Spear guns??

[spearfish3]

I know the Bahamas forbids spearguns. I am sure there are other places. Taking it apart could placate some, but others can definitely give better answers here.

[a64pilot]

A speargun is pretty obviously a weapon, as is a baseball bat or a machete.
I believe it is how it’s used that will sway a judge or jury.
I had a JBL that was a very good economy gun, and I currently have two Ocean Rhino’s that are much better, but maybe not really needed for casual use.
I like long guns, the longer the better. To start with they are more powerful, more accurate and of course your closer to the fish with a long gun. I am not a fan of pneumatics.
Guns for free diving are different than ones for scuba, and then there are open water guns that are different too. Some people take fish like big tuna with guns, grouper was what I was usually after, that and hogs.

If you shoot fish, eventually the man in the grey suit will show up, need to mentally prepare yourself for that and do not give him your fish.

[Idylles15.5]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

A speargun is pretty obviously a weapon, as is a baseball bat or a machete.
I believe it is how it’s used that will sway a judge or jury.
I had a JBL that was a very good economy gun, and I currently have two Ocean Rhino’s that are much better, but maybe not really needed for casual use.
I like long guns, the longer the better. To start with they are more powerful, more accurate and of course your closer to the fish with a long gun. I am not a fan of pneumatics.
Guns for free diving are different than ones for scuba, and then there are open water guns that are different too. Some people take fish like big tuna with guns, grouper was what I was usually after, that and hogs.

If you shoot fish, eventually the man in the grey suit will show up, need to mentally prepare yourself for that and do not give him your fish.

We had a home in Antigua for years, and I remember one year this guy Nannan wasn't around anymore. He used to spear fish for the restaurants, word had it he got eaten one night. Is it really a better idea to hold on rather then let the fish go?

[a64pilot]

The idea is that you don’t want to teach them that Scuba divers are a good source of food.
It seems logical to me, although I have no idea if a Shark has enough brain to learn, I assume it may.

[toddster8]

Spearguns always seemed like a ridiculous affectation to me. For grabbing dinner I've just had a Hawaiian sling for the last 40 years. Simple. Effective. Cheap. Sometimes you come across a fish that's so big, you think, "yeah, I could stab that... but then what?" Probably a useful reality check.
BTW, I've heard that the places that ban spear guns mostly also ban Hawaiian slings. So no advantage there.

[toddster8]

BTW, re: the sling. Take a bit of parachute cord and some wetsuit glue and make a hand grip about 8-12 inches back from the tip of the spear. Makes it a lot easier to hold it "cocked" for extended periods. I don't know why they don't just sell them that way.

[toddster8]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

A speargun is pretty obviously a weapon, as is a baseball bat or a machete.
I believe it is how it’s used that will sway a judge or jury.
I had a JBL that was a very good economy gun, and I currently have two Ocean Rhino’s that are much better, but maybe not really needed for casual use.
I like long guns, the longer the better. To start with they are more powerful, more accurate and of course your closer to the fish with a long gun. I am not a fan of pneumatics.
Guns for free diving are different than ones for scuba, and then there are open water guns that are different too. Some people take fish like big tuna with guns, grouper was what I was usually after, that and hogs.

If you shoot fish, eventually the man in the grey suit will show up, need to mentally prepare yourself for that and do not give him your fish.

Around here, the seals follow you around. Forget about hanging your catch on a belt stringer- by the time you get back to the boat, the bandits will have stolen everything but the heads. As soon as you spear something, hug it to yourself and take it immediately back to the boat!

[HopCar]

The Hawaiian Sling is the only spearfishing tool allowed in the Bahamas. You are also not allowed to use scuba or surface supplied compressed air while spearfishing.

[hd002e]

Dont go spearfishing with scuba. Air hose and rubber bands don't mix.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by HopCar

The Hawaiian Sling is the only spearfishing tool allowed in the Bahamas. You are also not allowed to use scuba or surface supplied compressed air while spearfishing.

Similar regulations in some other places too.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by toddster8

Spearguns always seemed like a ridiculous affectation to me. For grabbing dinner I've just had a Hawaiian sling for the last 40 years. Simple. Effective. Cheap. Sometimes you come across a fish that's so big, you think, "yeah, I could stab that... but then what?" Probably a useful reality check.
BTW, I've heard that the places that ban spear guns mostly also ban Hawaiian slings. So no advantage there.

Reality checks on what you can realistically spear are a good idea. A large muscular, injured and paniced fish at depth is not a good situation.

We used to spear fish a lot on oil rigs in the GOM. Some big fish at depth. Knew one guy who went after a big Jew Fish, got entagled, and was never seen again. Maybe like Captain Ahab he is still riding the depths on that Jew Fish.

[Kalimniosjohn]

I have been building custom spearguns since I was 18. Where will you mostly be using it, and what is the water clarity? Also what type of fish will you be targeting? For example if targeting bottom fish like grouper in dirty water you should get a very short powerful gun. A mid handle gun around 40" is good for that purpose. If you want to blast a big wahoo out in the blue water you need a long gun. Generally 60" is a good bluewater starter size. My personal favorite gun that I use for almost everything is a 52" rear handle teak gun with an enclosed track. It has killed many grouper and snapper and a lot of mahi and a few wahoo as well.

A company called riffe makes a similar line of guns called the Euro. Not knowing your intended hunting grounds makes it hard to give recommendations, but I believe a Riffe Euro in the 100-110 size would be a pretty good solution for general reef spearing.

Also I find that wood guns that are ballasted and balanced properly are superior to most pipe guns.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Reality checks on what you can realistically spear are a good idea. A large muscular, injured and paniced fish at depth is not a good situation.

We used to spear fish a lot on oil rigs in the GOM. Some big fish at depth. Knew one guy who went after a big Jew Fish, got entagled, and was never seen again. Maybe like Captain Ahab he is still riding the depths on that Jew Fish.

Yeah, that's kind of a basic rule: Don't spear something that can swim better (more powerfully) than you. And also don't buy/use equipment that you can't afford to loose. Either to the fish, or to local officialdom.

You also need to budget for your other gear in addition to the speargun. As there are a lot of things which are either super handy/necessities to have, or just wise to have from a safety & common sense perspective.

Plus you'll want to get experienced at both reading, & dealing with ocean currents. So that you don't accidentally get swept away, especially if your attention is focused more on fishing than the ocean. And partners are (or can be) a lot of help in terms of balancing each other out in this respect. Ditto mentors.

[SV THIRD DAY]

https://www.jblspearguns.com/product...num-spearguns/

We have had good success with the JBL Aluminum guns. Good quality/price return and if we got a dollar for every fish we shot the spear gun would be free!

[Bleemus]

Length of the gun is indicative of the range of intended use. The small 24" guns are handy for lobsters but useless for pelagics.


Size Range:

24" Range 6 foot

32" Range 8 foot

36" Range 9 foot

42" Range 10 foot

48" Range 12 foot

54" Range 13 foot

60" Range 15 foot

My go to gun for the South Pacific when targeting larger fish was an AB Biller 54". Fantastic neutrally boyuant gun with a very quiet trigger. http://amzn.to/2y9lTps

Hawaiian sling is a must have for grab and go convenience.

I prefer banded guns over pneumatic. Carry a few replacement bands and you can fix them anywhere. If you are in a country that bans them just dont take them out of the locker.