Advice needed on technique!

hi there - ive jst moved to Sardinia, Italy and have bought my first speargun - a Cressi Sub 'Sioux' model with elastic mechanism. I've been trying to get some fish and so far have caught one sea bream in 3 attempts. What are the fish particularly sensitive to- is it movement or light etc? I'm not sure how to get up close without scaring them off. Also, I heard someone mention weight belts - are they essential for when u are fishing in shallow waters? Thanks in advance!!

To try to get you off to a quick start, you must realize life underwater is between hunters and prey. Not only divers are the hunters. All fish are hunted, every day of their lives. Some of the fish are predators, other fish will eat scraps of plants. What this means as a new spear fisherman you have to approach fish in a neutral manner. Not threatening. From all of their lives, a predator approaches close, head on then lunges forward to grab a meal.

As a spear fisherman, move at an angle to the fish you want to shoot, don't stare at your target, Look sideways ocassionally. Make your approach patiently, anticipate where your prey is moving to, and get there first, and let your prey approach your side. . . our spearguns work sideways.

Before you get in the water, talk to the local fishermen. You want to know what fish to hunt, and what their behavior is like, how deep do they stay, do they move around to find food, or do they hide at an ambush spot and wait for the food to approach their hiding places.

If you are new to diving, your underwater behavior will scare fish beyond your spearing range. . . dive a lot and your diving skills will let you swim through the middle of a group of fish. . . watch the videos, sharks can swim next to fish, if they don't appear to be hunting. . . when their behavior becomes aggressive, fish flee from them.

i echo all the advice above and would only reitterate that the body language you give off underwater is key, I have found that I can dive a few times onto a wreck and will scare the fish away as I dive until tmy third or fourth decent and from then on it is a lot easier, I feel that this has to do with the way I move through the water and as I get more and more comfortable I am giving less of an indication that I am there to gather food

As for weights yes. Yes but not too much and not too little you want to be slightly buoyant at the surface. When floating at the surface some like their mask out of the water some like their whole head out. Depending on how deep you are diving maybe a little less weight. I do a lot of shallow shore dives. Basic snorkel hunting however if you shoot and hit the fish and it goes under a rock, seaweed or something you will have to go down and get the fish. You may not always be hunting in the open sometimes you might have to do a sneak attack from behind a rock or seaweed. This is where weight comes in. Fish can feel the movements you make I have found from up to 10ft away or so watch that movement thing. Not to give away too many secrets try tapping on your spear gun and watch the fish come and take a look at you. Only works a couple of times and then they learn.

No quick movements of the hands or gun barrel. Be careful when going vertical on the surface. Try not to use your free hand to gain momentum. Or, at least don't let the fish see it. Don't splash with fins. Look down but also straight ahead as fish may approach near the surface. Cut a small hole in the wetsuit to let bubbles evacuate before hitting bottom or running into fish in the water column. Remove your snorkel to prevent bubbles. When fish school approaches and starts to circle, try going vertical (head up). When the school circles around you don't try to track with your body or gun barrel. Spin in the opposite direction and meet them coming. If the fish are croaker family and swimming on the bottom try making "grunt" noises while hanging still. Remember to lead the fish a little when aiming. Shoot first, ask questions later. Learn the visual cues. Fish can be surprisingly hard to see, especially when they hide in holes and under ledges. Whe spotting fish from a distance some parts of the fish are easier to see, especially fins or gill plates. Learn these identifying cues on objects in motion. When a fish disappears it goes into a hole. There is always a back door because the fish knows the territory. So too, must you.

And now for some "tricks". Dive to the bottom and dig it up. Wrasses and other shell eaters may approach. Tie a small squid to your gun barrel or flash a lure. I don't do this stuff but have seen it work.

Walk the docks and see what the string fishermen are catching. Identify the catch and determine whether they are migratory or resident. Look at the lures or bait and the type of poles. If they are bottom or trolling poles it can tell you whether to hunt bottom or open water. Listen to the chat and you will hear some mysterious terms like "3 km hill" or "the kettle" or something like that. Later, get charts and talk to others who can give you "numbers". Ask for information about currents and locations.

Watch the net for diver chat. Spearfishermen can be very cautious about hunting sites but it can be pieced together. Talk to other spearos in your area. This may not pay off right away but after you learn the basics this information may be helpful simply because patterns are repetitive from year to year.

hi there - thanks guys for all the advice!! I have been diving predominantly close to shore in shallow areas as I have found there to be plenty of nice bream lurking around in the rocks. I have noticed that when I am recoiling after a shot (normally a miss!!) fish can sense that I am not threatening at that moment as they swim around me without a fear in the world!! As for not looking directly at them, I'm not sure how you do that cos how do you spot them / aim in that case?! Still, I have learnt to chase them through holes and becoming better at following them out the other side etc. I still don't have weights but will probably buy some soon. Thanks again and I'm finding that I'm learning something new every time. As for the bigger fish, I can't get within about 20' of them - they are unbelievably fast & hyper sensitive - maybe one day!! how do u approach with minimal movement? or is it a case of sitting and waiting once I'm using weights? Thanks again guys!!