Pole Spear Length/Type Water Depth

Hello all,

I just got certified off Jupiter yesterday. It all went well. What was apparent is that it will take awhile to get out skills up to snuff regarding pole spearing. I am doing this with a bunch of teenagers so there will be no spear guns for quite some time until everyone has become a very good diver. I also figure this will make better hunters out all of us. It also was clear that there is little or nothing to spear off the 60-80 foot ledges off Jupiter - lots of pretty stuff though.

I will be diving primarily out of Sebastian/Vero, and Ft. Pierce, with some Port Canaveral, and occasional south Fl. and the keys.

I currently have a 6' fiberglass spear that is what most commercial divers use out of Port Canaveral. I have seen on the boards that 10' is required for the cleaner water south of Jupiter to get close enough.

Can 'yall provide any insight into brands/type/places-to-buy for various clarity and depth?


Thanks!

Hi inetmug,

Gat-Ku and Crist both make 10 foot pole spears. I don't see it on the Crist website but they do make an 8 foot spear with an 18 inch shaft that is just under 10 feet total.

I would not say that a 10 footer is "required" for clearer waters but I think you will appreciate the extra reach that you have on fish with a longer pole spear. For years I used a 7 foot pole spear in South Florida and the Bahamas and did fine with it. I have a longer one too but I still use the 7 footer frequently because it breaks down into 3 peices and is convenient to carry in my kayak.

All of your pole spear practice will pay off if you go to the Bahamas since you can't use a speargun over there

For shooting larger fish like grouper I slowly stalk them and shoot them once they hole up under a coral head. Sometimes that is the only way you can get within pole spear range of them.