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View Full Version : Barbs being worn down on my paralyzer


ocean_314
07-31-2008, 06:44 PM
A couple of days ago I started to lose a few larger fish that i hit pretty solidly. They where stunned at the time of impact but with a couple of wiggles they came off. I hate to waste a fish.

I noticed that my barbs where worn down on two of the prongs. So before i buy a new tip which paralyzer has the best barbs?

And then if i heat treat the barbs will they last longer, or become brittle? Should i or shouldn't i heat threat the barbs.

Nightcrawler
08-01-2008, 01:40 AM
Depending on how well you heat treat them, they may or may not become brittle. If you're careless about it, its likely that you'll make the barbs too hard, since they will cool faster than the rest of the tip. Even if you're careful, its possible that due to the difference in cooling rates and the presence of a stress riser at the point where the barb connects to the tip that it'll crack in that area when you quench it. Just based on the shape of the barb and tip alone, I'd say dont heat treat them.

SD Waterman
08-01-2008, 10:52 AM
what are you shooting?

stevemc1
08-01-2008, 12:06 PM
I have never used a paralyzer tip with barbs. You just need to jam the fish hard, as soon as you shoot it. Or maybe you need a longer spear and heavier bands.

ocean_314
08-01-2008, 05:34 PM
I am up north and i shoot a limit of 10 rockfish a few striped perch and an occasional lingcod. I average about 13 to 15 fish per dive. Its rough up here so its only calm enough to dive 3 or 4 times a month during the summer patterns.
As far as jamming the fish hard i am shooting 3 lb blues and up to 5 lb blacks rockfish at 20' which is about 5 ' off the bottom so there is no way to jam them hard. I need them to stay on. And i am hitting them hard with double bands.
This tip is on its second season.

azspearo
08-01-2008, 09:02 PM
You need a paralyzer tip that has it's tines close together. Most makers start out with tines that are spread apart too much.
If all the tines don't hit the fish you'll have a harder time keeping your fish. With the tines spread too far apart they don't grip the fish as well as when they are close together.
I have seen tines that are soft and they bend easily and don't grip the fish well.
I'll be coming out with a paralyzer tip in a couple of weeks it will have 3/16"x12" spring steel tines and stainless body and 5/16" or 6mm thread. The points of the tines will be spread apart less then 3/4".
I'll be testing it with 18" tines to see if there is a performance gain over the 12".
Are your tines SS or steel? If you really want a barb you should braze one on yourself. Someone on the Board has done this and has a write up on it.

ocean_314
08-01-2008, 09:21 PM
azspero let me know how they work. I think my tines are stainless they are soft and dont rust. I have a 1 1/2 inch spread on my tines. My tines are not bending and they worked fine until the barbs got worn down.

SnpperWhisperer
08-02-2008, 04:08 AM
I agree with AZSpearo. Get some a nice 3 prong head from Hawaii. Long tines, no barbs, and let it rust so it hold the fish on. Open them out about 1 cm or so.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/reidfish/hs163sm.jpg