Posts by Chase

  • SCUBA spearfishing

    I still put 99% of the blame for drops in fish populations on the "commercial spearfishermen". Just look at those clowns on that TV show "Catching Hell". Those ringling band of brothers destroy the reef for $$$ and they are just the small exzibit currently on display. If legislators want to burn someone, turn on the tv and fry these people.


    Ive also been spearing on scuba a few times since my original post on this topic. Its waaaay easier than freediving and there is no sport in it at all. Seriously, anyone can do it and most of the scuba speardivers Ive come across over harvest and poach. Free divers do it too but not everyone can go down 40-60' let alone 80'. My first tank dive, and no im not certified, was at 85'. And it's pretty difficult not to come up with fish on the stringer when your tank diving. I mean, your breathing the entire time so your more relaxed. And in my experience the fish would come right up to me(muttons, mangos, hogs, even grouper) The notion that bubbles scare the fish is bs, its more about your presentation Ive found from my experiences.


    So my point was and still is, each individual freediver can only go so deep(average joe freediver) which gives the fish some type of refuge. However, you bring tanks into the picture and all the beer drinkers come on their boats and clean the reefs out. The % of freedivers who can consistantly dive down to 60' and more is very small and those guys are putting in work to be able to maintain that. Look at the med sea, they used to scuba spearfish that too until it got over fished..


    Personally, I find alot more sport in Freediving than scuba and for good reason.


    (Saw 2 guys today getting tickets from FWC. One guy shot a 6" hog and the other an 11.5" hog. $500 each and no fish. Im glad they're regulating some places, it's a start.)

  • Tapering Bands

    So I bought a Dremel tool for $50 which came with an assortment of attachments. The bands came out nice and I'll post pics later to show the new Speardiver kill spike muzzle that I bought from Dan and put on my pathos laser open pro 110. I do think it gives a nicer sight picture, but you salt dogs are probably used to your setups already so maybe it wont matter. To be honest I just like to tinker and tweak my gear. I used to do the same thing when I was in the military. Old habits I suppose...


    Later,


    Chase

  • New to the Area, New to the Sport - Palm Harbor

    You should be able to beach dive from any public beach before the lifeguards get on duty which is 9am - 5pm. Im down here by fort Lauderdale and thats how I do it. Now, if your not an early riser then mid-day dives will take more consideration as you will have to locate where these public beaches end and private land begins. Down here there are gaps along the beaches so certain areas are "unguarded" and this is where you can launch from any time.


    Good luck,


    Chase

  • Picked up a 130cm Pathos Laser open carbon

    I own a Pathos 110 Laser Open Pro aluminum barrel. I changed out the factory "molded" grip for a "universal" grip which is exactly like the D'Angelo 1 handle, besides the color. The safety never engages on it's own, unless deliberately pressed in by the user. I had my line release switched over to the right side of the gun so it loads very familiar. I swapped the double bands out for one tight 19mm band. At the end of one wrap the shaft actually pulls out a few extra feet of reel line. I also swapped out the original shaft, which was very short, to a 7mm spring steel shaft @ 150cm(40cm over hang). My next mod will be to replace the muzzle from opened to closed for quicker reloads and ease of use. Over all, it's one of the better spearguns that I've come across. The design is very hydro-dynamic and moves really well in the water. And I chest load this gun many times while diving without fear of pain or any hesitation to shoot. I paid around $260 for the gun.


    Hope this info is useful to someone,


    Chase


    ::EDIT::


    With the gun setup the way I have it, the trigger pull is very smooth, the recoil is barely noticeable, and the gun shoots like a laser. If I miss, it's user error.

  • Best band/Shaft configuration for a railgun

    I personally dont feel like a double wrap is necessary unless your hunting big fish at long range. Most fish I hunt can be harvested by polespear including a 7lb Hogfish I landed in 15' of water, my best fish to date. Each gun is only capable of so much performance.


    Just my .02,


    Chase

  • Best band/Shaft configuration for a railgun

    I converted all my guns to single 19mm band with 7mm shaft. I felt like the double 16's were too much and wouldn't allow me to slowly squeeze the trigger back and I would fight the trigger. Now my guns shoot like lasers and the recoil is very minimal and actually pulls out 2ft of line from my reel when reaches the end of a single wrap so power is there. Also, Rob Allen has many guys on youtube shooting big marlins with 7mm shaft and single 19mm band all day.

  • Catching Hell

    Its funny to watch these commercial guys destroy the reef for profit. They are all pretty much a joke. Seriously, we could probably round up a better crew off one of these online forums. It should really put it into perspective for FWC and conservationists whos really killing off the fish populations. Its certainly not the recreational diver harvesting a few fish...

  • Shallow water hunting techniques

    Hey everyone,


    Ive been speardiving for about 8 months now and need some advice. I hope this is safe to ask online here, so here it goes:


    What are some proven techniques that the seasoned divers use for 40ft and under? Do you duck dive the same way as for a deep dive, holding the gun by the handle upside down? When surface swimming, do you try to cover as much ground as possible or do you drift slowly? What do you do/not do when fish are real spooky that day for whatever reason?


    What I am doing now:


    I surface swim with my gun upside down held in my right hand by the handle. After I breathe up, with my gun pointed straight down, I remove the snorkel from my mouth and conduct my duck dive and am able to get down about 10'. Once completely submerged my right arm holding the speargun is tucked next to my body with my right hand close to my hip. I try to be as vertical as possible when going down and once at my desired depth I plane out still keeping the speargun tucked at my side. The only time the gun leaves my side is when getting ready to dive or when I see a target species. I don't know if its my technique, or the fishing pressure that keeps the fish spooked but I am always seeking improvement. When Im not diving, I am thinking about diving and my technique. It's become an obsession.


    Thanks in advance for any feedback.


    Later,


    Chase

  • Why a float line is safer than a reel

    Reefchief,


    Ya I hear ya on the torpedo for rougher days. I was thinking the same thing. Nothing is worse than being frustrated on a dive about something you cannot control. Im definitely trying to work out a system when diving with a float/line.

  • Why a float line is safer than a reel

    Quote from Hardline

    Cant be as bad as the banks board in heavy seas!


    Just like any other float that weighs around 12 lbs, the banks board SUCKS in all but calm seas. I own one and beach dive with it often. You definitely notice it's there the entire time if there's some chop/caps going on. Im not saying it's not workable, of coarse, I'm an addict for spearfishing. But it definitely doesn't beat a nice hydrodynamic lifeguard can. Those things glide across the water and through chop with ease. This makes a big difference when conducting your duck dive. The only place a banks board truly shines is in its carrying capacity in the water and the option of slinging it over your shoulder to/from the water. Overall, it still has its place in my kit.


    Just my .02,


    Chase

  • BlackOut GoPro Housing

    Well I wanted a separate housing that stayed mounted on my gun mount and the black will stay mounted to my mask mount. Depending on whether im beach diving with a float or boat diving with a reel, I use 'em both.

  • BlackOut GoPro Housing

    Hey everyone,


    Im sure this is probably old news to most but I had to post about it. I just bought an all black housing for my gopro3+ and it looks awesome mounted on the Speardiver Stealth Mask w/ GoPro mount. I dont know what the demand is for this, but I felt it a must have in my spearfishing kit. Here it is:


    Later,


    Chase