Hiding from fish

    I know this is a well discussed topic but Ive been bored studying for finals and wanted to see what people thought.



    After doing a little research I have found out that contrary to popular belief fish have eyes that are very similar to our own. They have both rods and cones and see the entire 7 color spectrum just as humans do as well as some being able to see uv light. Now I don't want to start a huge debate over the effectiveness of camo wetsuits but it would seem to me that at least from a visual standpoint they would have some effect. The argument to this is that fish have lateral lines and can feel the vibrations of other objects in their environment and this can sense the presence of a diver. In my experience when holding onto the bottom and staying as still as possible fish are not only less timid but often surprisingly curious. In some cases coming within inches of my face to investigate. In other cases, especially with grouper, I have seen fish dart under an overhang and then stare out at me and watch my every move. The conclusion that I have come to is that although fish may be able to sense objects movements and vibrations at a distance they not only trust but are more dependent on their eyesight. humans have very similar reaction and famously "must see to believe". Also if fish were able to sense things using there lateral lines that well than they wouldn't have developed their own forms of camouflage. Accordingly I feel like there must be some justification for the use of camouflage by spearos. Also, based on personal experience it would seem that fish are more intimidated by our size and position in the water column than by our presence. Hence if you act like a predator they react like your a predator. In this thread Im hoping to discuss hunting/stalking techniques as well as ways to reduce/hide your "signature" from fish.


    sources: http://www.marinebiology.org/fish.htm
    http://ambergriscaye.com/reefbriefs/briefs24.html
    Personal experience


    Thanks hope this turns up some interesting discussion.

    they can sense any thing move under water but to diferent one frome the other is what make the diferent , i very hard to tell if the fish really sense you like a predator coming or just another animal moving under water . i think as lest move you make the better it is and on top of that you add the camo suit , any thing can help to get the fish confiuse .

    Que viva la pesca :cuba:

    my general feeling is that you are 100% correct...i feel that fish want to "see what is going on" but that they will often first run away.


    this is why they get kileld by me :D i have realized that most fish want to "see" what's up so I can accidentally spook tham but if I can confuse them after that I have a good chance of getting them back in.


    I like to do a lot of the following...


    aspetto, just chill on the bottom and wait...maybe tap rocks or stir some sand


    agguato, hide in a crack and ambush a fish as he moves in a predicted pattern


    swim down and away from a fish quickly--when I have spooked a fish, esp snapper, if I quickly change direction and fin as if I am pursuing a fish, if i look under my body behind me, that snapper is usually watching me


    throw a flasher...i dont do this the way most spearos do...I have a bent spoon I tuck into my belt so if a fish is quartering away from me I'll drop it to the other side and swim away...8 out of 10 times the fish will turn to see the falling spoon and give me a nice broadside shot. dont so this in more than 40 ft of water because it gets really old to keep dropping to recover your spoon :)




    my feeling on camo is that it might help me break up the silloutte and thus appear smaller to a fish or confuse the fish about which way I'm facing...i try to swim sideways and move upsidedown a lot for that reason as well...i also have flasher tape on my pipe guns so they are broken up as well.


    I dont want my camo to make me "invisible" because a) it doesnt so that would be a failure and b) you want the fish to see and be curious by you. I want my camo to make the fish not know what I am, or not know until it is too late.


    so to your original title, I am not hiding from fish as much as hiding my intentions from fish

    i like to spear fish

    LB, can you elaborate more on the spoon technique concerning like "quartering away" and throwing the
    spoon to the other side? Thanks!


    Also, do you Florida spearos grunt on the bottom to call em back in? It's pretty popular to do over here in HI to bring in the more predatory fish.

    Nice old thread. I missed this one.
    Yeah Judah, how do you bend the spoon? That sounds like a good idea....and cheap. Take ten spoons out on the boat and lose them all. My wife might get mad but it won't be expensive. hah


    I think once you have pretty good technique for diving and "aspettoing and aguattoing" that the most important factor for getting close is based on how "educated" the fish are. If they've been around divers...hunters recently, they're spooky. It seems that getting deeper helps for another fish or two but then it's time to move on to another spot.


    I like camo....but can't say for sure that it helps. Jake uses all black now and he's killing it.

    Edited once, last by hank ().

    Good info on the spoon :)
    I never had a camo suit and so far I've done OK. On my last suit, having it with camo was streaching the budget so I got it without... My take on it is that at the least, camo won't be worse then not camo so my next suit will have camo :)
    Also it look's cool :cool2:

    Quote from marginatus

    Good info on the spoon :)
    I never had a camo suit and so far I've done OK. On my last suit, having it with camo was streaching the budget so I got it without... My take on it is that at the least, camo won't be worse then not camo so my next suit will have camo :)
    Also it look's cool :cool2:


    Yeah. There is no disagreement that it looks cool!!

    i like to spear fish

    Okay I can't seem to find any good drawing or sketch programs for the phone so I will try to describe what I am talking about. Ill use the standard clock for vectors.


    Okay so I am pursuing a fish who takes off towards 1:30. I don't think I can chase him so I take my spoon and stick my arm out to the right and flick it away or just drop it and I will swim in the direction of 10:30. The idea being that the fish will see the shiny object spinning and spiraling down and head to it or at least look at it and turn. While I am swimming parallel to the fish I have a second to get the shot off.


    Many times the fish will turn and then immediately resume its original vector but at least one of three times they will full stop and sometimes change directions


    Spoon pic later

    i like to spear fish

    Not exactly but close. The fish turns to his right, and possibly doubles back as I am moving forward and slightly to the left. So the fish and I are side by side.

    i like to spear fish

    the camo suits are not cheap if you go to you tube look up wetsuit painting theres one or two vids on this ive done it havent got to use it yet but the nice part is i got to paint my top my own way like the reef that i visit on a normal basis

    Quote from reecehitch

    the camo suits are not cheap if you go to you tube look up wetsuit painting theres one or two vids on this ive done it havent got to use it yet but the nice part is i got to paint my top my own way like the reef that i visit on a normal basis


    They are both the same great price from www.spearfishing.store

    "Whiskey don't make liars, it just makes fools. So, I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said."
    -James McMurtry

    yes you are right marginatus, i wear a lycra top i painted looking for a good bottom pants or shorts to try, i dont make a million bucks a yr so cheap is my game.

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