area.

Sunfish are also legal in Texas.

I second the idea of going to Ok.

TwoBit