Taking up Spear fishing

[Bruteal]

Hi guys,

Im interested to have a go at spear fishing, but before i do i want to know what the rules are and how to do it safetly.

I know there are certain places where it is against the law to spear fish, and im sure i can find out those places form the DPI website, but my main questions would be;

What gear would i need to take with me apart from the gun and a flag? Is it safe to tow the Yak behind me when i dive, or should i leave it anchored with a flag and tow a small float with another flag on it?
What should i look for when buying the spear gun? any particular brands?
Anything else you guys can Add to this would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!!!

[Dodge]

check this mate viewforum.php?f=27

[Bruteal]

Thanks Dodge plenty of info here!!!

[Shoota]

If your looking at getting a speargun there are plenty of players on the market, it depends what you want it for.

The most well known brand in Aussie due to sheer marketing for spearos is Rob Allen Spearguns.

You will find South African Guns work well here and can inude brands like Rabitech, Superfrog ( hybrid Aussie/ South African Brand) , Rob Allen etc

Euro guns usually have smaller diameter shafts eg Beachat (french) , Omer ( itally).

Yank guns like Riffe are popular and there are a huge number of brands in the US.

Questions you need to ask yourself

Reef or open water gun?

Wood, Aluminium or Carbon gun?

Size ?

Spear diameter ?

Very important is how does it feel to handle ?

Aluminum guns are great for starters, anything around 1.1 - 1.2 metre will keep you out of trouble, shaft size around 6.5 or 7.0 will do good size dinner table fish, running 10 metre line to a medium size float with dive flag, open or closed muzzle it's very much a personal thing. Rubbers, I'd go with single rubber to start with eg 18 mm.

Important , spend heaps of time sorting out dive fins and make sure they fit properly, the spearfishing shop in Wollongong was where I purchased my gear and the shop owner as eccentric as he is was dedicated and passionate to the sport and spent hours fitting me out making sure every thing was just right ( best customer service I've ever had) . I live in Newcastle and would happily drive all the way back to Wollongong to buy gear from him.

Hope this helps

Shoota

[RedPhoenix]

Sounds a bit boring Bruteal, but it'd be worth having a go with a hand spear first.

You'd be amazed at how much hand-spearing teaches you about fish behaviour, ambushing, silent stalking, and breath-conservation.

Fair enough, your range of species is pretty small to start with, but jeez it sets you up well for later on down the track.

As Shoota mentions though; start with a good pair of flippers, and a great snorkel. 6 years ago, I'd also be recommending professional mask fitting, but jeez they've come up in average quality lately.. the silicon is awesome; so you might get away with an off-the shelf cheapie to start with.

Clear water has arrived in the bay at last, so places like Peel could be a viable starting point. If not, north moreton around yellow-patch is a reasonable spot, so I've heard, around tide change.

I've just made it back from 10 days up at the Keppels, where we speared just enough for dinner each day; great fun.

Red.

[Barrabundy]

Any updates bruteal?

Have you given it a go? If so, first impressions? What gear did you end up buying? Where have you been? Success to date?

[RedPhoenix]

Con's got the bug.

I have a spear ready for next time you're down.

Red.

[Junglefisher]

I'm hanging out for winter so the near shore visibility improves here and I can go play with the sharks, rays and crocs.
Or getting out to the Keppels.

[Pookie]

I have been spearing for 7-8yrs and no other form of fishing compares.


My advice is, if you are seriously keen to get involved, buy the best gear you can afford.

starting with a high quality silicon mask, $80-$140 just for the mask is a good range, i have found black silicon to work better than clear.


Next is the gun. Me and 2 mates started at the same time. They both bought sea hornet tourists, I got myself a omer excalibur 2000. It was just over twice the price but i still have it. Same clips, same shaft, only replaced the rubber. Theirs lasted all of 6 months.
I also have a rob allen that i cant fault.


A sharp knife is also important. My first knife, a very cheap land and sea had more chance of infecting the fish with hepatits than subduing them quickly. a quality knife with a quality SS blade is a must. I have been caught up in my tow line before, luckily enough the fish wasnt big enough to pull me under but this does happen.


Like you already mentioned, a float/flag is a good option. Bigger and brighter the better. A mate just used a white boat fender, next thing a skipper not paying too much attention came past and picked up his float and gun while diving off SWR and his tow line was only 10m long. The bigger and brighter your float is the easier it is for others to see. If you intend on diving blue water, very very important one a bit of chop starts.


Lastly, if possible, most important is a dive buddy. too many stories of shallow water blackouts (swb)


a good accessorie but not nessessary is a decent wetsuit. I use a beachet suit that cost me almost $500. It is a pain to put on but the flexibility and warmth is awesome.



Unsure how a kayak would go used as a float. would be fine in calm conditions. would be no good in significant current, swell and near the rocks..

thats covered a few points which i think are most important with diving

[Junglefisher]

I've towed my kayak (Revo) arouns with me before, ikt's bloody hard work and even harder when the wind gets up. But the upside is, you have your kayak right there when you come up.

[Barrabundy]

I've only ever tried it once in my life and that was in about 1984 when I was much much fitter.

I just spent a day with the family snorkelling at Bowen on the weekend and we all had a ball. The fact that I could see coral trout swimming around in front of me must have had something to do with it. Spearfishing was prohibited where we were but the thought of hunting down a particular fish and spearing it kind of appealed to me. I could think of less healthy pursuits too.

Realistically it's probably not something that I'd be able to do very often so wouldn't really want to go all out on the gear, it's just another activity to fund when I baulk at funding the kayak fishing as it is. At least with the kayak fishing I can go out every morning before work during summer if I want, I'd need to travel some distance to access decent spearfishing places I'd think.

[RedPhoenix]

Or getting out to the Keppels.

Give me a yell before you head out. I have a bit of under-water intel on potential locations.

Red.

[Barrabundy]

I just noticed when this thread started and am guessing I'm not going to hear from bruteal.

[MrQ]

Is there anything stopping you presenting a bit of bait on a hook while snorkelling or scuba diving and then fishing from a hand line? not technically spear fishing or land fishing but you would be putting the bait in the best possible position i reckon.

is there any law against this?

[Barrabundy]

Is there anything stopping you presenting a bit of bait on a hook while snorkelling or scuba diving and then fishing from a hand line? not technically spear fishing or land fishing but you would be putting the bait in the best possible position i reckon.

is there any law against this?

That thought crossed my mind when we had my son following us around with the kayak which had fishing gear on it, the thought of grabbing some leader with an sp attached DID cross my mind but so did the thought that there were 4 of us swimming around in close proximity.