Posts by Hookinfish

A simple rule is add 1 atm per 10 meters. Whats amazing is that if you have 1 liter of air at sea level in your lungs you will have half a liter of air at 10 meters and at 20 meters depth you will have a quarter liter of air in your lungs. Thats why they tell scuba divers to never hold there breath while diving. At 33 feet if you take a full breath of air and you dont exhale when rising to the surface the volume doubles and your lungs will double in size too and you will be in really bad shape. One of the things freedivers don't need to worry about.

Thanks guys. I am really happy with the halibut. I made tacos last night and they were very tasty.

Jose- Gracias por la receta lo voy a probar. Hice algo parecido el otro dia pero sin el vinagre balsamico.

Another good halibut recipe is put macadamia nuts in a cuisine art and coarsely shop them with salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil and a hint of lemon. You want it to bind when pressed together and top the fish with it and bake it in the oven till the fish is cooked through and the nuts are golden. Serve it with a mixed green salad and a drink of your choice. yum

Nice looking fish.

Are those triggers hard to skin?Sometimes we would cut along the spine, gill plate , belly and tail and with a pair of pliers we could pull the skin off but it was a lot of work. I know in Hawaii its easier to just cook them whole without gutting cause the skin is tough as nails.

Welcome. I saw a video of freediving in the Azores and it looks beautiful.

Good luck and have fun. I don't know the area but I am looking forward to a picture heavy report.

Welcome. Its an addictive sport your getting into.

Thats a ton of sharks. Fine isn't to stiff either. I imagine on the black market those fins are worth a ton of money. I'm glad they where caught.

Quote from Don Paul

Really nice flatie Hookinfish.....your working you way to stone clod killer.:D

Cheers, Don

LOL. Thanks. I weighted him out and he was 23 pounds. My largest fish to date with a speargun.

I was staring at the sand and did not see a thing. Then my eyes started to acclimate and I notice a lateral fin sticking out of the sand. I pulled the trigger and let this bad boy run. As soon as I took the shot everything was in slow motion. The hali ran and took my gun I pulled on the floatline and it wrapped up in the kelp. The jaws on this bad boy are huge. My first legal Halibut. I am totally stoked!

Went out for a quick hunt this morning. Conditions looked ok. Lots of bait in the water.

Don

I understand that a larger gun would be ideal for targeting WSB but right now I will work with what I have and am trying to figure out what I can do with my equipment and still be as effective as I can be without loosing fish.

I do hope to add a larger gun to my tackle as well as a smaller one too so that I have something for varying conditions and species.

I just bought the riffe so a new gun is not in my budget at the moment but I would like to get the terminal tackle to attach to it and have it interchangeable with whatever gun I do buy in the future.

I appreciate all the info from everyone but from the sounds of it I will have to try both floatline and reel and figure out what I like best for spearing fish.

I definitely need to work on my technique and my aim. I have been missing shots that I should not have. I try to dive like I archery hunt. I move slowly and try to make as little noise as I possible. However I loose my patience when I see a fish and rush the shot.

That's a nice setup Dan. It would be great for diving in Hawaii but it would get hung up badly I'm afraid in the Kelp in California. My brother complains that his floatline gets caught in the rocks because it is too long when diving from shore so I will have to show him your setup (he is in Hawaii).

I have noticed that I get tangles in the ice line but would tangles be eliminated with a float line? I have read that float lines are safer then reels but a fish can run a reel dry or a floatline out completely so in both instances it comes down to having a float correct? Is the idea to have enough line to minimize tear outs second to a slip tip? What is the ideal amount of line for a reel and for a floatline? Is a 100 foot floatline comparable to 200 feet of reel line? In thick kelp a float will be hard to maneuver but perhaps a CO2 activated float would be a good idea regardless of line type no? Thanks for your help guys I appreciate it.

So ideally I have a few more guns. One dedicated to WSB and pelagics would be nice but for now I will have to work with what I have. Where do you find a 100 foot floatline with 10 feet of bungee attached to it?

I like having the float line but swimming in kelp with a float will not be easy. If I pursue pelagics solely I would use a float but I would also be diving in a different environment. But from what I understand a reel would help in general, regardless of environment, if I shoot a large fish and it should prevent tearing off. Is that safe to assume?

Quote from ddonnell

Are you just using shooting line at the moment? Easy way to lose a gun..

You just need a reel and good shot placement with a straight head. Let it run and run unless you have a great holding shot, then apply some pressure and save yourself some time re-spooling the reel. Since you are going for all fish, slip tips are asking for trouble. Once you start going exclusively for pelagics, get a slip tip and keep a spare straight head around rigged.

I am using 75 feet of hammerhead ice line floatline clipped to paracord that is tied to my gun. But 75 feet of line is a short run for a fish I am assuming.

I went out and saw a ton of mackeral, smelt, Baracuda, Calicos and a couple of WSB and a large halibut. I guess however I was just not in the zone. I missed the Halibut as I saw it while it was swimming away, I missed the Baracuda and I missed what must have been a 10 pound calico. I need to be patient and practice getting my arm fully extended on fish prior to pulling the trigger.

However I did manage a smaller calico, sandbass, opaleye and another WSB. The WSB was probably around 30 inches or so and as soon as I shot it it headed for the kelp. I put immediate pressure on the fish after I shot it which is probably why it tangled so quickly in the kelp but after watching it tire out I was planning how I was going to grab it. While doing so it tore off the spear and swam off. The shot was above the spine behind the head.

I felt pretty bad and spoke to a couple guys about it. They recommended a slip tip and a reel. I'm not convinced on a slip tip as I am shooting around reefs and 120 dollar tip going into the rocks doesn't make sense to me. However a reel makes sense to let the fish run. I'm curious what others have to say on the subject of minimizing tear offs.

In the mean time I'm looking at a speardiver composite reel for my Riffe E90.

I took advantage of this last Easter weekend as much as I could and dove for a couple of days.

I hear the grunion are running. :laughing:

Glad the suit fits.