String Placement

[LittleGoat]

Where and how do you gents carry your stringers? I'm also curious if you use the "safety pin" or the cable stringers. One last bit would be how do you string them (through the gills, eyes, etc) and why? All answers are good from "That's how I was taught" to a lengthy, logical explanation with citations to scientific articles.

This was just a thought that popped in my head. I've carried a cable type stringer in the past but my parents gave me a "safety pin" one for Christmas last year.

I'll get us started. I have used a homemade cable type with materials I had lyign around. I've always just held onto it in my hand. The cable (paracord actually) was long enough to not interfere with my fins and worked out well enough. The aluminum bar stock that I used for the first part is too wide to go through eyes so I put it through the gills. Threaded from the back to the front for streamlining. I'll include a picture after I get back from spearfishing tomorrow so you can see it.

[LittleGoat]

Oops, I meant the title to be stringer and not string. If an admin comes across this, could you please correct that?

[petrel]

I have both types. I prefer the "safety pin" style, but I think that is just what I am accustomed to. Anything that bites gets it through the gills and out the mouth. Anything else gets it through the eyes. I prefer the through the eyes approach for security and conserving room on the clip.

If I am diving structure, I will keep my clip on a bullet float and use a carabiner and poly line to fasten it onto the structure. If I am in open water, I use a floatline attached to a Mako float, and I attach my clip or stringer to it.

[LAURANCE]

Little Goat, I used to use a line stringer attached to my float and in most cases it's through the eyes (more room on the stringer and a little less blood). But lately I've been running my float line thru the mouth and out the gills so I don't have to be dragging my float to me every time I shoot a fish. I tend to go back & forth depending on the situation. Seawolf prefers to keep his line stringer on his weight belt.

[Nwsportsman]

Has anyone had issues with seals steeling fish off your stringer, Or from your float? We get buzzed by seals every other time were out. My buddy likes to keep his fish out of the water on his float if he can.

[LAURANCE]

Originally Posted by Nwsportsman

Has anyone had issues with seals steeling fish off your stringer, Or from your float? We get buzzed by seals every other time were out. My buddy likes to keep his fish out of the water on his float if he can.

I'm sure it's been known to happen, I have a friend who had a seal take a bite out of his rockfish while it was still on his spear...but again lings will do that also. You can eat lings but not the other guys.
I've had sea lions think about taking my stringer, it was a mexican showdown, only 2-3 feet from me. My stringer was on a crab float and I was holding on to it. He'd stare at me then my stringer, back & forth for a couple minutes then he finally decided it wasn't worth the trouble. If I wasn't directly there he probably would have taken it...but to answer your question, I've never had a seal or sea lion take my stringer. Keeping your catch out of the water does seem like a good idea.

[Samik]

I usually put my stringer on my float. dragging around a few fish really gets akward when I'm hunting deep. although if I'm just poping a few greenling, I'll put them on the belt.

I started with a big clothes-pin string many years ago, but now prefer the cable. much faster and sleeker.

[orspearo666]

i use a hairpin connected to my float. i used to just strap it on my belt but a buddy of mine suggested putting it on my float and ive been doing that ever since. for me its much more comfortable and ive found it also keeps my topside recovery times more consistent. or it could be that im not as stupid as i was in highschool... also, i usually go through the mouth and one gill when im stringing them up.

[Bad Willis]

I have used both but really prefer the cable type attached to my float. Both styles are good and it really comes down to personal preference. I run my cable stringer through the mouth and out the gills, going through the eyes really freaks me out. I don't do eye balls.

A little side tip that has worked great for me while abalone diving/spearfishing in Northern California is to anchor my float when I'm in a productive area. I'll spear a nice greenling and attach it to a carabiner tied about 3'-4' above my anchor. Go hunt and just wait, I've come back and had some really big lingcod just hanging on to that greenling.

I hope this is helpful and post pics of whatever stringer you use, as long as it is full of fish!

[No I'm Josh]

Man, dead fish in the water creeps me out. Aren't there fish that eat people swimming around in our waters? In Tahiti we use home made stringers that we make from broken surf leashes. We attach a big long-line swivel to one end, cut the stringer at an angle then just thread it through the gills and mouth. It fits around your waist and is adjustable and comfortable. In the Tuamotus where the sharks are numerous we NEVER wear fish around our waists.

[North Star]

Sharks do not seem to be a problem inshore where we hunt. I have seen a GWS once on the north reef outside of Newport about 12-15 feet long, and about 75 yards away from me, but he was chasing seals, and I do not think he was interested in the fish on my waist. I immediatly exited the water, however, because I was not going to tempt him.

[No I'm Josh]

With all due respect to the GWS's in our area, I hope to never see one here. In gin-clear water it would be different but having one all of a sudden come within your 10ft of viz... no thanks. I wonder if any other divers have seen them?

[North Star]

I think they are pretty rare, and are mainly just passing through on their north/south migration and do not hang around up here. I don't expect that I will ever see one again. I saw his fin after surfacing; Kathy saw him from the boat as well.

[LittleGoat]

I tried out my "safety pin" stringer this weekend. I think that I prefer the cord one more simply because the paracord made it difficult for fish to swim off. If I had not killed the fish when I put them on the safety pin, they would have swam off with ease. I think that I need to grind the tip of the safety pin to round it to have an easier string. It was certainly easy to get the fish off at the end of the dive though...

I think that I'll give each a couple more trips before I pronounce one being better for me.

[orspearo666]

i havent seen any GWS up here... i have seen one further south in the northern california area. i saw a decent sized salmon shark up here once. and dogfish... lol