Posts by John Hanson

I was also estimating 20 degrees when I first saw them. Thanks for taking the measurement.

OK, got me blades today. I also got an e-mail back from Erik at Sumora. The blades have 24 degrees of bend, which I can's seem to wrap my mind around because they seem at least 5 degrees less than my DiveRs, which are supposed to be 25 degrees:confused1:

I don't have anything to measure the angle and I simply don't feel like doing any trig at the moment:boring1:

I have included some pictures so everyone can see the angle of both, mounted in an Omer foot pocket. The one with significantly more bend is the DiveR.

I was quite surprised to see how thick these blades were. All the other carbon blades I have seen were paper thin. The bend is somewhat like a FG blade. I'll be sure to post something once I have had a chance to try them out.

By the way, the blade dimesions are 80cm X 22cm.

Quote from hau

John Hanson---welcome to the best freedivingspearfishing forum there is :thumbsup2:
Some of us frequent other forums but consider this forum home.
Another spearo once said "you are among friends here"
Any winter day you want to come to sunny / warm Florida to yak/freedivespearfish and enjoy the beach buns just give us a heads-up as you have an open invitation here.
Also, congrats on your new place and future "shop" :thumbsup2:

Much appreciated Hau! Florida is definitely on my list of spearing destinations.

Clear floatlines are just as visible, if not more so, due to the fact that there is a void inside the tubing. Light reflects off the tubing the same way it does off a bubble, making it shine. The only way to make it "invisible", would be to flood the tubing.

If you are not too concerned about brute strength in the floatline, you could always use clear vinyl tubing cored with 300-400 lb clear mono. Again you will get light reflection, but this may serve the purpose of a flasher, in some instances and may well scare off the fish in others.

I have always preferred yellow floatlines. They are easily seen from the surface but fade quickly at depth and don't stand out like a sore thumb like black or red would. Of course, clear vinyl tubing with gray specta inside would be pretty subdued at depth.

I partially agree with your sentiment that floatlines can scare off fish. I think reef species are more frightened by it,as they are with any object that suddenly shows up in their "backyard", where as pelagics seem to be attracted to it, as they are with most foreign objects floating in the water.

Thank you all!

After a day or two here, all I can say is, how refreshing it is to be involved in a spearfishing forum that actually discusses...well... Spearfishing:crazy:

They are, but with the price of FG blades where they are now:0, why wouldn't one go with carbon for a few dollars more?

I got the med-hard stiffness which run $455. They are not yet listed on the Sumora website. I went to Erik directly, to get them. I will post a report on them when I get a chance to use them.

I have a pair of Spierre Pure Carbons arriving this week. I will let you know. I couldn't find the angle listed with the other specs, but if they are modeled after the FG blades, then it will be pretty steep.

Quote from Dan

I'm set on the gun that I like. Future changes will not be a matter of manufacturer as I make the gun myself

That's the direction I am heading myself. I finally got settled in enough that I am ready to build my shop. I will be pouring the foundation next month. I should have the shop complete and "tooled up" by next spring.

Of course I can't wait that long, so I will be purchasing some minimalist tools to get started on a premade blank. I am going to keep the first gun quite simple, while maintaining the same handle and handle placement. It just won't be quite as much gun as the one I posted, although, it will be a bit longer and shoot lighter shafts. Basically an "in-line" wooden railgun for hunting the weed lines for mahi.

This will also give me some experience building a gun without getting too complicated on the build.

While I am sure that is feasible, I replaced the old mask with a new one and had the same results. I was really bummed because I loved the Naida mask. I acutally like the Alien more, now that I have spent some quality time with it. I still wish it were available with an amber lens.

This is an offshoot of the thread "Bluewater No-Nos"

The topic was shooting guns that you are accustomed to shooting on a regular basis and how that effects us when going to a BW cannon that only gets shot a few times a year.

The consensus seems to be that all one's guns should ideally be the same, with respect to the fact that as guns get bigger, the only thing that should change is the scale.

After spending many years and countless dollars on different guns, I finally found a gun that "spoke" to me and said "The One"! It is a So Cal Tracker II that was designed and built by Gil Gacula of Spear-Diver.

I had Gil make a few modifications to the gun based on personal preferences and specific hunting locations. I had him move the handle back from the "standard" 12-14" that most production mid-handle guns seem to have, to 9" from the butt of the gun. I like this placement because it puts the butt of the gun right in the middle of my forearm. This helps me with aiming by gun far enough out in front my eyes that I can see the but and the tip of the gun simultaneously. It also keeps the butt of the gun far enough away from my face that I will not get a fat lip. I cannot shoot guns while backing up with the other hand. I have to shoot one handed.

The gun also has a semi-enclosed track. I did this because of the areas I hunt and big fish are often shot at close range. I have had several instances of the shaft not clearing the end of the full track after shooting a fish and was fortunate enough that the fish did not tear the shaft out of the track. The half track is enough that it will eliminate shaft whip for taking longer shots, when needed.

The gun is 55"; the perfect length for shooting on the rigs here in the GOM or in the kelp beds off Southern California. I would really like to have this gun made in a 60-65" and have been on the waiting list for quite some time now. Gil has a back-log that seems like it will never end!

The gun is much wider than it is tall. It is 2.5" wide at the butt and 1.75 wide at the muzzle, with a height of 1.75". The butt end is flat on the bottom with 3/4" roundovers on the top. About mid-way through the gun the shape transistions into an oval, making the gun very easy to swing, hence it's name, "Tracker".

The gun is rigged with a 60" 5/16 flopper shaft and (3) 15mm bands. Fully rigged the gun weighs in at 8lbs. Felt recoil is very minimal.

So post up your "Go To Gun"!

I'll take some pictures and start a new thread.

My primary mask right now is the Omer Alien. It is the most comfortable mask I have ever worn. I really wish it was available with amber lenses, for the reason that Griswold mentioned. Like others have mentioned, the Omer masks fog really bad. I have tried just about every remedy there is. I just got into the habit of using defog before each dive.

Prior to the Alien I was using the AQA Naida amber lens mask. My face seems to changed shape over the last couple of years, because it started leaking just above my lip.

I have had a really hard time finding a mask that seals correctly on my face. The only other mask that I could ever get to fit right was the Cressi Super Ochio. I had one of those for years. But, like the Naida, as I got older, my facial structure seems to have a changed a bit and i could not get it to seal.

Quote from fuzz

I've spent years testing & playing with lots of spearguns, but when it comes down to it... I'm moving to a select range of guns that I can pick up and be familiar with. (i.e. for wooden euros, I have 90cm, 110cm, 130cm seasniper euros - all rear-handle, 2 bands, 9/32 shaft) It's nice to pick up a gun and know it will shoot where you want it to, then be able to pick up another size of the same gun and not miss a beat. Confidence in your equipment is very important.

I couldn't agree more! I finally found a gun with all the features and specifications that suit my needs,wants, etc...Now my plan is to simply duplicate the gun in various lengths.

Chad nailed it about handle placement. I would go even further to say that the handle itself is more critical. Having the same "feel" everytime one grabs a gun is going to be key in developing the muscle memory that leads to instinctive shooting.

Dave,
you'll have to come for a visit after you get settled in. Glad to see you made it out of the land of "fruits and nuts"!

Thanks Dan. I never knew the site existed until this morning...

Hello to all.

Just introducing myself here. I just found the forum through a link posted on another site.
My name is John Hanson. I recently moved to South Mississippi from Southern California. I have been in MS for almost a year now. Some of you may know me from the other boards as "Seacrecher"