Spear gun advice please.
 

Just found out one of my a team crew has had an electric Hookah in his garage for years.......Coulda` been buggin`

2 lines @ 100 ft ea.

Now I want a spear gun for grouper `n such.

I understand that Mahogany is preferred because of neutral buoyancy and sound deadening. Correct me if you sea any errors in my thinking.

Two bands are better than one?

JBL make a good product?

Cheers,
GFS

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

Sandy,
I've got a JBL mahogany gun and it's nice. 36" spear and three bands. Very simple mechanism and good safety. I've killed a few grouper with it. Only thing I would do different is go to the next bigger size.

One thing about the neutral bouyancy; it's nice when swimming around on the hunt, but once you fire it, the gun wants to float. Not a problem, just something to be aware of.
Dave

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

Thanks Dave,

I called Fl. Free divers today and got quite the edjamacation.

Can you use jaxed mash for spearguns?

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

for what its worth, i have a friend up here who makes spear guns. he too uses mahogany. he swears its easy as pie. i have an extensive wood shop and i've been trying to get him over to whore out my tools in return for some shooting time and to see how its done.

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

Free divers will tell you that the bubbles scuba guys blow scare away fish. I know I see a look more fish free diving than I ever did on scuba. On the gun, JBL is not a gun I see the winners at the spearfishing touraments holding. Most of the time its a european rig with double bands. THe euorpean shafts don't have a replaceable tip so its only 7mm in diameter and passes through the fish like butter. Most of the time I heard the shaft drop the the rocks after it passes through the fish. Check out a forum called the Spearboard. They have forum for most regional areas.

Tom

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

mr gofast

wat iz "edjamacation" dat sound lik something mr finster does while he reads da sears catalog ha ha

my cuzin Hector make his frog gig wit ole rake handal.
U needs to git one cuz it fit under the rock.
bye sam

http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs...og1-727394.jpg

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

Beuchat Marlin 95 sp any good?

Rob Allen? Is it the bomb?

Anyone hear of Ultimate made here in WPB?

I know jack about this as evidenced by Sam`s advice. :D

Always sticky,
GFS

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

dito.

Check out spearboard.

I bought a rob allen 110/120 as my first spear gun 5 years ago at Florida free divers and have used it ever since...great gun to start with and don't feel the need to move up (not that there is much room to move up)... couldn't ask for more.

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

I just hope you don't hurt yourself with the damn thing, spearguns are serious McKay

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

Thanks gang!

Ask of the pirates and ye shall receive.

CSC Rules!

gfs

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

If you had any gonads you would just wrestle those
grouper outa the hole!! :eek:
It's real easy. Feet on the bottom both hands
go in either side of the hole and grab them by their gills!!
:eek: :D ;)

Don't worry Sandy when I come down you will get a 101
on hole snatchin'....

See ya, Ken

PS: Have to be three miles out to use the spear in the Keys,
which puts you over the edge in most places.

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

They just look at me as if I were a Canape. Very unsettling.

Bushwacker floored me. A big bug was sharing its lair with a large Moray. He tickled the Moray out and got the bug.

Thanks for the heads up on the Regs. Up here for Permit you can go out 3 mi. and shoot, but must run back in without stopping. It`s getting a little wacky.

Cheers,
GFS

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

JBLs are solid, bullet proofly durable guns, "relatively" inexpensive, but loud if you use a line. There are much better, quieter, more accurate guns out there, for lots more $. Personally I prefer a sling, but it takes a lot of practice to maintain accuracy. Much better for freediving in 50 ft or less because of the lower drag. For hookah use in S Florida, you don't need a big gun for the size of fish you will shoot, but a bigger gun gives much greater range. Get something that can shoot a 5 ft shaft, around a 100 cm gun, and shoot it free shaft, no line. For your use, as I understand it, a JBL of the right size would be a good choice. You will quickly get used to slipping your arm through the rubber bands while chasing a fish after a shoot. The gun is then secure and behind you, out of the way.

Rob Allens are good guns.

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

Your right Connor...
I love the Hawaiian sling as well!!! :o
It does take a little getting used to though!

See ya, Ken

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

Thanks Connor,

Went to Fl. free divers yesterday for lunch time and cookies.

Their gunsmith Kyle explained the pros and cons of different designs and features.

He shared a buggin tip. They come inside after storms.

Rob Allen gets the nod. 90-110 2 band.

Is it legal to make condos?

Cheers,
BugMan

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

Are you going freediving or SCUBA? What depth? From the sound of it I'm guessing freediving in 20-35'? If so I would go with a Mako Predator Pro 100-110(about $220 new from Mako), with twin 16mm bands. My friend and I both own one and they are excellent guns. They are a newer company but their customer service is top notch. Their guns also come with a 3 year cover-all(to include accidents/negligence) warranty. Because they are a newer company they price a lot of their products cheaper than their competition. So what you get is an awesome product at a very inexpensive price. Rob Allens are also very good guns.

Also as someone has already mentioned, what ClassicSeaCraft.com is to SeaCraft boats, Spearboard.com and Spearfishingplanet.com are to spearfishing. There is a huge wealth of information on both sites.

I wish you well in your Spearfishing endeavors, just be warned it's addictive! Spearfishing is the reason I am buying a boat, hah!

(PS - most guns are designed to be neutral when the shaft is loaded and buoyant after the shaft is fired)

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

Thanks Max,

We will be on the hookah. 30 ft max probably. Just picked it up from Jesse. Regs look nice and clean.

Had not heard of Mako and called them today. When looking at the R A rails I thought that you would only need a slot for the shark fin to pass through. My old wing shooting mind told me this. I like the extra contact area.

Max, do you feel this is a benefit?

I checked out Spearboard the past few days and joined today.

Has anyone shot both the Mako and R A guns?

Is it legal to build bug condos? I am not a G.C.

Thx,
GFS

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

yes it's illegal to build bug condos. Rob Allen and Mako both make nice guns...i'd get a 110 with two bands, can still use one band one handed with a reverse grip and shoot in holes...so it's not too long.

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

Bugs in the Hood.... :eek: [img]/forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] ;)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y27...Picture098.jpg

See ya, Ken

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

last week 70' of water off Sebastian. You'll see it @ the 3 min mark. Diver had camera mounted on the spear gun.

This is why I don't dive!!! I'm a Puss :o

Great White Shark

Re: Spear gun advice please.
 

When you see 6 ft.,, heads, I vibrate. Much like my "rudder" adjustments. This time I may be the bait.

Cheers,
GFS