Hunting Technique

[PV_Spearo]

Hey guys,
I copied this from a post I made to picassoamerica's forum.
http://picassoamerica.com/forum/index.php
Didnt get any reponses there so I thought i'd give you guys a try:

I was wondering if you guys had any personal techniques to your aspetto diving when reef hunting.

I was thinking about where you position yourself....behind a rock, in a crack, on top of a rock, outside the reef in the sand, etc..?

I was also wondering if you guys like to do anything to attract the fish, such as grunting, scratching rocks, throwing sand, etc.
Obviously each fish species will react differently to each method, so i was wondering which fish respond well/not well for each method.

Thanks,
Brandon

[Chad Carney]

Brandon,

Unfortunately the visibility on the west coast of FL is often less than we would like, 10 to 15 feet, so lots of times we can't see the rocks from the surface. Freediving really stinks when it's like that and the tides are ripping too. So it's a matter of continually moving slowly to find a hot spot. Then hopefully I can find it again by surface positioning. When ever possible I like to come in from the sand and ease into the reef. If I hit it wrong, sometimes I'll head back out and move parallel to the reef and wait for a grouper or a snapper to come back into it. I've tried sitting totally still for as long as I can, but the big fish never seem to come around, and I don't want the little ones. In the spring and the fall it's better and we freedive most when we can see at least the dark spots from above.
Occasionally in the FL Keys or east coast where it's clear I have done well by following fish from above for a long time to learn their patterns and holes, never threatening them until I feel that I know where they will go before they move. Sometimes I can get them to hole up while I dive outside their view and shoot before they wise up.

Chad

[So Cal Divin]

WOW

The child prodigy asking a tech question !
Only kidding. I look forward to your posts and meeting you someday. You've got so many adventures and experience in you that most of us will never have.

I also dig your new avatar. Big fish vs. the Shadow Hunter.
By the way what does aspetto mean ?
Is it a fancy word for freediving while hunting ?
Good luck with your question I will be checking back to learn the tricks of the trade.
If your not learning something new every day your lazy or just plain dumb.

Jeff

[Freedro]

Brandon,

I hardly feel qualified to offer any advice to you. The reef techniques I use may sound somewhat like a combo of what Chad and Bucket do. I don't like to spend a lot of time lying on the bottom waiting for something to come along. I like to actively hunt the reef. I like to look for big bouldery areas of the reef and swim in just off the bottom gazing in and up. As I approach closer, I work up the sides and try to peek strategically over the boulder tops into adjacent canyons. Rather than tapping, strumming, or tossing sand, I like to sneak in as silently and stealthily as possible, using the reef for cover as much as possible. This is a pretty good way to drop into a fish's "blind spot" for the stone shot as they will often be facing out from the reef hanging out at the entrance to their hole. When the current is running a little stronger, and the fish are holding tighter I use a different technique where I "push" the canyons along the bottom, like driving cattle or hunting pheasants with dogs. When the fish swim away in front, they'll almost invariably dodge around a boulder or down a side canyon. Then it's just a matter of closing the distance around the other side of the rock to cut them off or popping over the top to ambush them. If they "flush" out over the sides, then it's just like shooting pheasants coming up. Don't know if any of this offers you anything new. Hope some of it helps.

Eric

[PV_Spearo]

Thanks guys!!! I know the basics of the aspetto techniques, but i was wondering any specifics on certain techniques epeccially for grouper and snapper. I might go to Baja sometime soon, so I'm just trying to get that edge, a step up from what I usually do.
I usually hit the bottom at the edge of the reef, where the rocks hit the sand. I then wait for a while, and start throwing sand. Usually I'll start seeing the quality fish with 40 seconds to a minute on the bottom, but sometimes the fish dont come in until after 1 min 30 seconds on the bottom. This requires 2 and a half minute dives,and there are only a ceartain amount of these dives I can pump out per day, not to mention i need at least 4 min on the surface afterwards.
It's not like I'm complaining about not getting fish, I was just wondering if you guys knew any other "secret" techniques to draw the fish in FASTER.

I know that at the spots I go to, for big grouper, cabrilla and snapper in mexico, aspetto is BY FAR the best technique to use. Anything else will just give you small fish sightings, or a glimpse of a big tail!!!

[Bill McIntyre]

I love this discussion, even if it doesn't apply to me.

Its tough to do aspetto if you have to turn around and start up as soon as you hit the bottom. Well, actually, I guess I can do aspetto as long as its not over 15 feet deep.

Of course I can do 2 1/2 minute dives just like Brandon if I have to. The only problem is that I won't come up;)

[PV_Spearo]

Cmon Bill give yourself more credit than that!!

I remember seeing you at Farnsworth last Fall, when the yellows were deep, diving to 50 ft!!!
I'm sure you dont like to admit that though!!!

Brandon

[Spearo_Fla]

Brandon- good thread. Problem is there is so many different techniques that so many use. Sometimes one works while sometimes another seems to do better.

In general, when setting up on a reef or a patch a diver (freediver) should evaluate the area before he starts to sling away. After getting a feel of the area, laying on the bottom will produce results just in itself. All the techniques you mentioned are good techniques for snapper and hogs, but I have not taken a grouper the same way. Maybe because most the grouper off of SE Florida are wise to these techniques. Groupers take the element of surprise, dropping from above or slow stalking techniques.

Mangos usually hang in schools, muttons mostly are loners, dogs and schoolies are usually in and out of reef holes. Last weekend I saw a mango in some concrete he was dodging in and out. I went about 20 ft away behind a piece of concrete and just dropped my profile low behind it. He couldn't stand it and came out to take a peek. Where he wouldn't have even came close enough for a shot, now he swam right up to the end of my shaft.

Learning how fish move and react is all part of being a better stalker. Knowing to pick of the biggest in a school of snapper will result in more fish. Throwing sand, grinding dead coral, grunting all good techniques. Another is to use a lobster! Snapper and Grouper love lobster as much as we do!

[chasintail]

Ok guys,rookie freediver on deck.What the hell does aspetto mean?????

[Bill McIntyre]

Originally posted by chasintail
Ok guys,rookie freediver on deck.What the hell does aspetto mean?????

Its just something freedivers say to make them seem like they are sophisticated and speak in tongues:)

I can't give you the direct translation from Italian, but basically it means to lay there still on the bottom and ambush the fish.

[frogman]

Aspetto is the technique where you land on the bottom, lay motionless, preferably hiding behind some type of obstruction and waiting. Actually, I think "aspetto" means "waiting" in italian. The fish will come to see what's going on as they don't feel threatened. This technique has been developed in Europe for finicky fish like the dentex and sea bass. It requires good set of lungs and discipline to stay put. it's a fun way to get fish and if applied right, very rewarding..
As far as the "stalking" techniques that previous posts mentioned will work for certain fish but not for the extremely "nervous" ones like big muttons. I think that fish know we are there regardless what we do "to be silent" but we use their natural curiosity to our advantage. Aspetto capitalizes on this...

[Bill McIntyre]

Originally posted by PV_Spearo
Cmon Bill give yourself more credit than that!!
I remember seeing you at Farnsworth last Fall, when the yellows were deep, diving to 50 ft!!!
Brandon

That may be true, but you sure didn't see me staying there very long, did you?

[chasintail]

Originally posted by frogman
Aspetto is the technique where you land on the bottom, lay motionless, preferably hiding behind some type of obstruction and waiting. Actually, I think "aspetto" means "waiting" in italian. The fish will come to see what's going on as they don't feel threatened. This technique has been developed in Europe for finicky fish like the dentex and sea bass. It requires good set of lungs and discipline to stay put. it's a fun way to get fish and if applied right, very rewarding..
As far as the "stalking" techniques that previous posts mentioned will work for certain fish but not for the extremely "nervous" ones like big muttons. I think that fish know we are there regardless what we do "to be silent" but we use their natural curiosity to our advantage. Aspetto capitalizes on this...


Thanks guys,
I'll have to try it next time I go to the keys.I played hell a couple of years ago trying to shoot some big muttons off of Marathon Key on scuba.Hopefully I'll have better luck freediving.

[Spearo_Fla]

In response to Frogman - my technicques I listed in my previous post does not work for mutton.

"I am the mutton man,mutton man" or so I have been called - here is the technique to secure a fat mutton. Mutton round here can be found almost anywhere on the reef but not near ledges or structure holding fish. Mostly away in the open areas. How do you get them? While sinking in your freedive mode, don't move a muscle other then to arch your back the last 15 feet from the bottom. Trying to not move do a 360, if a mutton was within 25 ft. he will be following you, but as soon as you look at him or start to move he is going to turn around and start to swim away. So you have to get him in close before you pursue. There you have it, I can pretty much tell my dive partner that this is a good depth and knowing the current can drop and predict a 50% chance of seeing a mutton.

[Erik Sun]

OK, so i went out today and b/c of this post i field tested the techniques!!!

Aspetto:
Was not in a good area to throw sand really but I did a couple times. Mainly did two things: scratch dead coral and rocks.

For the majority of the time, I had my 130 cm Apex in one hand and a rock in the other. 30 ft, close to bottom on a reef (damn I wish I had booties) for rocky entrance/exit as well as urchin spikes!. With the latter technique, I brought in a million zillion different types of perch, rockfish(a few), goats, opaleye. The calicos and sandies stayed clear and I wish I had a 60-80 cm gun to just pop some fish that were literally 2 feet away from me (but close to rocks).

Yes, the 130cm was hard to maneuver and track the fish and it was slow tracking BECAUSE I had a rock in one hand. It would be no prob if I had two hands to work with.

Still waiting for my 110 to come in :)

The rock scratching was better than the coral, though I was able to bring in a total of ~~ 20 goats in my ~~2 hour dive. I got one around 3:40pm (sundown at 5:00 or so) and decided not to shoot any more. Had a nice approach (agguato) on a small school of rockfish, and had the opportunity to skewer 3 in one shot. But, I felt like I wouldn't eat them all so I let them live. Yes, Erik the Merciful.


Aguatto: from my experience, seems like you can't really use aspetto on the calicos and sand bass, but rather need to cover lots of ground and ambush and just keep a low profile and don't spook them with sudden movements (as this will scare these already-spooky fish).

Water temp: 60degrees.


Calicos are sensitive to the sounds and movements of the freediver. Show any interest in them...and they vanish!

hahahaa:
http://www.4oursite.com/Freedive/Z_Spearfishinhg_Video_Dreams3.htm

[promethean_spar]

Even better than clacking rocks together, use a rock or dive knife to crush an urchin. All the fish know the sound of an urchin being smashed and they'll come running doubletime. Then other fish will hear those fish crunching up the urchin and fighting over the goodies...

[SeaBass]

in the bahamas, the fish are very spooky. to coax them off the reef, ill drop down with alot of weight and sit on the bottum, scratching the coral with my sling, and then the fish get closer. Also shoot a lobster and crack its shell. drop it in some sand near a ledge, breathe up, and watch the snapper/grouper/mutton go after it. While doing lots of lobstering, tons of hogfish and yellowtail snapper swarm the hole's after several lobster are taken and we sometimes come up with a pole spear with a lobster, then hogfish, then 2 more lobster. Throw the sea food shish-kabob on the boat, grap another pole, and continue until the hole is clean. The water is too shallow for a vertical approach on the mutton, so to get close to the big muttons (hawaiian slings dont have much range) we would dive for conch earlier in the day, crack em, clean em, and get a chum bag full of conch slop. When diving down, we would drop the conch slop just outside the coral head on the sand, and the big muttons would swim off the grass and start eating, and that is when you can get real close.

[PV_Spearo]

Chumming.....................C'mon guys, you've got to have some better techniques than that.

Besides, it's not allowed in Competition.

Brandon

[SeaBass]

One technique i use in shallow water is to drop the diver off a few hundred feet away from the coral head. He then swims onto the reef, and waits while the boat circles around the structure's perimeter. This spooks all the fish in the sand and grass onto the reef structure, while the hunter drops down and waits, hiding behind a rock or sea fan. I used this in the bahama's very effectively. The big hogfish and mutton always hang out in the grass and sand outside the reef, and when they get scared they go to it for protection.

[Powerhead]

PV_Spearo,

Here's a good way to bring fish in no matter where your diving.

First call that friend who's always asking to go diving but dosen't really shoot to good.

When you get to each spot weather it be by swimming from shore or by boat, point out a small fish and tell him to shoot it.

Then sit back and pick out the big fish that you want to take.

Because we all know the easiest way to draw in the big one is to shoot the first fish on any spot.

Or if your diving alone bring 2 guns. Shoot a smaller keeper fish and either leave it on the bottom or if you have a reel & float, clip your first gun to the float and bring the fish (still alive) about five feet off the bottom.

That'll bring in those pesky muttons every time.

[Spearo_Fla]

PV-Commerical Chum isn't allowed in comps. but burleying is..that is you have to shoot your own chum while in the water then cut it up yourself.

[PV_Spearo]

In our local comps, any kind of chum or burley is not permitted.

[Erik Sun]

Originally posted by Powerhead

Or if your diving alone bring 2 guns. Shoot a smaller keeper fish and either leave it on the bottom or if you have a reel & float, clip your first gun to the float and bring the fish (still alive) about five feet off the bottom.

That'll bring in those pesky muttons every time.

two guns is rather hard to manage. at least it would be for me. I'm sure if I had two i'd lose one for sure. I'd end up drifting down and losing my place =(

i'll throw more sand tomorrow when I go to see the effects of it vs scratching.
I'll try and think of some erroneous/stupid tactics for ya brandon :D

Erik