Posts by Dan

  • Funny fins

    I don't know what these are called but they're real. It amazes me that someone would pay for this and have expectations.



    Scubapro Seawing Nova


  • Polespear vs Sling

    Nice post Chris. You're dead on about a sling being a better choice than a polespear. When asked about this very thing I say that I prefer a cheap $20 sling like the one in your picture to a $300 carbon polespear. Some polespears are well made, but IMO a sling beats a polespear in every category. For me especially because I rig a sling with shooting line so it's just like a speargun. I can shoot fish midwater and not worry about losing a shaft. Rigging a sling shaft with a line requires drilling a hole in the shaft, but is not hard with jig like this one Speardiver Spear Shaft Drilling Jig.



    In tight quarters with enough leverage from a good size fish struggling, an expensive carbon polespear will break. And a solid aluminum one that can take it is too slow. With a sling at most you have the expense of a new shaft, and likely your bent one can be straightened. I just can't see a situation where a polespear will outperform the sling.


    You are also right about the old slings with a pistol grip being uncomfortable to use. But there is one exception, the Koah side sling. It has a wrist support that keeps sling and shaft aligned with the direction of your pull, and takes the pressure off the wrist. It allows for a powerful and comfortable pull. It has enough mass to attach a reel or camera. And an attachment point for shooting line built into the handle. IMO it's the best sling out there.




  • Cuba spearfishing

    Quote from LunkerBuster

    It is so upsetting that political issues WE, the USA, helped to create, is the reason we cannot share in a beautiful island and why a country sits in poverty when it should be a wealthy sovereign.


    Shameful

    Cuba is in the news so I thought to resurrect this thread. Trump is reinstating restrictions that were eased by the previous administration, just when I thought a spearfishing trip to Cuba was in sight. This is what I wanted to to see again.. somewhere in Cuba, note the homemade pneumatic spearguns.


  • Spearfishing reel line capacity Rob Allen and Speardiver

    I spooled some popular reels to see the actual line capacity. First was the Rob Allen reel. Here's the stated capacity

    Quote

    The Rob Allen reel is Constructed from 30% glass filled Nylon with graphite filled acetyl bushes and a stainless steel thread on the drag nut. --- The dead end attachment to the spool ensures that this reel is able to stand up to even the harshest pressure exerted by world record fish. --- The stainless wear surface around the line lead ensures that line is able to run smoothly and will never wear into the reels line guide. --- With the entire reel only weighing 95g and able to hold 55meters of 2mm line, this reel is extremely light for it's capacity. -- Cut-outs assist with drying of the line whilst the reel is easily fitted to most Euro Style guns and a dovetail bracket ensures easy removal

    In fact the Rob Allen reel took 150ft (45m) of Speardiver 1.9mm X-Line. Now I could have spooled it very carefully laying down the line tightly against itself in perfect layers to increase capacity. But that's not something you can do in real world conditions. Besides you want to lay down the line in a criss-cross pattern every few layers to prevent the line burying into itself when paying out. I could have also filled the reel right to edge of the spool. But again that's not something you want to deal with in the water. You can see in the pictures the line is 3/16" (5mm) from the edge. In any case 45m is sufficient line for most situations.


    This is how I measure line. In Cuba Braza is a unit of measurement used by fishermen and spearfishermen. The word braza is similar to the Spanish word brazo which means arm. According to the conversion website I linked to, one braza is approximately 5.5ft. To measure brazas hold the line firmly with the left hand and loosely with the right, extend the arms all the way sideways letting the line slide through the right hand and stretch across your chest. When the arms are fully extended pinch the line with the right hand and pass it to the left repeating the process. It's quite accurate if you hold the line with the fingertips.
    It's a convenient and fast way to measure line when out on the water. When Cuban guys state depth in brazas I take it as an approximation because it really depends on the arm length of the individual doing the measuring. It just so happens the distance between my outstretched hands is 6ft. The Rob Allen reel as you see it in the pictures took exactly 25 Dan brazas :)



  • What color reel line?

    I'm ready to pull the trigger on the reel line. Trends may have changed in the last five years. I'm looking for more input on reel line color. Perhaps someone changed their mind and now prefers a different color?

  • Kent rubber poor quality speargun bands

    Quote from ladvr

    I think Kent Elastomers solved the problem of poor band material....:thumbup:


    https://www.kentelastomer.com/…cise-tubing-applications/

    I'm not bashing the company as a whole. They look well organized, have nice customer service, and I'm sure their rubber products work well for other applications. But as far as the suitability of their rubber tubing for speargun bands.. I think this choice of promotional material says something about how much KEP understand spearguns :)