how to set-up a breakaway system?

[zag]

i am new to this side of spearboard and have a question for you offshore guys in north carolina. i am hoping to head your way next summer on a few different occasions and need some information on how to rig guns for bigger fish. i am used to shooting big striped bass up here on long island with a slip tip and reel for fish up to 50lbs. i use a mid handle #b bottom riffe and will obviously need a longer gun for clear waters. how do you rig say an omer gun to use a breakaway and float set up? and what size gun (length) would be most appropriate? and what size (diameter) and number of bands would be good? also what float is adequate? any advice or pictures would be much appreciated.

take it easy,
zach

[Bill McIntyre]

If you do a search for Hawaiian Breakaway, you will get multiple hits on a simple, cheap and foolproof way to rig. Here is one thread.

http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=24849&highlight=Hawaiian+breakaway

[mjacobs]

I like anything between 120 cm and 140 cm with two bands and a 7mm shaft in a euro gun. OMER and Rob Allen are both good choices. In a wood gun I like the 55" Wong hybrid with three bands for reefs and for Mahi, the 63" Wong Ono with four bands for big fish in open water, or the Riffe Island with three bands for pretty much anything. You can always load fewer bands for smaller fish or shorter ranges on the wood guns.

The hard floats in larger sizes distributed by OMER and Rob Allen work fine. Most of the time you will only need one float. The inflatables from Omer, Rob Allen, Aimrite and Riffe are okay, too, since most of your shooting will be over a 140' or less bottom. There is no way for fish to take the float deep enough to collapse it under those circumstances on a 80 to 100 foot bungee float line.

I seldom use a slip tip and have landed AJs to 50 pounds with a single flopper with a lot less hassle. Grouper, Mahi, reef fish and African Pompano don't require a slip tip. If you want to shoot tuna or maybe wahoo you might consider a slip tip, but most of the time I think slip tips are a PITA. Just MHO. I've not found them necessary, but then I have not yet shot a tuna or a wahoo.

Mark

[zag]

wow that is incredably simple...thanks for the response bill.

any reccomendations as far as band power, number of line wraps, or slip tips on euro guns for hunting offshore? how about overall best length for a floatline in hunting depths up to about 70 feet?

i am used to the riffe icepick, but do euro guns perform well with the heavy slip tip on the end of a threaded shaft?

my apologies for all the questions...i really have no other source of information.

thanks again

[splitfish]

As a general rule, you want a floatline that is 1.5 to 2 times longer than you are able to dive. This will allow you to dive without being hindered by your float at the surface. If you dive in areas with strong current (your float is 100 feet behind you) you will only be able to dive 50 to 60 feet before you run into resistence from your float. Its simple trigonometry.
If you are diving 70' deep, I would suggest a 100 to 120' floatline. Two line wraps of shooting line is all you need on a Euro.

www.neptonicsystems.com can set you up with a custom length floatline if you have trouble finding the right length.

[Mattedhead]

Best to leave the slip-tips off of the euro gun...especially one w/ a closed muzzle. The eurogun is easily thrown out of balance w/one and it will affect the accuracy, which is the calling card of most euroguns. They really are not a necessity here. I have one on my BW gun...it is only there for Wahoo and Tuna. I hunt w/ a standard tahitian shaft 95% of the time. The ideal all around gun for the NC coast(offshore) is a 110-120cm gun. It's going to do very well on grouper, cobia, mahi, african pompano, hogs, etc... Many of our best fish off of NC are below 50' and diving w/ a eurogun to depth is much easier. RA's and Rabitechs are good guns, but many of us in the mid-atlantic use OMER. Having Mark right up the road is a real asset, and the customer service is top-notch. Not to mention the equipment is extremely solid. Next time you are in the NC/VA area let me know and if I can't get out I'll find someone who can and more than likely you'll have a chance to try numerous set-ups. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions. If you are looking for OMER gear, several of the SB members are dealers/reps. Try TRIGGERFISH (Matt at SpearfishingGear.com[Ocean City, MD]) or GUTSHOT (Ryan at Cape Fear Waterman[Wilmington, NC])

As for floats: I have several Rob Allen (hard and soft) and an inflatable Omer, plus some smaller homemade rigs.
Floatlines: Geez...um I have several neoprene core, spectra sheath lines that I love for deeper work and especially on grouper. It has no stretch and you can keep a grouper from holing up much easier. I have several pvc lines that we have made that work well, but have a little stretch, I have a 3sigma bungee line for big stuff that I couple w/ one of Mark's 100' Technosport floatlines. This is my latest floatline and I really like it for big fish. It has 25-30% stretch. Your base line should be a minimum of 100' for around here. And maybe a 50'er for inshore. I've been using a reel inshore though.

Hope this helps.

[zag]

thanks a lot matt, i actually work at soundview scuba in new york and we sell the full line of omer equipment which is why i was looking to probably get set up with a longer gun from you guys. you guys are great with customer service and i use a lot of your products up here with success.

i am excited to get down there next year after i get back from school and would like to try and dive the tournament (talking to eddie on the phone got me pumped).

thanks again for all the help,
zach

[Mattedhead]

As much as I'd like to be in the industry, I have no affiliation w/ technosport/omer aside fom being a satisfied customer. I've been diving w/ Mark and the MAFC guys since 2001...great group of guys.