20 replies to this topic

[justin_502]

Anyone else around here into spear fishing? I usally go out of Laguna beach, Or if I take my boat out I go launch out of Marina Del Ray and go up to palos verdes and fish in the kelp. Great excersize use a gun or a polespear, never know what you are gonna see down there

[Jason]

I've gone with my brother in law a couple times although I did not do the spearing. He is big time into spear fishing and free diving although my experience with him has been spearfishing on Scuba. I've seen him get some pretty amazing Ling Cod and he's pretty good at it. It looks like a lot of fun but so far I've just enjoyed watching him go after them.

[BullsEye]

I haven't done it yet in California I have the equipment but I have no idea where to go. I have family in Hawaii so thats where I usually spearfish. What kind of gun do you use? My brother has a Rife that he lets me borrow if not I have a couple three prongs.

[moontiger]

I used to spear fish off the Mendicino coast near Jenner but had one to many close calls with the shark population , I also have developed an adversion to cold water

[Jason]

The shark thing is another reason I've not gotten to into it. The brother in law hunts around Monterey and just slides the dead fish onto a stringer he carries around while he swims. The chum attracts all sorts of small fish. It's the big white one that I'm always looking for. I don't worry too much when I'm just scuba diving but when there's a bleeding fish in the water I get nervous.Here's the website for the brother in laws club in Monterey. http://www.montereybaytritons.com/ The guy in the camo wet suit with the large Sheep's Head on the right of the page is my brother in law. They're a pretty social bunch and would be happy to answer anyone's questions and help them get going.

[BullsEye]

I know in tahiti and fiji they have lots of problems with sharks around the atolls. A lot of guys get rubbermaid buckets and bolt them to old body boards. That way it keeps the fish from bleeding in the ocean as much as possible. My brother was out spearfishing when he shot a fish in a cave and when he was pulling it out two sharks were right behind it. He was with some friends and they were trying to get back to shore when 3 more sharks came out to play. They were being circled by five sharks and they had to shoot one cause it was getting to aggressive. When they did that the other sharks started getting aggressive so they swam back as fast as they could. My brother has a picture somewhere of the shark they killed. It was a small one but non the less the 5 sharks where inbetween 2.5 to 6 feet long. That will get your adrenline pumping.

[ShooterJohn]

I saw a Great White up close when I was diving for abalone off Point Reyes when I was a teenager. That was the same day I was attacked by a sea lion for an abalone I had stuck on my wetsuit. I never dove there again. Like they say the third time is the charm.

[mac]

yep, I sold all my diving stuff when I moved back to California -- murky, cold anad big fishes aren't my cup of gin (or is that tea?) --- used to dive and hunt fish when I lived in the Marshall Islands (Kwaj Atoll) and Midway Island -- and , "no", I am not that old to have been involved in the battle of Midway before you guys start in LOL...worked there as a Miltary Contractor engineering the Navy's communiation gear

[Red Dog]

I did it quite a few times off the coast of Santa Barbara when I lived there. It's lots of fun.

[justin_502]

I had a Omer gun but last time we went out my buddy set my gun on the bimini top on my boat, the water was getting ruff had to cut the anchor (was really stuck in the kelp) and get the boat headed back. That was in Palos verdes and launched from marina del ray its about 14 miles of water back! Forgot the gun was on the top and it fell in and got lost.As for sharks we saw a few none that got aggressive but I bought 2 bang sticks one takes a 38mag its on a rod with a ball on the end that you poke the shark and it goes off, the other takes a 30-06 bullet that attaches to your speartip , when you shoot it it goes off. You put nail polish around where the bullet goes into the casing to seal out the water.We get some real big fish out of Laguna, on a clear day you can get 20 feet vis its really nice! Get white sea bass calicos sheephead, can see lotta sand sharks and stingrays that get huge. Soon as the water gets a lil warmer and calms down a bit I cant wait to get back out there. With a polespear for now tho! Mabey ill try the polespear with the 30-06 tip on it!

[justin_502]

Oh and im not one of those guys who wears a stringer on my belt, I made a anchor with a float with a stringer on it, when I get a fish I swimm it to the float and put him on the stringer there. So if there is a shark he can have my fish im gone!

[StrayCat]

I've always had more trouble with the flipping sealions than sharks. Been diving for 25 years or so, it's the best way to get a fish dinner I know of. I like my Biller 48 and have made a rail gun using a Riffe Kit that I use for yellow tail on the back of Catalina. Still working on my first tuna. Right know I battling the bulge so that I can fit back in my wet suit. Later Jc

[jephs422]

I don't dive as much as I used to, but I've been diving for years. I mostly spear fish kelp paddies in the summer for YT and Dorado out of San Diego or Point Loma. We'll fish the paddy, and if no ones home, I'll hop in and see if I can't spear something.

[Jason]

The hard part about scuba spear fishing is that you are not supposed to be going up and down multiple times which would be required to get the fish out of the water. Diving like that can lead to DCS. Free diving works good for spearfishing and you can get the fish onto a boat, kyak, or body board but I like that I can stay down a long time with scuba. I really like night diving.

[Thumper Dunker]

Ive fed koi in my pond you guys are nuts. or im a big chicken.

[keale73]

I use a Hawaiian sling, ususally go 3 or 4 times a year!

[Truckeedan]

We dived New Years Island off the San Mateo coast for about 20 years before the State made it a Great White Shark Park (or is that Elephant Seal Sanctuary?).

[riobuster]

I love it!! I just got back into it after not diving for quite a few years. I introduced my 13y.o. son to the sport and he really likes diving as well. It's rare to have public areas in CA to take him hunting where we can actually see game! but the ocean fills the bill. What's not to like, he gets to swim, hunt, shoot a dangerous weapon and bring home dinner ( if we're lucky). Ok, I guess there is always the risk of drowning or getting eaten but driving there on the winding roads is infinitely more dangerous. We usually dive off the Fort Bragg area.Jim

[socal shooter]

i haven't been in about two years.. but my buddy and i go to laguna beach around seal rock.. haven't speared anything.. everytime we went visibility was at best 10 ft.. one time it was real bad, we were in a cove just heading out prolly about 50 yrds from shore and i look over see my buddy flipping out.. so i follow back to shore and asked wut happened.. he said all of a sudden a huge stingray turned infront of him.. so we hiked the cliffs back to the car andhaven't been back.. i go with my uncle to palos verde and walk down this huge cliff to a pretty big cove and have had some luck there.. even got a couple lobsters out of it.. all free diving would like to get into scuba but cost a lil too much.

[Moe]

I use a Hawaiian sling, ususally go 3 or 4 times a year!

I used to wear a Hawaiian slingshot when I played basketball but I've never spearfished. Are they hard to catch? How do you cook them up?

[Stick'em]

i used to go around catalina but i always ended up with a soar neck from constantly lookin over my shoulder.i watch too much shark week