IyaDiver
09-30-2004, 10:40 AM
Been close to a year since I last posted.
My spearfishing adventure this year sucks big time. Nothing worthy landed after Febuary this year. Either there are no fish or weather been bad. I know Florida area is at the worst this few months, my place is nothing of that sort but just not very dive able.
As usual, I went to my favourite sea mount. I am beginning to see the pattern now. If the current comes from the bay area, which means it comes from actually deeper water but polluted, chances of seeing a fish is low. If I do see a fish, it is either too deep at 160 feet and more, or I am un-able to get close to it. This side of the sea mount is about 250 feet bottom, everytime I spot a fish and make a chase it simply sounds deep. I never had good success with this current direction.
That last week of February, the current came from the open ocean and hits the shallower bottom of the sea mount which is 175 feet at the most. This is so far the most productive part of the sea mount. Since the bottom is at 175 feet, when I am at 150 feet, I could already see the sandy bottom and could spot dog tooth tuna from a distance if the viz iz decent. At this area, the doggie loves to hoover just 5-10 feet from the bottom. I can almost always spot the white obvious marking on its tail if seen from above.
If I recall correctly, out of 5 dives, only the 3rd and the last 5th dive was productive. Typical of this place, fishes don't hang around the whole day here. It can be barren at times, it can be beautiful at times. My log showed me that at least, late afternoon after 3PM has always been good, if there are fishes there.
There I was on the third dive waiting at 140 feet, trying to save some bottom time. I kept looking down at the sandy bottom at 175 feet, I could see it all white. Some distance away I saw the shape of a doggie, cruising close to the bottom coming below me from my right. I kicked hard to intercept it at about 160 feet, it sensed me coming and it pass below me with a bit of extra acceleration, now it is on my left side and going away. This is why I like this part of the sea mount, no fish can go deeper than the bottom at 175 feet.
I figure I am about 20 feet away from the Doggie and some 10 feet above it. I aimed and fired !! The shaft hit the back of the doggie and my reel was paying out lines. The parachute float was pulled away from its strap but the C02 did not fire !!! Ohh shit, I thought. If that doggie were to swim further down and make a left, it will be at the very place I lost my previous MT3. That side leads to the deeper side of the sea mount. Luck was with me, the doggie made a U turn and head back to an area I called Cul-De-Sac. I have at least another 150 feet distance before it reaches the Cul-Se-Sac and again access the deeper part of the sea mount. The shallow 175 feet part of this sea mount is only a stretch of 200 or so feet of sandy bottom, the rest are the deeper side. The parachute float works well with or without the C02 filling its bladder, its shape slows down the doggie a great deal. It create such a drag, even I can't retrieve it underwater, it is a pain to pull.
My reel was spent like only some 50 or so feet. I need to get to my parachute float at the end of the cable shooting line to see why it didn't fire. This float is only good if the fish swims a bit fast, if the fish slows down, it will collapse since there is no air in the bladder to retain shape. I threw my gun and trailed the reel line to the fish. I was swimming not only with my fins but a lot with my hands pulling on the reel line. I find swimming while pulling along a stout object with our hands is actually less tiring and produced good speed. I came closer and closer to my float and found out that the activation line was entangled on the C02 activator body, no wonder it could not fire. So I manually pulled the activator levers and both C02 fired.
The fish was already too tired from dragging me and the float around a bit, with the expansion of the air bladder of the float, the doggie simply could not fight anymore. The doggie and my gun went to the surface, I stayed below to assist a friend who was fighting with his GT. His reel was already spooled out and he could only do a last resort tactic, wrap his reel line to the rock...:p
He was unlucky as his GT went to the 250 feet side of the sea mount and he himself was already at 120 feet. He has no float, so rocks it is for him as alternative. I told him to check his air, he was all excited because this is his first big GT and he is quite a new spearo for fishes above 20lbs. I could not see where his fish was, it was too deep. We waited a while and managed to pull the fish from the deep. It was not pulling very hard anymore, probably have lost too much blood. The Kevlar reel line really could take abuse on the rocks.
I told him to swim to the surface and I was watching his every move, I don't want him to collapse from over exertion. For some reason, when I don't have a gun on my hand my breathing becomes so relaxed and felt so akwardly calm.
We both made it to the surface, safe & sound.
Here is his Giant Trevaly. I can't find the digital file on it, I only can take photo of the printed photo, so resolution is bad. My scanner is out of action.
My spearfishing adventure this year sucks big time. Nothing worthy landed after Febuary this year. Either there are no fish or weather been bad. I know Florida area is at the worst this few months, my place is nothing of that sort but just not very dive able.
As usual, I went to my favourite sea mount. I am beginning to see the pattern now. If the current comes from the bay area, which means it comes from actually deeper water but polluted, chances of seeing a fish is low. If I do see a fish, it is either too deep at 160 feet and more, or I am un-able to get close to it. This side of the sea mount is about 250 feet bottom, everytime I spot a fish and make a chase it simply sounds deep. I never had good success with this current direction.
That last week of February, the current came from the open ocean and hits the shallower bottom of the sea mount which is 175 feet at the most. This is so far the most productive part of the sea mount. Since the bottom is at 175 feet, when I am at 150 feet, I could already see the sandy bottom and could spot dog tooth tuna from a distance if the viz iz decent. At this area, the doggie loves to hoover just 5-10 feet from the bottom. I can almost always spot the white obvious marking on its tail if seen from above.
If I recall correctly, out of 5 dives, only the 3rd and the last 5th dive was productive. Typical of this place, fishes don't hang around the whole day here. It can be barren at times, it can be beautiful at times. My log showed me that at least, late afternoon after 3PM has always been good, if there are fishes there.
There I was on the third dive waiting at 140 feet, trying to save some bottom time. I kept looking down at the sandy bottom at 175 feet, I could see it all white. Some distance away I saw the shape of a doggie, cruising close to the bottom coming below me from my right. I kicked hard to intercept it at about 160 feet, it sensed me coming and it pass below me with a bit of extra acceleration, now it is on my left side and going away. This is why I like this part of the sea mount, no fish can go deeper than the bottom at 175 feet.
I figure I am about 20 feet away from the Doggie and some 10 feet above it. I aimed and fired !! The shaft hit the back of the doggie and my reel was paying out lines. The parachute float was pulled away from its strap but the C02 did not fire !!! Ohh shit, I thought. If that doggie were to swim further down and make a left, it will be at the very place I lost my previous MT3. That side leads to the deeper side of the sea mount. Luck was with me, the doggie made a U turn and head back to an area I called Cul-De-Sac. I have at least another 150 feet distance before it reaches the Cul-Se-Sac and again access the deeper part of the sea mount. The shallow 175 feet part of this sea mount is only a stretch of 200 or so feet of sandy bottom, the rest are the deeper side. The parachute float works well with or without the C02 filling its bladder, its shape slows down the doggie a great deal. It create such a drag, even I can't retrieve it underwater, it is a pain to pull.
My reel was spent like only some 50 or so feet. I need to get to my parachute float at the end of the cable shooting line to see why it didn't fire. This float is only good if the fish swims a bit fast, if the fish slows down, it will collapse since there is no air in the bladder to retain shape. I threw my gun and trailed the reel line to the fish. I was swimming not only with my fins but a lot with my hands pulling on the reel line. I find swimming while pulling along a stout object with our hands is actually less tiring and produced good speed. I came closer and closer to my float and found out that the activation line was entangled on the C02 activator body, no wonder it could not fire. So I manually pulled the activator levers and both C02 fired.
The fish was already too tired from dragging me and the float around a bit, with the expansion of the air bladder of the float, the doggie simply could not fight anymore. The doggie and my gun went to the surface, I stayed below to assist a friend who was fighting with his GT. His reel was already spooled out and he could only do a last resort tactic, wrap his reel line to the rock...:p
He was unlucky as his GT went to the 250 feet side of the sea mount and he himself was already at 120 feet. He has no float, so rocks it is for him as alternative. I told him to check his air, he was all excited because this is his first big GT and he is quite a new spearo for fishes above 20lbs. I could not see where his fish was, it was too deep. We waited a while and managed to pull the fish from the deep. It was not pulling very hard anymore, probably have lost too much blood. The Kevlar reel line really could take abuse on the rocks.
I told him to swim to the surface and I was watching his every move, I don't want him to collapse from over exertion. For some reason, when I don't have a gun on my hand my breathing becomes so relaxed and felt so akwardly calm.
We both made it to the surface, safe & sound.
Here is his Giant Trevaly. I can't find the digital file on it, I only can take photo of the printed photo, so resolution is bad. My scanner is out of action.