Fishin Instead of Shootin After a Hurricane

[Spear One]

I know thie vis is near zero for shootin' but the rod and reel fishin' can be incredible for a few days after a storm. If you are going out to get some fish, regardless of the method, make sure you take some fresh bait cause I have seen fish practically chew the bottom of the boat out after a big summer storm.

After hurricane Elena in 1988 we went out to the grounds and ran into the bottom before we saw it, so we sent down some baits and we damm near sunk the 34ft boat we were fishin' on. We left them chewing on the first and only spot we hit that day.

We had a ball and also put a little cash in our pocket and never shot the first fish! We went back out a few days later and couldn't buy a bite. So get-em while they are willing to chew. GO PREPARED for ANYTHING!

[Steel Shootin']

Spear One, glad you found the board! Your experience brings a great asset to this forum.


-------


Scott

[Spear One]

Thanks Scott, glad to be here!

[dlock]

Spear One>>do ya'll tie the blue bands(5/8) with nylon for Riffe guns? I buy your bands from Mac's and I want to go with a single band when shallow water hunting. I used one of the blue bands(w/metal wishbone) for a short time. They worked great, but I knew it wasn't a good idea to keep on using those bands on the Riffe.

[Spear One]

Hi dlock, yes! I can make just about band out of Blue or yellow coated, black & amber out of 5/8" using Riffe bones, steel bones or cable bones.

You can e-mail me the order and I will see to it they get up to the store!
I need your full name & contact info.

[Steel Shootin']

Spear One, when the visability is all messed up, and your plan is to hook n line some starving fish, what is the best method in the worst vis conditions (0-1)? Is it recommend to hang chum right on the bottom to lead them in, or is it enough to use fresh cut (or fresh live) bait?

I use a method for inshore shark fishing that I think would slay the grouper under these conditions. I learned this to be effective from a charter captian buddy. Net some menhadden and keep them fresh by layering them in your cooler with as much ice as possible. Place one on your hook, then using a knife for a couple of slits in the fish. That bait goes out like a calling card to any marine life in the area looking for a meal. It's like a "mini chum block on a hook."

When you guys slayed those fish in the Grounds after Elena, had vis improved at all, or were they chewing like that in silted-out conditions?

[Spear One]

Hi Scott, no the vis was less then two feet during the chew that day. Howerver, the fish chew after a blow, especially a long blow like Elena because their ability to feed normally has been interupted.

When fish are forced to go a long period of time without food, (a couple days) their instinct to feed mechanism kicks in when even the slightest amount of food is presented, and a "feeding frenzy" can be started very easily. Chumming of any type will help get the chew going, but once they start you can quit.

We used frozen sardines and thread herring that day. Live bait was not, and usually is not necessary. They get so hungry, and the competition is so great for the food, they will actually start rising up in the water column to get at the bait first. Sometimes they will get right on the surface.

I have had many 100 plus grouper bites in the northern gulf over the past 15 years, especially in the winter. I have shot my share of grouper, but even the best shooter is never gonna out shoot a rod and reel in the long run.

I shoot because I enjoy it, not because it is the most effective or effecient method of harvest. It burns me up when we get attacked by persons who don't, or simply refuse to understand this.

Good shootin to ya!

[Steel Shootin']

Spear One, great stuff! Thanks for that reply. You got me servicing my tackle today.

[dlock]

Hey Scott>> have you ever tried the 'ole" tie the chumbag to the anchorline" trick? Works pretty good!! Tie it about three feet or so from the anchor and hold on !!!

[dlock]

Spear One>> in your opinion what is the "strongest" band for use as a single...blue 5/8 or the yellow 5/8? I haven't used the yellow before,just saw it in the new Spearfishing Magazine in your ad for the Rhino guns(sweet gun by the way... next on my shopping list!!!)

[Steel Shootin']

dlock, i've never tied it to the anchor line, but I do have a large pvc tube with holes and removable end-caps. It's weighted and will sink right down to the bottom. Just got to manhandle your fish with a meatstick, or it can get wrapped up in the line.

[Spear One]

Hey Dlock, good question. Beleive it or not the biggest difference can be in who manufactured the tubing. There are only two manufactures in the world for latex tubing and they are both in North America.

In fact, there can be a plus or minus 10% tolerance in the diameter of the tubing from batch to batch. Therefore rubber from the same manufacturer can vary greatly each time a band is made based on the batch thickness.

Additionally some band manufacturers grind their bands to a taper before assembling them and others like me straight cut them. If a manufacturer cuts his tubing 24" and then grinds a 1" taper on each end and then pulls the ring up another 1/2" on each end, you really only end up using about 21 inches of the rubber.

I cut my tubing 24" and leave the ends square cut. I then tie back 1/2" on each end. This way we actually use 23" of the tubing. As you can see there are a lot of variables to be dealt with.

I don't think there are a lot of differences between the different kinds or colors of tubing, it really comes down to personal preferences. The most important thing is to try and gain some consistency.

Try to stick with one manufactures design. I try to keep our bands very consistant in length and tie back distance. The yellow tubing we are using is a little more loose or softer in pull than the black and the amber tubing we use. Again, personal preference.

The best advice I can offer you is to learn to tie you own bands! Why? Because this will enable you to make small corrections to the length of you bands if you are not happy with the performance.

You can also make repairs right on the boat if they get cut while shooting under a ledge or wreck. It will also allow you to make fresh bands whenever you need them. Just keep 25ft or so of tubing, some wishbone and some tie material at home and make them fresh when you need them.

Knowing how to make a band is one of the most important things a shooter needs to know how to do. It will save your ass many times and will make you a much better shooter!! Hope this helped.

[dlock]

very interesting Spear One!! I love when I can learn something new. As they say a good diver is always learning!! It seemed to me that the blue bands were thicker than the amber. Lately I've been using amber bands tied by "you" that I got from Mac's. They don't seem to have the same punch that the blue bands had. I'm using the 22" 5/8 ambers on a 48" competition Riffe(C2X). Where would I learn these "tricks of the trade", I would definitely love to learn how. I've always been a "do it your selfer" so I would be all over that!!!

[Spear One]

Hey Dlock, I can teach you how to tie bands. If a few other guys on the forum want to learn, we can get together one night and I will show all of you how to tie. The blue rubber can be a little thicker than the amber sometimes, (remember the 10%).

Also, are you shooting Riffe wishbones or cable bones? If Riffe, I suggest we make the wishbones a little shorter to increase the effeciency of the bands. More rubber, less wishbone, equals better effeciency. The Riffe bones are a little long in my opinion.

[dlock]

That sounds great. I'm sure it wont take much to get a couple more shooters to join in on the lesson. I'm using the (spearfishing specialties)nylon. Would like to learn to tie the metal bones as well since my next gun will be a 56" Rhino commercial. My email is dlock@fishingworks.com. I can email you my cell # as well if needed. Come on guys post up and lets learn to tie our own!!!! Plus it's a great way to meet some of you!! Thanx Spear One