Stringing fish on the float line

    I bring you another gem from Mako; the speed ring.

    Quote

    After a successful shot, the Mako Speed Ring gets you back to hunting in a hurry. Designed to be used with a floatline, the speed ring allows you to quickly string your fish onto your floatline. Simply unclip the longline clip from the speed ring and insert the speed ring through the mouth of the fish and out the gills and then re-attach to the longline clip.

    Notice this thread is not in the safety section, it's not that big a deal, but I want to tell a story that has to do with this. There may be a rare situation where I'd put a fish directly on the float line, because it's too big to put on the stringer or some other reason. In this case I run a loop into the fish's mouth and out the gills, then loop around the whole fish. But I wouldn't do it on a regular basis. The fish on the line create drag, the fish's teeth can damage the float line, or worse..


    I was diving out of Homestead with a few guys and one had a Riffe speargun hat he just bought set up with a needle type stringer at the end of the float line, that would go through the breakaway hole at the back of the speargun and then stuck into a hole he drilled into the red butt. The stringer was well secured this way. As the diver would shoot fish he'd string them on the float line and let them drift back towards the float. At some point I was on the boat with the captain and we heard some yelling. Then saw this diver swimming real fast towards the boat. When he climbed aboard I could see he didn't have his gun. He said two big bulls appeared and were buzzing him so he ditched the gun to be able to swim fast back to the boat. We figured the gun was safe because we could see the float bobbing in the waves, so we took 10 minutes for him to calm down. Then I noticed that the float was much further off than where I first saw it, and we decided to go pick it up before it gets out of sight. When we got to the float and retrieved it there was no gun, the float line was cut. What happened was that the sharks went after the fish on the line and severed it. The Riffe C3 was never found. The fish were 2 or 3 ocean triggerfish.


    Yes, another BAD IDEA in my opinion, especially in sharky waters.


    Personallly, I prefer to put my fish in the boat, not just for the purpose of not attracting sharks, but it also gives me the opportunity to take a break, especially after the adrenaline burst I get from shooting and fighting a nice fish. it gives me a chance to calm down and also get at least a 5 minute break to get a drink of water or inspect my gear for damage.


    I did this once in a competition in Southern California. While sharks are really not much of an issue while diving inshore, the seals certainly can problem. I felt a hang-up on my float-line and after giving it a tug, "it" tugged backed! I knew I had a pest and sure enough there was a harbor seal trying to get a free lunch from my float-line. The seal did not fear my threatening gestures and I literally had to punch the seal to get him off my fish. The gentle "prodding" from my spear tip had little affect.

    This devise works great for this application,


    Was on a bluewater trip one guy had this set up made by Josh(neptonics).
    We are in a school of dolphin(mahi) no bigger then schooly's.
    The rest of us had to shoot take fish back to boat reload shoot again.(we are shooting fish back to back, captain on boat throwing live bait to keep fish around.)
    The guy with this setup would just shoot fish, place on float line, reload and shoot fish again. end of day he had 3 more fish then the rest of us thanks to faster reloading. . .


    Yes if something big would have came along having that extra drag on the line wouldn't help, but for that moment the device worked. sometimes you need to shoot fish back to back very fast. This helps.
    Theres been times i'm shooting fish back to back and have to stuff a fish under the wet suit to get another shot off.

    I thought that was a rattler to attract blue jacks......too much junk in the trunk.
    Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    I'm never in that much of a rush....I just put them on the boat by the scupper to keep cool.:D I'm afraid of big sharks offshore.
    Cheers, Don
    PS yeah i know I hit one in the ass, that's because I only used 1 band, while my top shaft was in a yellow tail.
    Cheers, Don

    Yes that is a rocket of a fish... a school sized local Blue Fin at 26 lbs. the larger one was 38.
    The one I shot in tail just vibrated like a paint mixer, but with a broken spine the tail wasn't doing too
    much. I'll try to find the Mako that ended up on the deck that day after my buddy shot it.
    I don't like to shoot sharks, but the fresh steaks were great on the BBQ back at our anchorage.
    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    i agree that this device is limited in its use, but it is not completely useless.


    As Larry mentioned, some diving application suit the idea of quick stringing, but for me, this is never good in our southflorida waters..too many sharks.


    I first saw the "speed needle" on a pelaj floatline and I got one. i never liked the idea of fish on the linein the water so I never used it for that, instead I made a really nice stringer out of a tuna clip, some coated SS cable and the speed needle, I can string the fish quickly if i need to have them strung while I am carrying gear or to clean the bucket or cooler...hardly an essential piece of anything, but it can be used..I'll get a picture of my stringer up this afternnon

    i like to spear fish

    If you're to string the fish on the float line you're better off with some sort of break-away system, and string the fish straight from the shaft (push it back from the shaft onto the floatline. If the shot is in soft meat use the shaft as the needle and thread it once more through gills or eyes.


    Problems:
    1. sharks
    2. bones/gills will ruin the float line (either fray the polly, or poke the tube)


    Pros:
    If you're in a school of mahis, you can keep a stringed fish swimming close to you and that will atract more mahis. No wasted time to remove the fish from the shaft - hence it is faster that the speed needle from mako.

    Hi,


    Everyone I know over here in Australia uses one.


    I think we have the highest number of shark attacks in the world and its not un heard of for a shark to take someones catch.


    What do yous do on shore dives? Swim the fish back to shore?
    I know a few people that wait until they get about 4 fish on then tie them to the back of the float or put them inside the float(if the design of the float aloows).


    You string different fish differently as to tow better or not wreck your line.


    Once you have a few fish you take them back to the boat.
    There is also a thing called a flopper stopper which keeps teh fish closest to the float.


    Swimming back to the boat for every fish waste too much time and sharks are not really an issue.

    If you're shore diving the ideal setup is a board or what you guys call a plat, keeps the fish away from the sharks. I've done plenty of diving with just a float and the fish attached to a stringer at the back of the float. Done this way if a shark is attracted to your catch at least it's away from you and gear won't be lost when the shark bites through the fish and stringer.

    I string fish on the floatline all the time..... a lot of times I just pop a couple zipties on the end of the floatline, instead of using the "speed needle". We'd be lucky to see a shark up here in Md/De, and having to deal with a lot of current most of the time, it just makes it easier. Sometimes I keep a fish or two strung on the shooting line, mostly if I'm just using a reel and don't want to swim to the boat right away. When your average vis is about 10', you're not taking long shots anyway.



    Is it better than a belt stringer? I guess that's up to everyone's individual preference.

    I think having fish strung out at intervals along the float line creates more drag than if they're all in one place at the back of the float, especially on descents and ascents. Unless they all slide down the line and end up at the back. I'm still more comfortable with the idea that the fish are at a fixed location.

    I just string them on my shooting line. The only time I have had a shark give me an issue is when I separated myself from the fish like putting them on the float line. I would use a belt stringer but I am too afraid of getting bit in the ass. So by keeping the fish on my gun I can see them and just poke/shoot a shark if he gets fiesty.

    Dan,
    the only issue with having them out of the water is its hot over here and the fish will go off very quickly whereas in the water they stay fresh.


    the drag isnt to big of an issue with a couple of fish but when you start getting more its best to string them at teh back of your float on the stringer through the eyes or up through there chin and out the top of there head, it keeps their mouth closed and there is littel drag as thats the way fish swim.


    Stringers are usually metal cable.


    I think what ever works is best, what works over here wont always work over there

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