How far away was the shot Phil? That is a lot of fish to turn fast.
To the OP, I think the noise definitely makes the fish move but the completely random nature of the movement is the X factor. I guess a quieter gun is better because it might be less alarming. I notice no differnce in fish behavior between my rob Allen and my wood gun. Wood gun is way quieter but the bands still make such a force I always figured the fish heard that more than the shaft on the track
They really are incredible creatures. Im glad I was able to get such good video last year when I saw one.
That was one of the coolest dives ever! No lie
Seeing you sitting Indian style on the sand with the ray circling you was among the coolest things ill ever see. And playing with an eight foot ray on a sunken barge is a dream in and of itself.
When using cable, always splice it behind the loop. This makes the crimp a redundant bit of tackle. It is annoying to do the splice through a shaft tab but it makes the whole rig a lot more secure
For me it is about the feed back. When your die and your crimp are properly sized give it a solid squeeze and increase pressure until you feel like the crimp has stopped. You can still go, but I find that is the over crimp range. It takes a little trial and error but the crimp really tells you when to stop on the hand models.
Great vid buddy. I also love how Steven is entering his negative phase in the worst dive form ever and I am sure he still had a 2:00 plus dive. Merman jerk!
Great vid. Manta rays are such alien creatures.
You will be in the gulf. I don't know that area specifically, between ft Meyers and Sarasota, but in general, the gulf stays shallow for a long time. I don't know if your boat is capable of doing to distance safely. I hope some of the Tampa guys will chime in with some more insights.
I'd order a top spots chart (assuming they don't carry fl charts in your local stores) and take a look for depth changes and holes.
Howdy and welcome to the forum
In my experience the exact shape of the crimping die is less important than getting the right pressure. even with the correct die if you squeeze too hard or too light the crimp will fail. Regardless of which one you go with, ( I doubt either company makes them. they are probably rebranded crimpers from a fishing supply company) practice a few times and test your results before you put it on critical gear.
X2
Always practice your crimps and remember you want to ultimately squeeze the mono, not crush it
There is a post on here about how to make a great little tool from a wire hanger. Very effective tool
Howdy. Nice to have you on the forum. Good luck filling your boat. I am sure there are spearos in the jax area looking for a chance to get off shore
I might try that on a Tin man muzzle to make one of my own
Beast of a black!! Nice!
I see the concept is that the same force pulling the mono through the slider is also adding tension to the crimp too. Like a knot in many ways.
You are right though. Low stretch mono is a must in that application more than most.
Sweet. Do you know if he brined them first? I usually do with my chicken but I am always keen to learn from experience.
Sounds like a hell of good time. You west coasters have it so good:)
Nate, beautiful write up as always. I am sorry about your buddy but it is nice you are starting the cycle again with a new puppy. Sounds like a great, albeit shortened trip. When are gonna try some smoked ducks?
Damn. Rip. may his memory always be a blessing
Harry. We all know you caught that by swimming down w that net behind you. You just shot it after to make us feel better 
