Gulf Shores, OB, Pensacola Spearo's?

I was recently bitten by the spearfishing bug and have been diligently reading the boards and researching guns and other information, but I wanted to try and get a little more region specific information...

I hope that this does not turn into one of those "this gun is the best, and all others will disintegrate as soon as they touch the water" type threads. So with that...

Tell me about the gun that you are using in the Gulf (type, size, material, bands, type of fish you are after, etc.) and how it suits your hunting needs.

I am also considering picking up a pole spear for shore dives if anyone can share their experiences and preferences with that too.

Thanks!



CivilE

Oh, and if a certain gun would actually disintegrate as soon as it hits the water I guess that would be helpful information to know.

Many folks in that area (where I live and dive) Carry either AB Billers or Riffes. You want something about 48" for shooting snapper, trigger, grouper, aj's, etc. Don't be tempted by a smaller gun, go with 48", maybe longer, but I find 48" to be just about perfect in it's length/strength for our kind of shooting. Make sure to get a good sharp tip. The tips that come stock on many guns are just round points, and don't seem to me to be as effective as the tips with a tri-cut surface.

I currently carry a 48" Biller with a tri-cut slip-tip. It's a great gun. It shoots straight, is easy to load/carry, and easy to find bands, shafts and tips for. A Riffe will be all of the same things, but it's quieter, prettier, and costs a lot more. Biller is a GMC Truck while Riffe is an Esclade. Both kill fish, one just does it with more style

Sadly, I just got bit by the railgun bug. If you want to buy me a 37" Pelaj Typhoon railgun ($259) I'll be happy to trade you my Biller with the aforementioned $45 slip-tip included

I don't SEE alot of railguns used in this area. I'm sure dedicated spearo's use them, but the guys that do are outside my circle of divers who, as mentioned before, use Billers and Riffes almost exclusively.

Gulf Coast Divers in Mobile carries all three brands, plus a few more. They also have an on-site 15' deep pool, and they'll let you fire the guns underwater before you buy (assuming there's not a class, or another diver in the pool )

I don't work for, or own stock in GCD, but the guys there have always treated me right, and never steered me in a bad direction.

-h

I second the coment concerning GCD as a reputable and enjoyable place to do business. I have recently begun spearing and shoot a JBL Woody Magnum 53". While I didn't buy my gun there due to a "special opportunity", grin, I can say that the guys there would take care of you. I did buy my polespear there but have'nt had the chance to use it yet. I can say too that they do not discriminate against Civil or Structural engineer's either....unless I'm just not smart enough to realize it. Ha!

I started spearfishing about 3 years ago with a Biller 42. Started with 2 bands, and tried lots of combinations - adding an extra band, using 2 larger bands, 2 standard bands and 1 larger, etc. After loosing a tournament winning (potential) red snapper about 28lbs ish because the gun wasn't big enough and annoying a cobia(just gave him a headache), I upgraded to a C2 riffe. The biller is still better IMO for trigger, red snapper, mangrove snapper, etc when you want to shoot faster and you aren't going after bigger fish.

Most everyone I know uses biller/seahornets in the 48 inch range or C2-3 Riffes, almost all of which are wood guns.

Smaller guns are good for spots where you'll be swinging the gun around more - less mass/surface area moving thru the water. Obviously the bigger guns are more to lug around, and swing slower, but pack a bigger punch.

This is exactly the kind of information that I was looking for! So wood guns in the 48" range seem to be common. I have had my eye on a couple of billers lately (54" or 60") but am still waiting on getting one right off. I was looking at a couple of different rail guns as well, but my main concern would be getting replacement parts (shafts, etc) locally if I got in a pinch.

Until earlier this year, I worked with a firm right around the corner from GCD and would typically wander in on my lunch break just to kill time. Great group of guys there (and they appeared to be engineer friendly)! I am working in P'cola now, so I have a couple of new (to me) dive shops to visit these days. Thanks again!



CivilE