wannabe

OK so I'm new enough to diving to have been raised in the "leave only bubbles" mentality but lets face it, I love sea food. And I see alot of it when I dive so I am on the fence here.
Without sounding like a troll, convince me. I've heard all the con arguments how about a little pro.
Tell me how, when, what gear, how much fun it is and I'll check the recipes while I'm waiting

cheers,

wedivebc:

Tell me how, when, what gear, how much fun it is and I'll check the recipes while I'm waiting

cheers,

Click to expand...

How: With lots of patience, practice, and eventually...(I'm not there yet)...skill.

When: Whenever possible (remember to keep it in season for what you hunt)

How much fun is it: :07: :11ztongue Yahooooo! (that means "lots of fun").

Does that answer your questions?

As far as gear goes, you can get a simple stringer, pole-spear, and tip which is enough to get started and only be ~$40-50 out of pocket.

The gun and maybe a stringer or float is most of the specialized gear required. What type and size of gun depends on the location. Guns go from relatively small rock and reef guns to very large open water guns. There are some in the middle that sort of do dual duty but it is often a situation of doing none of it exceptionally well. Most serious spearfishermen end up with more than one gun to accomodate different conditions.

A quality gun helps a lot but how much quality is a question of how much quality you can afford. $250-$300 is not unreasonable for a decent quality starter gun but you can spend a whole lot more than that if you get into the sport. You can also spend less, but you end up with less capability and that can lead to you having a lot less success and dropping out of the sport.

You can get band guns or pneumatics and they have their pros and cons but in my opinion a quality band gun is the way to go in most cases.

SuPrBuGmAn:

As far as gear goes, you can get a simple stringer, pole-spear, and tip which is enough to get started and only be ~$40-50 out of pocket.

Click to expand...

Let's not forget the catch bag. It sure would be a shame to spear a keeper and not have any place to put it....($5-$25...check ebay).

Notice I stated you need a "stringer".

I preffer stringers over catch-bags unless I'm grabbin bugs

SuPrBuGmAn:

Notice I stated you need a "stringer".

I preffer stringers over catch-bags unless I'm grabbin bugs

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I tried a stringer once, but HATED it. (and yes...I did miss that in your post...sorry). I never got it right, so I went to a catch bag. Its like my amex...I don't leave home without it. Plus, if you have a bag, you can put fish & bugs in it just in case you get lucky.


BTW...nice fish in your gallery on your website!

I guess the saying is true To each his own!

I've always found fish to be a pain to stuff in a bag, although, it would be horrible not to have anywhere to put that lobster if I were to come across him unprepared.

The fish on my website will get bigger over time, I'm still a newby!

Gear: Gun, Stringer, Light (for looking under ledges)

How: Jump off boat, start sinking, load gun (never do at surface), shoot fish (aim to head or lateral line mostly), put on stringer through fish's eyes (unless a triggerfish, then go through mouth and out gills, or they'll bite you wherever they can), close stringer, take out spear from fish, put spear in gun, reload and repeat/repeat/repeat til time to go up. Know what sizes are legal for each species, so gotta be able to ID fish and estimate length correctly before shooting. If you need more info, tune into Spearboard's "Spear One" for his seminars, people travel from out of state just to learn from his and other spearfisherman.

When: Whenever I can, take a gun, and if dinner swims by, I get fresh seafood. After all, I pay around $50 for a day of diving, any fish I get helps keep my food costs down and I KNOW where it came from, what it ate, and how it was treated from sea to dinner plate.

Why is it fun: You learn to be a better diver by learning to multi-task underwater, learn to rely less on your buddy and more on your own skills. Another variable - being attached to a fish - is also introduced, which increases the task difficulty/challenge of diving, as I'd gotten bored with bubbles only watching. I've found a great group of friends and am rarely disappointed in the sportsmanship and level of generosity and helpfulness of hunters. It's a great feeling to know you got dinner "all by yourself" and there's a sense of accomplishment in killing (aka stoning) your first fish with a well-placed shot.

Here's a stupid wannabe question...
My family lives in Florida, I do a lot of diving there in the summers, like to get into spearing as well.

However, all the truly "exciting" shark stories I have heard back there have to do wth spearfishing. Any tips about "interspecies competition" for the catch?

JAG