Looking for help with my speargun setup

I'm looking for input from anyone and everyone who's been spearfishing a while.

I have a JBL 48" Woody Magnum. I've developed good aim, but I'm still having trouble getting close to the fish (since I don't have much distance with my shots). I know there are classes I can take to learn how to chase the fish without scaring them, but there are very few where I live, and they are too expensive for me to justify paying for right now. I may take one when my wife and I go back to Hawaii in December, but in the mean time can anyone give me some pointers on how to angle, or chase the fish without spooking them?

My other question, is there any way to get more range out of my shots?

I already ordered a longer shockline since my spear-shaft always pulls the line to the limit when I shoot, which tells me it could go further.

I know several people would respond with "learn to free-shaft" which is on my list, but I feel that a little more experience is needed before I take that step.

My muzzle has space for a third band (which would mean I would have to buy a three notched shaft), but I've also heard switching from 5/8" bands to 1/2" bands will increase the velocity as well. I don't understand how though since it seems the 5/8" bands would produce more power since they are thicker... Am I wrong?

Any other pointers or hints I'm missing would be appreciated as well.

Thanks as always!

JP,

No your guess is right, 1/2" bands will make your gun slower.

Is your shaft 5/16"? if not get rid of the 3/8" spear. Don't think of a spear as anything more than a spear...it's not a friend, it's a tool, but not unexpendable.

I freeshaft 90% of the time but I would not recommend it for you unless you have clear water and bottom fish to shoot.

Experience has nothing to do with it... I teach rookies to freeshaft all the time.

Where are you shooting?

Chad

Just read your comment on the Metal or Mahogany thread. Your 38 Special is not a 48" gun... not even close. Unless you are shooting in dirty water in FL, it's way too short.

Chad Carney:

Where are you shooting?

Chad

Just read your comment on the Metal or Mahogany thread. Your 38 Special is not a 48" gun... not even close. Unless you are shooting in dirty water in FL, it's way too short.

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FL Panhandle mostly. 30-50 foot vis with the bottom in sight. I'm not sure where I got 48" from, but you're right, it's a 42" gun.

Best way to get fish in closer is to ignore it. Observe fish with corner of your eye, and avoid threatening posture and direct approach. Fish are curious and most times they will swim right in front of you if they are being ignored....on the other hand, if you tense up, extend the gun, and kick hard towards the fish - they will stay out of the range. Easy does it. 30-50ft vis easily allows for 50"+ gun, but if I were you i would practice with 42" and first get better at stalking fish.

DiveBee:

Best way to get fish in closer is to ignore it. Observe fish with corner of your eye, and avoid threatening posture and direct approach. Fish are curious and most times they will swim right in front of you if they are being ignored....on the other hand, if you tense up, extend the gun, and kick hard towards the fish - they will stay out of the range. Easy does it. 30-50ft vis easily allows for 50"+ gun, but if I were you i would practice with 42" and first get better at stalking fish.

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Same post I was going to make. Ignore them. looking straight at them lets them know you are after them. Chill, and wait for them to come to you. Sometimes I will hang in a spot 3-4 minutes... After hanging a while all the fish come back. Pick the one you want and bam...

I've become pretty good at stalking because I use to take loads of photos... Anywhoozle, I can take my "pea shooter" out and stone a great sized fish. As long as I am patient.

Happy shooting!

Thought I would chime in. Obviously my opinion but I think you definately need to go a little bit larger on the gun.

As far as your questions about hunting, I don't mean to write a book, but...... see if any of this makes sense to you as a beginner.

My version of Spearing 101, this might help you with your mindset on spearing.

One of the primary reasons that fish "react" to you differently when you are carrying a speargun or not is --------"attraction / attention".

If the fish has your "attention", he knows that you have signaled him out from everyone else and that is the reason that he is going to shy away. The last thing a fish wants is to attract the attention of something bigger than them for fear of being eaten.

What a fish picks up on is your tells, movements, reactions, etc. You may not realize that you are giving him a "tell" like in poker, but you are. As soon as you look directly at him, "tell". If he moves hard left and you drop your left shoulder (like how a plane turns) or kick harder with your outside fin, "tell". As he is swimming away from you, he goes left, right, left, right, and do you know what you do? Left, Right, Left, Right just by how you kick your fins or change your body posture like a shark does his fins. The fish is testing you to see if you are focused on him!!!

The reason that people tell you to relax is so you are not so "focused". This in turn doesn't give off "direct intention" vibes, which CLASS, is what?--------TELLS!!! As you have figured out, this list could go on and on. For fish that are a little larger and skittish, come done from on top of them or try coming up from underneath depending on the species. Grouper will roll on their sides when you dive bomb them to get a good look at you and see what you are doing. SMACK!! Consider approaching on a 45 degree angle when trying to "chase a fish down". Don't make eye contact until the last second. Watch him out of the corner of your eye while aiming your gun in his general direction until the last second. "SMACK".

If you are following a fish that won't stop, if he keeps going, start making a commotion by stirring up sand, banging on a rock, whatever. Break a sea urchin up and let the smaller fish start feeding. The larger fish will stop running and come back to see what is going on. Try chumming to take the edge off of the fish that you are following after. A chum bag will bring in small fish, then bigger fish, you get the picture.

Freeze chum without water in chunks and throw it in your bug bag and dump it just off of the ledge or structure when you get down there. (if you use water, throw some oyster shells in to make it negative) Small bait fish will go nuts over it and watch all of the gags and everything else come in. try dropping the stuff about 10 yards off of the ledge in the sand. Pulls the bait off of the structure and gives you a chance to have all of the grouper funnel to the closest point on the structure in reality, herding the fish together for ya. Dropping it in the area you are going to dive and watch what comes around in under 5 minutes. This is the time for you to really pay attention to fish behavior........ You will start picking up little tips in no time at all.

Everyone has tips and advice, take it for what it is worth and please don't take it as me telling you how to do it. That isn't the intent, just a little food for thought.

One more thing I see with guys missing longer shots is usually not locking their elbow straight before shooting on a powerful gun. That or not picking a small spot on the fish as the target. If you look at the entire fish as the target, your chances of a solid hit drop in my opinion. Most of the time you will start hitting continuously high or low depending on the gun and your form.

Hope it helps and good Luck.

Great post Killer!

Technique is very important... but size does matter!

Gun size can be very confusing, as manufacturers don't use consistent ratings.

Overall length doesn't tell you much. For example John P's 38 Special is a good short range low vis gun. 42" LOA includes the butt. The numbers that mean most are it's 28" shaft and the band stretch length which is not provided, but it is the distance between the muzzle band slot and the farthest shaft notch or fin. JBL also overstates range. No way this gun effectively shoots 14', not with any number of bands.

For offshore diving where you live (FL) the Magnum is the JBL Woody model to have. 48" line shaft and 60" freeshaft size, with a lot of band stretch. This is comparable to a Biller 54" gun.

My 55" Daryl Wong FL Freeshafter has 63" shafts and the band stretch of a 60" Biller, because of the rear handle plus design.

Riffe also gives a lot of good information on their guns sizes.

John, you could buy the stock for the Magnum JBL 4W46 and new longer spears and switch the parts over. It would make a huge difference. You could call Chad at C & N Divers SCUBA diving with C & N Divers > Home he specializes in JBL Woody guns.

Chad

We're both hunting the North Central Gulf Coast. Here's what I've picked up in the area:

• Best way to make longer shots is to have a longer gun.
• Get a longer gun. (48" minimum for wood, 90cm minimum for rail). You can shoot smaller, but for all-around work, this is what you need for the conditions.
• Our area of the gulf is not really suited to freeshafting, so don't try to fish like you're in the keys.
• Avoid making eye contact with fish you are hunting.
• Try not to chase any fish, let them come to you.
• Don't shoot anything further than two shaft-lengths away.
• Try to get within one shaft length if you can. It's certainly possible.
• Turn around. Shootable fish will often follow behind you (they know where your "teeth" are)
• Shoot snapper high. A gut shot means he'll almost always get away.
• If you do make a gut shot on a snapper, give him slack, you may be able to keep him on the shaft until you can pin him. If you try to horse him the shaft will pull free.
• Keep your point SHARP. Inspect after every trip, and sharpen if necessary. It does make a difference.
• I use 2 5/8" bands on my 48 Biller, and have never felt it to be underpowered. If you're hitting the fish in the right spot, and you're close enough, that's all you need. Of course I'm shooting for the table, not the trophy case. If you're looking to shoot 80# amberjacks, listen to someone else

Lots of good advice here from DiveBee, Killer & Griller, Miss D, Hetland... from all over the SE US!

Miss D... I too have found camera stalking to help when shooting a gun & vice-versa. Don't want fish butts either way.

Hetland... Alabama, Mississippi & Louisiana sure are different from FL. I only saw bottom west of FL on like 3 dives on five 3 day trips. No freeshafting possible.
In Destin I did freeshaft all day though on one trip, in clear water on small wrecks. Got this FL red snapper on a freeshaft there. Although it didn't hold a candle to the rest of the snappers weighed in at the ALO.

One technique that is used a lot while freeshafting is a second finishing shot... rather than touch the first spear on a fish that has a precarious shot and risk a possible tear off. We carry 2 or 3 shafts when deep and it often helps to take down big benthic fish.

The type of spear I use most, with or without a line, has only a Hawaiian or Tahitian single long flopper, (bottom hanger or top rider). They are 58" to 65" long and faster than spears with screw on double barb heads and usually stronger too. Accuracy and range are increased with speed, and they generally hold equally well in the fish. Pic is of a mangrove I shot freediving this week with a 58" x 9/32" line spear rigged in my 50" Wong reef gun.

Detachable slip-tip heads are the favorite of most rig divers I've dove with, in a SS cable riding rig configuration. Slip tips are more complex but hold extremely well and are very durable.

Chad