Lionfish hunting

[Dirty-Dog]

Sue and I just returned from 10 days diving off Cancun and Playa del Carmen. On various reefs, we saw six lionfish. Sadly, we had no way to kill the bastards.

So recommend for me, please, an inexpensive tool with which to kill them. I considered buying a long barbeque fork and turning the tines into needles, but I'm not sure if you could move one fast enough by hand to have reliable penetration. I'm not adverse to buying a small speargun, if there's a fairly simple, small, shortrange version available.

I have no interest in spearhunting in general. I'd just like to be able to do my small part to contain the little buggers.

Suggestions?

 

[firstdive2005]

Hi! Have you got a broken fishing rod. Or have a fishing rod laying around.
-take a extra large 3prong hook and tightly rap the hook to the end of the rod.
-I slightly notched the end so the thread would not slip.
-it is a poor mans mini-gaff hook.
to use--
slowly put the hook up behind the body of the fish, pull towards you very quickly, a jerk motion, gets 'em every time.
You need a knife to kill them usually, be very carefull they jerk around and you will get stung.
When you cut them in half just press the fish on the sand if you are not too deep and cut it in half on the bottom.
Have fun, it's nasty if you get hit though. I got just an ever so slight pin prick on my index finger, felt like I slammed it in the car door. That lasted 2hrs.
Dont know your level of dive skill but you need to be very much in control of your bouyancy to do this right. Otherwise you will be crashing into the coral. And we all know thats just as bad as being a lion fish.
Good diving to ya-kevin

 

[Akapp]

Get a three prong paralyzer tip for a polespear, runs about 20 bucks and I have great luck stickin lions with it down in cozumel. I got 12 in one dive on the wall down there last week. The DM on the boat i dive with uses a small mesh bag but he gets pricked by them everytime he bags one up. Hell, Id be apt to take a hammer with me to try and whack em with next trip.

After we kill them we usually look for a moray and feed the lionfish to the moray, they eat em right up!

 

[crowleyW]

how about Foldspear - the holstered pole spear, spearfishing with polespear ? They sell special lionfish tip to it also

 

[Dirty-Dog]

The foldspear looks perfect!
Thanks everybody. I realise we'll never wipe them out, but I'd like to think we can at least slow them down a bit.

 

[redacted]

DM in Cozumel used something like this: Scuba Gear> Buy AquaTec Deluxe Travel Pole Spear with Reviews at K2 SCUBA

After spearing the lionfish, he could unscrew the handle and use it to help finish the fish off and then push it off the tines. They were very careful.

 

[still new]

If you are going to play with these guys you may want to visit your family Doctor first and get aperscription for an Epi-Pen and some Benadryl. Always good to be prepared.

 

[binobanana]

Get a hawaian slingshot! carry a bush scissorsr (homedepot garden dep't) cut of the spine's! Good eating!