Posts by John Hanson

  • My Guns, that's all.

    In all seriousness Monster, it really depends on the location and the visibility. My favorite spot for hunting whites in So Cal, was always dirty and the kelp was so thick you could hardly swim through it on a low tide. 15' of vis at that spot was a great day;)

  • ceviche

    As far as chiles go, serranos are the best! They have a very distinct flavor and on the heat index fall in between a habenero and a jalepeno.

  • My Guns, that's all.

    Quote from Dan

    Didn't you say at one point that you favor the rear handle plus? If so which of those guns is it?


    The green gun. Although, all of the guns with the exception have of the red one and the rear handles, have the handles pushed back from the "traditional" mid-handle placement of 12-14" to 9-10". I think the green gun has the handle placed at about 8" from the butt.


    I like the butt of my guns to fall midway between my wrist and elbow.

  • My Guns, that's all.

    The green gun has an Alexander handle. The red one has a SpearoTiki handle. I normally use Alexanders but I needed a handle to put on another gun at one point and swapped them out. I haven't used the red gun in quite some time.


    If you look hard, you can see that there is no muzzle on the gun. It broke and I never replaced it; as I don't use this gun in the GOM. I'll probably never use it again, but there is too much nostalgia associated with the gun to ever get rid of it.

  • My Guns, that's all.

    I want to play along!


    Here's my current arsenal. from left to right:


    63" Mori/Hanson- Mori and I made this gun in less than 48 hours. The stock is a solid piece of 30 year aged curly teak. Beautiful piece of work! Mori made all the cuts on his machines to my specs, and I did all the finish work. Many thanks, Mori!


    60" "Bluewater" from Gil Gacula of Speardiver


    55" Tracker II from Gil Gacula fo Speardiver. This is my favorite and most used gun.


    130cm Mako Predator "slightly" modified. Thanks Tinman!


    120cm Picasso Carbon Wood I have killed more Yellowtail with this gun than I can remember...with a 6.75mm shaft and a single 20mm band!


    52-1/2" Wong Magnum Hybrid RHP- My WSB gun


    50" Wong Magnum Hybrid- my "go to" gun for So Cal shorediving. I have taken every major species of fish in California, with this gun. I can shoot this gun blind-folded!:D

  • Almost Famous

    Yes, it was. I shot the fish in 7' of water. I was on my way in after a 4 hour dive and I spooked a 15 lber in only 2' of water while exiting. Knowing what I know about halibut;) I made an immediate left turn out to open water and found a set of "grapes" sticking up out of the sand after 20' of kicking out. It was the only part of the fish that was visible.


    I had no idea that the fish was anywhere near this big until after I shot it and it exploded out of the sand:@ She never gave up until the bitter end. I ended up on my back in the sand with her on top of me, trying to beat the ever-living sh*t out of me with that tail! It drew quite a crowd! The picture was taken not 5 minutes after I pulled it out of the water. That's why it is still all "lit-up" and the fins are flared out.

  • ceviche


    That's pretty much the same recipe I use. It is definiely my favorite


    The "leche del tigre" sounds like it might be a good base to make some cheladas:thumbsup2:

  • Mako 130 al or Rob Allen 130 al ????

    Quote from Tin Man

    Hey John - How did your handle finally turn out? I thought you still wanted to smooth it a little?


    I haven't done anything to it yet. I kind of lost some motivation over it due to the fact that the last two weekends were a bust for going diving and also the fact the deer season is now open:D Busted a big boy out of the brush tonight behind the house. I know where he is hiding. Going out tomorrow morning with the bow:thumbsup2:

  • Mako 130 al or Rob Allen 130 al ????

    Yes, that was my gun.


    I like Dyneema because it does not cause steering like mono can, especially with light shafts and a single band. I used pipe guns for quite some time a few years back. I felt that there was increased speed, no steering and less chance of fraying and or break-off over mono. I was changing my mono every 2-3 dives. I change my dyneema maybe once a year or when there is obvious damage or wear. I use 1.8mm dyneema which is 600 lb strength. 400 lb mono is 2.2mm, I believe. Dyneema also has no memory. So it will not form permanent loops or bends that can ultimately cause steering issues which lead to inaccuracy.


    I have the predator model Mako. I have owned a Rabi Apex (mako Iconic) in the past and did not like the handle at all. The predator handle was much more preferable. With the predator handle, you could always take it off and use shapelock if you don't like it. The base of the handle has some nice indentations to lock the shapelock into place and is also very easy to shape around as it is simply a long skinny rectangle. The Iconic looks like it would be a bit more difficult to work with and limit the amount of options one would have, as the "frame" is already formed to the shape that you can see with the side plates attached.


    I forgot to mention that I also prefer versatility in my guns. Another point for the mako over the RA would be the loading pad. I don't think that the RA will allow one. Perhaps I am wrong. But I know for a fact that with the Mako, you can use it or remove it by simply pulling the retaining pin.

  • Mako 130 al or Rob Allen 130 al ????

    The thing about pipeguns is that they are easily modified. They are all pretty much the same, so I would be most concerned with the trigger mech being SS rather than plastic.


    I don't feel that the bottom line relase is any issue especially when using only 1 wrap of shooting line, which I do with pipeguns.


    I have a Mako 130 and I really didn't like the muzzle or the handle on it, but I was in a pinch for a long gun, quickly, for a bluewater trip. The gun was relatively inexpensive. it already has a strong reputation as a quality pipegun, due to the fact that it is simply a Rabitech, relabeled. (not trying to stir the pot here, just pointing out a fact in favor of the mako product)


    I Modified my Mako with Tinman muzzle and a shapelock handle for about $60. Not that it really needed it, it was simply a matter of preference. I shot the gun stock and did quite well with it the first day I had it out. I never missed a shot with it, had no problems penetrating any fish, and had no tear offs. I would say that was a pretty good day!


    Actually, I take back that I shot it stock. I did change out the shooting line that came with it from a double wrap mono, to a single wrap dyneema line.


    Bottom line, is that it is a good gun. I have owned RAs in the past as well and made the same modifications, sans replacing the handle. Both were decent, however, the RA line release pin did break after a while, as it was made of plastic. Again, pipeguns are very easy to fix and modify. Buy what fits your budget best now.

  • Hooked on Shapelock

    Some of you may remember the thread about mako guns...


    http://spearfishing.world/spea…4-mako-guns-question.html


    I showed some pics of the muzzle that that Jeff (Tinman) made for the gun. I also commented about the handles and my dislike for them. Senor Hau suggested that I make a handle out of shapelock. I got my package in the mail today!


    I was surprised at how easy this stuff is to work with! I am hooked! I am really anxious to go shoot this gun now, as if i wasn't already, with the new muzzle.


    Here's a few pics. It just dried, but isn't quite dry enough to start sanding down the "rough" edges. I know it's not really necessary to do it, but I am a stickler for clean lines and even flow;)

  • howdy

    Welcome Steve!


    Glad you made it here. I just found this site recently, myself. It's a refreshing change from that "other place".

  • Mako large gear bag

    It's a nice bag as far as the size, material and of course the price.


    The downside of this bag is the zippers. While they look to be of high quality, I have experienced separation of the teeth on every trip I have had this bag on, even with minimal equipment inside of it.