Polespears and slings

    this is a thread to talk about your quiver of polespears or slings. What do you have, what do you like.


    Homemade slings and spears get extra credit :D


    I have


    1) 6 ft fiberglass "sea hornet" style spear w 6mm shank


    my first spear and my first underwater hunting device- this spear has taken a LOT of fish and taught me a LOT more. if you are using a three prong or a slip tip and you know to wrap the sling, this can be a deadly and effective reef dinner tool.


    2) 8ft Gatku spear w para tip


    This spear is all about speed, it is super easy to dive with, moves really fast side to side and hits hard given the limited draw length...the only thing I dont like about this spear is I cannot power it up extra if the situation demands...the front end will not support a long draw to the tip as a lot of other spears will.


    3) 6 ft Freedivers unlimited CF spear


    This is a great spear except for the 6mm shank. which is fixed into the spear D'oh!! I got this spear for a steal so I wasn't going to bitch about the shank but it is a huge flaw in the design. As a result I will only use this spear with a slip tip which limits it's usfulness a little. this spear hits like a ton of bricks and is a tremendous spear. I 100% recommend the new ones with the removable / replaceable shankl


    4) ray Odor 6ft solid alum spear w 13" shank + 2 ft extension


    I have only used this spear a few times and I got it cos i wanted a spear that broke down so I could keep it on the yak for those days when all the fish are small and you dont want to spend the afternoon reloading. I find it a bit slow but still faster than any gun as far as tracking in the water and it hits really hard in the first 25" which is were most of my shots are taken.




    I also have a sling that I made at the second Blue Wild with Art Pinder's help. I have never used it but I treasure it for it's sentimentality



    pics to follow in a little

    i like to spear fish

    my favorite pole spear that I've used is the Henly, IMO it has the best sliptip that I've ever seen. I also use a sling that I made out of a round piece of wood, I don't have a pic but it's really nothing special. I think the sling shaft is more important I use RA 6.6mm 170 cm coated shafts. I'm planing on making two 12 and 14' polespears with henly sliptips for bluewater and large grouper but haven't had a chance yet.

    Quote from Jareyberrysplash

    my favorite pole spear that I've used is the Henly, IMO it has the best sliptip that I've ever seen. I also use a sling that I made out of a round piece of wood, I don't have a pic but it's really nothing special. I think the sling shaft is more important I use RA 6.6mm 170 cm coated shafts. I'm planing on making two 12 and 14' polespears with henly sliptips for bluewater and large grouper but haven't had a chance yet.


    ive never really used slings, but always wondered why guys don't use ra shafts for them.

    Quote from Slingingsteel

    ive never really used slings, but always wondered why guys don't use ra shafts for them.


    If you mean RA gun shafts I don't use them because the flopper is too long and set too far back and i"m worried that it wont penetrate far enough when shot from a sling. I use RA shafts made for slings. just thought I'd clarify in case you misunderstood.

    6' odor with 30" flopper tip - first spear I bought does the job very well, slower than most but certainly very usable. hits like a freight train so it could take down the biggest of fish( i hit a mac so hard once it traveled the length of the tip, the 5/8" shaft penetrated and the fish stopped at the grip tape)


    7' homemade with paralyzer tip - measures 8'3" total, still working on how to stiffen it. very fast with a 1/2" band. When I let friends borrow my polespears most like this one best.

    Quote from Dan

    LOL just cut the shaft an inch and grind a new point. Why would you want to move it forward?


    That's an option, but it doesn't make much sense unless you have old gun shafts laying around. The RA sling shafts are already designed with lower power sling shooting in mind, and they are cheaper. Having the flopper further forward on a sling shaft compensates for the reduced power generated and increases its ability to deploy. This does however slightly increase the chance a fish will be able to shake the spear by not having a long enough piece sticking out the exit hole for leverage. It's a compromise, but if the flopper is never able to deploy you are more likely to lose the fish entirely than if the fish shakes that shaft after some fighting and holes up. Flopper length also determines how far the shaft must penetrate before deploying and leverage needed to hold in the fish.


    I like the RA 6.6mm shafts in 170 or 180cm length for shooting longer shots on open water type fish or when over hard bar type bottom. For larger groupers and reef hunting I like the thicker 7mm in 160cm length because its more maneuverable in and around holes and more resistant to bending when fighting fish out of holes.

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