Couple dumb newbie questions

[Warnberg]

First let me start off by saying I have never been spearfishing. I have been reading up on it and have been asked a couple times now to go, so I am thinking about taking up the sport. I have been diving now for 3 seasons so I am comfortable in the water.

First question, what would you recommend for a first gun? I will be diving mostly in the gulf in the Tampa Area, in 20' to 60' of water hunting hog snapper, grouper, etc.... I have been looking at the new ocean rhino but not sure what length. Do you have any suggestions? or would you recommend a different gun?

Second question, how do you determine a legal length fish? I.E. you see a gag grouper, in the gulf the legal length is 22", how do you determine if the fish is legal or not?

Thanks,

Dave

[Aimrite Tko]

Get an Aimrite haha, um for determining fish if it looks too small most likely it is.

[Warnberg]

That brings up a good point.... how do you practice with your spear gun?

[1shot2kills]

Mako..RA..Aimrite..Rabi..HH..any of these will do.You'll start developing an eye for sizing fish the more you go out

[Chad Carney]

Dave,

Just a gut feeling, but I'm guessing you're a scuba spearo, so an Ocean Rhino 4 (48") or even better a 5 (52") would be great way to go for the west coast of FL.

Aimrite, RA & Rabitech are dominantly freediver guns.

There's no substitute for experience when it comes to spearfishing knowledge... as in knowing what gag grouper is legal when it's 12 feet away and leaving PDQ... but training can give you a big edge.

Chad

[calihiflo]

When you get whatever gun it is you decide on, make some visible marks along the side measured from one end at intervals that correspond with the minimum sizes for common fish in your area. Then when you get in the water drop the gun to the bottom or hang it from the side of the boat and look at it from distance (6' 12' etc.) so you have an idea of what (say 22" for your min. gag) looks like when you're at a given distance in the water

[ryno]

i just got the new ocean rhino rx4...and love it. give kevin a call if you have any questions.

get the new gun and practice, practice, practice.

if a fish looks questionable in size, let it go. it's too small.

[tuffstuff]

I would go for a 52 rhino if you are on scuba...you can never have too much power

[Craig Winnerman]

I put a piece of electrical tape on my gun 22" from the butt to use as reference.

[FishDie]

Originally Posted by Chad Carney

Dave,

Just a gut feeling, but I'm guessing you're a scuba spearo, so an Ocean Rhino 4 (48") or even better a 5 (52") would be great way to go for the west coast of FL.

Aimrite, RA & Rabitech are dominantly freediver guns.

There's no substitute for experience when it comes to spearfishing knowledge... as in knowing what gag grouper is legal when it's 12 feet away and leaving PDQ... but training can give you a big edge.

Chad

If you're just starting out a used 48-inch Biller or Sea Hornet will be great for you. Once you know you're sticking to the sport then you'll have a better idea of what you'll want when you upgrade to a larger gun that will give you more power and length of shot. Good luck!

[captron]

If it is not big do not shoot it. jest have fun.
Ron

[Jonah]

Your gun choice is a function of budget and arm strength. After a fourth shot on the third dive cocking a 60" gun's not easy. A 48" can kill most of what you'll find. It's a compromise but a good start.

Fish size is tough. Using a paint pen I paint a few measurement markers on my gun. I find it's useful for a frame of reference and to adjust my eyes to the water magnification. It does garner a few wise cracks on the boat. ("Hey how do you get the fish to lay up beside the gun?"

[kmoose]

Go cheap and used until you figure out if this is the sport for you. You can tie up alot of money in gear just to find out you don't like it. One compulsery peice of equipment I recommed to new spearfisherpeople is a simple pole spear. The skills you will aquire by using one is invaluable.

As far as practice and size determination go, I would start with fish that have short size limits like grunts and porgy. They are relatively easy to shoot and good to eat. This way you are improving your stalking skills while easily staying within the limits of the law. It will also allow you to judge fish size and behaviour better.

One final observation that is often looked over is the value of observation and deception. On most popular spots grouper are conditioned to flee at the first sight of a diver. This requires the shooter to implore mad skills to take home a seasoned advarsary. If you hit the bottom shooting grunts and porgies, the bigger fish will notice you are not targeting them and become complacent and even interested to what you are doing. You will soon find larger fish right next to you in an area even the most seasoned veterans would never think to look. Good luck and have fun!

[Warnberg]

Well I found a 48" AB Biller cheap so I bought it, gun is like new. So next questions... What is the range on this gun? There is an 18 foot trident sea spring coiled lanyard on it, should I use that or should I go to the stock cord (came with it) or free shaft?
Second question when loading should I use both bands or just one?

Thanks

Dave

[smilinmatt]

Lots of variables here, so let's eliminate a few:

Coil lanyard: Toss it in the trash. You'll lose more fish when it folds onto itself and stops the shaft. Either go with the stock lineshaft, or rig the Biller with the "Speedload" kit from Ocean Rhino. It lets you quickly change from freeshafting to lineshafting, and it lets you reload a little faster than the stock setup.

Freeshaft/lineshaft: You'll probably want to start with lineshafting until you get the hang of it. If you're lineshafting, the effective range is around 6-8 feet from the end of the gun. If you're freeshafting, the range is closer to 10'.

There's all kinds of band configurations. If you have stock 9/16 bands, you'll probably need both bands whether you're freeshafting or lineshafting. Two 5/8 bands are good for lineshafting, and a single tight 5/8 is good for freeshafting. After you get some use out of it, you'll find what works best for you.