A few from Belize

    Hank Sunday I shot 4 Ceros(righteous shots) but having a hell of a time with keeping them on the tip, using a breakaway specifically for them and their soft flesh but that seems to be not working well either as only landing about 40% :@ which is unacceptable for me, any ideas? My reef gun is a 55 Biller and shoots a heavy 5/16 shaft which may be half the problem i suspect and I am thinking about maybe a smaller shaft with a flopper for surface hunting in the fry where all the macks show up...

    A bad day at sea is better than a good day in the boatyard
    George Steele

    Quote from Marco

    For a Riffe C3 I would go with a floatline. It's weird shape makes difficult to attach any standard reel unless you flat the surface where it will be screwed a bit.


    Well done! :)


    Thanks Marco.
    I put a Rob Allen composite on my C3X and as you said, I had to chip out a flat spot to set the mounting bracket in. But Jorge, aka, the Spaniard, put a Mares reel on his about 4 years ago and it's contoured to the shape of the stock. I don't know if that reel is still available though.


    Dude George, Marco and some of these guys would have better knowledge about what to use for ceros. They're a special treat for me. But I agree, the 5/16 shaft probably is blowing too big a hole in them.
    I don't rig anything special for them but if I did, I guess I would try a slip tip with a 7 mm shaft.
    I use a 7 mm single flopper and hold most of them.

    For ceros. Shoot them in the face or above the spine. If they get on the shooing line in their guts they will tear off. Lots of bone in the head to hold them

    i like to spear fish

    Quote from LunkerBuster

    For ceros. Shoot them in the face or above the spine. If they get on the shooing line in their guts they will tear off. Lots of bone in the head to hold them


    I hit a small one in the head on Sunday. It started shaking its head side to side as I pulled it in. Just as it tore off I grabbed its tail.
    They are really soft. As you said, they can tear off the shooting line.
    Gut shot is a bit risky for tearing off, but they....and most fish seem to die pretty quickly. I guess maybe it's more a heart shot?
    The only sure way to get them is to stone them.

    I forgot to mention. We saw two schools of small tuna come tearing through in that big channel. Some were about 3 lbs I would guess. That's a whole 'nuther huntin'. Man they're fast.
    I've heard that they catch marlin and other pelagics off a pinnacle just outside that channel too. We saw some boats anchored out there. Didn't want to disturb their fishing. But I'm going to check it out on a weekday. Soon. The pinnacle is supposedly at 80 feet.

    Quote from LunkerBuster

    For ceros. Shoot them in the face or above the spine. If they get on the shooing line in their guts they will tear off. Lots of bone in the head to hold them


    I hit um mostly center just above spine I AM AIMING FOR THE SPINE :laughing: , almost never hit fish in the guts I hate the idea of them tearing off and dieing for nothing....
    The suckers are fast and they tear of my spear so easily Lunk so trying to figure out if I need different gear for um as they are my Fav to hunt..You seem to do well with them what tip and spear size you using?

    A bad day at sea is better than a good day in the boatyard
    George Steele

    I use a 7 or 7.5 mm flopper shaft. I always lead them considerably and try to shoot the second that the tip of my gun is moving at the same rate as the fish. If I wait two seconds they change direction

    i like to spear fish

    Quote from LunkerBuster

    I use a 7 or 7.5 mm flopper shaft. I always lead them considerably and try to shoot the second that the tip of my gun is moving at the same rate as the fish. If I wait two seconds they change direction


    Think I got to ask Dan for a special order 7mm spear 55" with those neat min tabs he has for the euro guns but for a US gun instead with three tabs far back and takes a slide ring for my Biller :D Yeah thats what I got to do :laughing: about time I spent some money at his shop ;)

    A bad day at sea is better than a good day in the boatyard
    George Steele

    Quote from Marco

    For me, best shot for ceros is between the two finlets they have just before the tail. Of course, if I have a head shot I'll go for it.


    Cool Marco I will try that today as I am heading over to Bequia for some Cero hunting in a few min :thumbsup2:

    A bad day at sea is better than a good day in the boatyard
    George Steele

    Quote from Marco

    For me, best shot for ceros is between the two finlets they have just before the tail. Of course, if I have a head shot I'll go for it.


    You mean here? Where I kind of blurred the pic?
    That's a good spot and usually where I hit when aiming for the head. :D

    I shoot Spanish Macks from as small as 2-3lbs up to 14-15lbs with my Riffe Baja Plus with a large tip and 5/16 shaft and i dont have that problem. A sharp tip and good shot placement makes a big difference. I usually shoot them in the head or around the pectoral fin going forward. When they're big, a shot from above through the back at a forward angle or one just between the dorsal and anal fins work best. They usually just spin around on the shaft or shooting line. What i have experienced though is when the shooting line is too thin it cuts through them very easily if the placement is bad so in that case, just enough power for them to be shafted usually works.

    Edited once, last by khalel ().

    ceromack - YouTube
    I would like to hit them further forward then I usually do. It seems like theres a nice spot around the pec fins that will hold and still doesnt go right through the filet, and on the smaller ones you dont need a real real firm holding shot.


    What khalel says is true too, the line can cut that soft flesh easily around the belly

    Scupper Pro Gives You Wings!

    nice shot steven...at what point did you see him..the 270 rotation of the gun makes it look like you just spotted him at the last instant and sealed the deal

    i like to spear fish

    thanks Jude, that mack was young and dumb and I prob could have spun around three times before he swam away, and the macks are easy to see when your looking up at an angle at them.
    Anyway sorry to put myself in your thread hank, just thought it was funny cause this happened that day and the shot was right where you said, as it usually is

    Scupper Pro Gives You Wings!

    Quote from sdeisen

    thanks Jude, that mack was young and dumb and I prob could have spun around three times before he swam away, and the macks are easy to see when your looking up at an angle at them.
    Anyway sorry to put myself in your thread hank, just thought it was funny cause this happened that day and the shot was right where you said, as it usually is


    This thread is not just about Belize. It's just as much talking story about getting fish. That's the main reason I subscribe to these forums. Thanks for your inputs. :thumbsup2:

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member to leave a comment.

Register a new account
Sign in now