Help out a new spear gunner

i just bought a JBL 27" Mini Carbine speargun and ill be using it off NJ, DE, MD and in the delaware river...also possibly in lake wallenpaupack which has striper and musky in it. other fish i will target is bluefish, fluke, and striper in the ocean (around jettys and near the surf because i am new to this and will stay near shore).

i was wonering if this is a good choice. i got the gun used for $40 from a man who lost a leg..the gun is in near new condition and he gav me 2 replacement band wih it. also, the gun has one band on it...would i be able to ad another band to add distance and power if i put more lineon the gun?

thnks

go with two bands you can always only cock one, but will want that extra power. also get a break away tip

the model i bought has one band on it, and is displayed with one band on the site. can i put 2 bands on the gun eventhough it is shown with just one?

scottprice:

i just bought a JBL 27" Mini Carbine speargun and ill be using it off NJ, DE, MD and in the delaware river...also possibly in lake wallenpaupack which has striper and musky in it. other fish i will target is bluefish, fluke, and striper in the ocean (around jettys and near the surf because i am new to this and will stay near shore).

i was wonering if this is a good choice. i got the gun used for $40 from a man who lost a leg..the gun is in near new condition and he gav me 2 replacement band wih it. also, the gun has one band on it...would i be able to ad another band to add distance and power if i put more lineon the gun?

thnks

Click to expand...

The 27" mini carbine is a short range gun good for thin skinned game. If you use it for that, you'll do fine. In our area it is known as a "perch buster". In my opinion and the small number of stripers I've shot, it will be inadequate. The stripers I've hunted were a couple of pounds up to 40 pounds, fast moving and longer range, hard to get a spear through them.

The gun size should be chosen by the visibility where you're hunting. Then, Multiple bands can give you the greater speed and power for bigger faster fish. If you stay within the JBL brand, they have the 38 special with two notches on the shaft, and the 38 special Northwest with three notches. Stepping up from there there is a mini magnum and a magnum. . . the choice is made by visibility and the fish you are hunting.

As a new spearfisherman, check the state laws for locations where you can hunt, licenses, seasons and species you can hunt. In your beginning hunts, learn to hunt and only take a shot at very close range and thin skinned fish. You won't get a lot of shots, but you will learn how to hunt. Then when you want to "reach" those other fish, come back here and ask about enough gun to shoot a 10 lb. striper at 10 feet. Divers here and at local dive shops can better answer your question. Also, with more time and experience you may meet other local spearfishers and maybe get a bargain on a used custom gun from a local.

I've got the same JBL, and like most of the other posts, the mini carbine seems to be under powered. But seems to still get the job done, as long as your at point blank range. What i have noticed on the dive trips i've done off the Jersey coast is a number of divers using cressi's pneumatic SL spear guns, as well as pole spears ranging from 4 - 6 ft in length. I can't tell you about the other locations, but a significant amount of the NJ dives are off of wrecks and the shorter spear guns do work well due to visibility and space constraints around the wrecks. A 10' range for a spear gun can be a little long since visibility can range from 1 ft to 30 ft; and you never want to spear anything that you can't see beyond your spearing range. The more you go on the dive boats off of NJ you'll be able to get a plethora of advice from the seasoned divers you'll meet. I normally dive off of Ol' Salty and the Sea Lion, both good boats that will normally go out with a good percentage of divers you can get more advice from. Happy hunting

Google "Fish Killa Productions" go to his video link and download one of videos, they're just fun to watch but for someone getting aquitted to spearing Ben has it down.