Speargun reel, which to use?

You're asking about a reel but I'm compelled to say this, use a float line and float/flag. It's a simpler safer system, especially for beginners.

You can have shooting line between the spear and the reel line, or you can connect the reel line directly to the spear, it's user preference. I prefer an open muzzle, it's faster to load and for me is easier to aim.

If you're going to use a reel with a railgun, the Speardiver composite speargun reel is a good choice. One of its main advantages being that once you set the drag it stays set after the shot. Most other composite reels go into free spool.

It all depends on how you dive. If you are going to beach-dive, I totally suggest using a float, rope and flag. But if you are diving from a boat then a reel is definitely the way to go. Less things to deal with while in the water. Reels are very effective when dealing with large strong fighting fish (except tunas and such) and they offer less drag than a float+stringer+fish+rope etc... I've tried both ways and I can't see myself using a float and line again. Unless I have too many guns and I couldn't afford reels for all of them, then I would use the float and line system. I like simplicity, getting in and out of the water is much faster when using a reel and it doesn't take up a lot of space in the closet or on the boat. There is people that use both, the reel and the float and line. It is in part a matter of opinion or personal preference. I suggest you go diving with people that use both and try each system. It is the only way you will know for sure what works best for you. As far as how reels work is simple. They attach to the underside of the barrel as close to the handle as possible. The line in the reel attaches to the one end of the mono/shooting line and the other end attaches to the rear of the spear. You also asked about muzzles, go with an open muzzle. Faster reloading and easier aiming.

I think it's a good idea to start with a float. Especially if you are learning and diving in water that is deep for you. Being able to head for the surface after pulling the trigger, without having to let line out of the reel, fix a tangle, etc. is a good thing when you are relatively new at it.

Having a dive flag following you around is great too, especially with you living in an area that has a few boats.

To answer your question on the reel, you still need the shooting line wrapped on the gun.

look at this vid. What is scary is the guy runs out of line and gets dragged aroun to deeper water, and wasn`t able to return to the surface. Since he is a great freediver he manages to get some air, and land the fish afterwards. A float is way safer than a reel tho, and it`s less prone to entanglements. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OQ1tYEG6Og&feature=rec-HM-fresh+div

Start with a float then move on to a reel. After that you'll appreciate the reel soooo much more....

The current set up you have will fail, its only a matter of time before you have to choose between the gear or your life (applicable to freedivers only). What are your target species? How deep you dive? Where do you dive?

Quote from Adrian

The current set up you have will fail, its only a matter of time before you have to choose between the gear or your life (applicable to freedivers only).

Interesting you should say that as it's exactly how I feel about the reel. I thought you weren't aware of the possibility of this kind of situation, based on your previous post, but now I see that you are. Why then don't you extend this line of thinking to the reel? You must see that the average and especially novice spearfisher can be put in that situation because of a reel. Look at what happened to Oscar, he didn't want to lose the gun/reel/camera when the shaft got stuck on the bottom, overextended his bottom time trying to free it, and blacked out. Luckily Frank was there to save his ass. Do we have a reel vs. floatline thread? I know it's been discussed a lot just can't remember if we did it here.

Here's the reel vs. floatline discussion http://spearfishing.world/gene…3-float-line-vs-reel.html

I understand your point and yes, inexperienced spearos should start with a float and line. I know I did, but eventually switched over to reels. I had the same thing that happened to Oscar happen to me. I had to let go, called the boat over and had them drop me a good 20 ft in front of the gun to get it back. Or if you have the drag set too low and you shoot a big fish the line will spool out so fast creating a bird's nest. Everything has pros and cons. My biggest fear with the float line is having the driver of the boat run it over and destroy the lower unit of the outboard. Or some careless boater run it over during a beach dive catching the rope and pull the whole rig out of my hands and never see it again. Regardless of the advantages of the float and rope I rather stick with reel any day of the week.

Quote from sdeisen

well to look at it that way we should all be free shafting, bit im really nervous about the HIV virus.. really though that kind of danger is inherent when using any type of set up other than no set up at all.

It may seem that way to you but the various situations we've been in over many days diving are very real. It depends on the different conditions you encounter which may include one or all of the following; depth, current, bad visibility, type of bottom, fish size and what it will tend to do after shot etc.

Consider this situation that happened to Gonzo. We were drift diving in strong current in about 50ft over pretty flat reef bottom. Gonzo shot at a fish and missed, the shaft simply lay on the bottom. The barb got gently hooked on the bottom but the current being strong quickly pushed diver and gun away from the spot where the shaft was hooked. On that day I believe that Gonzo's rigging was a float line with no float. In seconds Gonzo found himself holding on to the very end of the float line, unable to make headway to start his dive ahead of the shaft in order to descend on it to free it. Eventually he let go of the line and the gun was lost. This gun was very important to him as it was his first gun and he put a lot of effort into building it. By chance Rolo was dropped ahead of the gun on another drift and recuperated it.

This exact same situation happened to me on two separate occasions except I had a float at the end of the line. I ended up holding the line just at the float for like 10 minutes before the boat picked me up and dropped me ahead of the spot so I could recover the gun. The bottom line is that if there's a possibility that something can go wrong it will.

Anyone remembers Cameron Kirkconnell shooting Steve Bennet's fin to save him after his blackout? Who remembers Cameron's rigging? I'm pretty sure that if Cameron had a reel Steve Bennet would be dead.

Quote

Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2008 08:33:57
Subject: Steve
Sad but rewarding story from yesterday diving. I am going to write it all out in full but am stil la bit shook up and need to help out his family in the hospital today.
Was diving in 180 ft of water with a friend Steve Bennet who is a 21 year old from Tarpon Springs. We were diving on an area of broken bottom in strong current from an anchored boat. Making one dive down and getting swept away each time before swimming back to the boat and resting to make another
he dove to down and was on his way back to the surface, I watched and he looked fine and regretfully left the surface myself and headed down. I dove and while I was down at 75 ft his gun floated past me,
i immediately looked around and saw my friend upside down drifting unconcious and convulsing about 60 ft away at that same depth.
With a strong current and no one else in the water and one chance I ditched my weight belt and swam hard towards him extending the gun to shoot him. I was well past my breath hold limit and knew that there was no point of us both dying but there was only this once brief glimmer of hope to even get his body. I couldn't get close enough to be confident of penetrating his meat in his leg shooting him in the fin
headed for the surface and was as close as I have ever been to blacking out in my life. before the dive, by pure luck we had secured my gun to a huge fishing reel on the boat in anticipation of me shooting a 100 lb Cubera snapper which we had seen at depth.
I screamed for the boat to cut the anchor line, reel up my gun because it had Steve on it.
Suffice to say despite my yelling of orders and trying to tell them quickly that steve had drown and we were about to have to perform CPR on him they had no idea the gravity of the situation.
we pulled him to the boat and he was completely limp, bleeding from his eyes, nose, mouth and ears and was completely blue.
I put him on the back of the boat and checked his vitals immediately found a faint pulse and no breathing. From freedive and medical training, opened his airway while talking confidently and softly to him and blowing lightly across his cheeks just under his his to trigger the breathing reflex like a new born. within the first minute and just before I was going to start rescue breaths, some foamy blood leaked from the side of his mouth and i turned him on his side and supported him so as to ease the flow of fluid from his lungs.
a short while later he sputtered a bit and was able to take in what i would estimate was a 1% capacity breath.
20 seconds later he made another one and expelled more foamy blood from his mouth and nose. with each sputter he expelled more and within 10 minutes he could take about a 15% breath but was still completely unresponsive and from what i could see in a comatose state with only his body barely functioning.
The whole time we are on the radio with the coast guard and are 70 miles off shore.
After 15 minutes he started to slurr and for the first time was able to squeeze my hand slightly letting me know that he could hear me.
From there i sat him in my arms and over the next 20 minutes as we sped in as fast as the boat would go he regained more and more motor functions and was able to talk more and more. 45 minutes from the time it happened and still 55 miles off shore we rendezvous with a coast guard helicopter and airlifted him to Tampa General hospital.
He has severe lung damage but is alive and has no noticeable brain damage. He is stable and will live a lot happier having not been shot in the leg or having sunk to 180 feet never to be seen again. The best shot I have ever made
This is the single heaviest thing that was ever happened to me or any diver I've ever talked to. Throughout the ordeal if i was looking at it from the outside i would have told anyone with a 99% certainty there was no chance he would ever regain conciousness or be able to be recovered from that depth or the fin would have stayed on or the second diver would have been able to get him or the fin dould not have split. Once in the boat... the worst sight I've ever seen. NO one should be able to live through that. the human body is an amazing thing and that he came back is a miracle.
Thank your lucky stars tonight because it is possible for everything to align perfectly and work out sometimes
Cam

Display More