Posts by Stonecutter

Quote from Wayno

I have a 110 that I take to Belize, but I think a 120 would be a better choice. My next smallest gun is a 140 which is good for bluewater, but way too long for the reef. With the clear water and spooky fish in Belize, I think the extra range of a 120 would be good both in bluewater and on the reef, and it should still be maneuverable on the reef. In my experience, you're not taking a lot of tight shots or shooting into holes near Ambergris.

All the suggestions from you, Brian and Hank have me convinced that 120 would be the right length. Thanks. Now I've got to decide what to buy. I've mentioned a few guns earlier in the thread, but what I really want I a wooden gun. Ive been into traditional archery since I was little, and even helped with a couple bow builds. The wooden gun appeals to that part of me and since I've just sold a bunch of stuff headed for storage, my budget got bigger. So now I'm looking for a teak 120....:D

Quote from Cookie

get the repair kit the extra arrow tip for sure get more set screws,,,, they are easy to loose when changing tips out on the boat
not available in Belize ...... I had to make my own

I did notice that stuff is harder to come by there.:D I'm from the school of thought where 2 is 1 and 1 is none....so I've got extras on the list.

Quote from Cookie

......and the craftsmanship cant be beat.

For me, this is trumps another brand that may be a little faster.:)

Quote from Cookie

I have a Crist...... It is a monster..... no regrets but is too much spear for what I do. It is real slow. It has its place but to me it should not be your one pole spear for all.... in Belize . It is the .50 cal. of pole spears, no doubt. and the craftsmanship cant be beat.

Nor cal.......... I bet it is perfect

Brian

How long is your spear, Brian?

Most pole spear measurements do not include the length of the tip, which could be up to 18" or more for a flopper tip, less for a paralyzer.

Im not an expert, but I have some experience with pole spears. 7" might be a touch long for the reef. There's a few companies out there like Gat-Ku that offer modular pieces to reduce pole spear size to transition from blue water to reef. Here's a link: https://gatku.com/

I'm working with Crist on a custom spear for when I get to Belize. It's a 2 piece designed for the reef and I'm psyched to get it. Aaron has a solid reputation for quality and customer service.

We chartered two fishing trips when we were there. The deep water trip was dead, only a small tuna and a 'cuda but the reef trip was pretty good. The next day the boat got a 50lb hoo and got a nice Marlin boatside.

I was warned about the crocs there and it's enough to keep me onshore. Thank you again for your feedback, it's very much appreciated.

Thanks for the tips Wayno. I've got some of the same 411 from some friends that have been on the island from 1-12 years. We never got to MSD during our three week stay, but its reputation is solid. We had to save a couple spots for when we returned!

I met a couple guys that worked blue water, but you're right, most of what's done is on the reef. So I'm thinking around 110 would be a good size?

Don't hold back on suggestions about gear in the future. When you see consistency it adds weight to what has been recommended. Thanks for your feedback!

Quote from hank

I use a Wong 55 hybrid. I double wrap and use a reel. Two 14 mm, small hole bands from Dan. Mine are 26-27 inches but that's specific to my gun. I like the softer feel without so much recoil.
Never really tried single wrap though.
You're right, the Speardiver guns are high quality.

The best spots along the reef are the cuts. In between you'll find the occasional lone snapper or grouper but they're few and far between. But if you're in the cuts, make sure you have a good boatman and or buddy. The currents in Belize are generally not too bad overall, but the cuts can rip.

I'd be happy to hook up with you but I'm off to Vietnam right now and won't be in Belize much in the near future. But Brian can hook you up.

Check out the Fricken Jake thread in the Belize forum. You can see the fish we get here in the cuts.

Good luck and be safe out there.

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Thanks a lot Hank. We won't be there until May and are looking forward to settling in.

Hank or Cookie...any opinion on a gun length since I'm moving to your location?

Xxxxxx

That's cool, I'll do that. Thanks!

Quote from Marco

110 cm, single wrap.

I like 2 x 14 mm better than 2 x 16 mm. Both brands are good. Float & floatline if you're a beginer. Easier to use.

Dive safe.

Thank you Marco. I've read quite a bit of your input here and I appreciate your concise and practical suggestions.

Why do you like 14mm better? Easier to load?

Float and float line instead of a reel? Is that because there's less chance of entanglement?

Quote from matt hudson

Man I wish I was moving to Belize! I've never dove in any conditions resembling where you'll be at but I'd suggest a single wrap with attached float line on whatever gun you settle on. Be safe out there.

Thank you...it sounds strange when I tell people I'm moving there too. We used to go to St Maarten quite a bit and we wanted to live there, but it didn't work out.

Quote from Stick em

I favor wood guns so I would suggest that you include the speardiver 120 Teak gun as well.
Yes, you will want a reel or a float line for your gun so it stays in your possession.
I prefer a floatline to a reel, especially in blue water-but different strokes for different folks. If you plan on doing any lobster diving a gun on a floatline can be left on the bottom to mark a hole while you get a breath.

I'd love to get a wood gun and in fact, I do plan on building one someday. I've worked with wood my whole life and seeing a few builds has really got my brain working. For now, I don't have the time or space, plus my tools will be in NY. Anyhow, thanks for your input. I'm still waffling on which gun and the size. I'm not sure if I need the 120....my gut is telling me it'll be too long most of the time. I'm kind of leaning towards a shorter gun, like 90-110. And I still like the Pathos laser pro, RA tuna & Speardiver phantom.

Oh, and there will be plenty of bug hunting when the season opens up again. We got out just before it closed during our trip an got a bunch of them had a great shore lunch.

Quote from Stick em

I wouldn't worry too much about finding an all purpose gun, you'll have a bunch of them before you realize what has happened. :thumbsup2:
Can't wait to see some reports.
Mark

Truer words have never been spoken. But Im trying to be practical and reasonable for now! I'm not really looking for a true all purpose gun, just a high quality one that is fairly use friendly, but not so that I'll want an upgrade in a relatively short time.

Thanks in advance for your time and patience with more noob questions.

In my intro I mentioned that my family (wife & 8 year old) are moving to Ambergris Caye in about a month. We recently returned from there after a 3 week trip and decided to sign a one year lease on a condo, so I'll be in the water quite a bit. Spearfishing is something I've always wanted to do but the circumstances were never very practical for me to get into it....now that's changed!

For the last couple months, I've done as much as I could to see what's out there, read and compare gear objectively and try and figure out what's practical for me.

At least for now, I think most of the spearfishing will be on the reef, but I've got a few friends living there, and they are in the blue water often so I anticipate joining them. For the reef and the species I've seen, I plan on getting a Crist pole spear, probably a 6'...I've done a fair amount of pole spearing and if I need something longer it's not going to be a problem to get one.

What I'd like to hear suggestions on is a speargun. Realizing that one size won't fit all, I still would like to find a gun that's sized for the reef and maybe even tackle some pelagic species.....I've been seeing posts that mention 100-120cm. As far as brands, I was looking at Rob Allen ( searching that brand name lead me here ), Cressi, Pathos and when I landed here...Speardiver.

So if anyone can offer suggestions, my initial questions are:
1) What would be a good length to cover the reef and occasional trips for pelagic fish? I realize that there's limitations and I have a responsibility to not shoot at anything I cant harvest humanely
2) Will I need a reel for blue water shooting?
3) One wrap or two

So what I'm leaning toward is the Speardiver phantom 110 w/ 2x16mm w 7mm spring shafts.....not to curry favor or anything.:) The phantom just screams quality and I think the handle is one of the best designs I've seen. Additionally, I plan on buying a spare shaft or two, maybe spare rubber and a reel if necessary.

I just want to buy something that is moderately priced but is also well made....not a gun that I want to upgrade right away. One thing I always do is buy right the first time as much as budget allows.

I realize it would be better to get my hands on different guns and shoot them, but I don't have time. The island has a good dive shop, but besides not having the brands I'm favoring (RA & Sd) it's super expensive. Of course I can order and have it shipped, but at 30% duty tax, I'd rather try something I brought in and then buy the primary gear while I'm here in the states.

There it is for now. Again, I appreciate any feedback...and you've been warned. There will probably be a couple follow up questions.:D

Thank you both!

Greeting to the forum community!

My name is Matt and my user name has to do with my profession. My family and I are moving to Ambergris Caye, Belize in about 4 weeks or so, and I'll be in the water a lot. I'm a noob as spearfishing, but have been involved with a lot of other sports and pursuits that will tie in nicely. I've been enjoying the forum for a couple days and figured I'd may as well join up, as they are a good resource and place to bounce thoughts and ideas around.

I'm apologizing in advance, because I'll probably ask some of the same old questions that have been beaten to death, but it's not because I didn't search for answers here or on other forums. Hopefully, I will be a help for someone in the future in return. Thanks for adding me to the community.

Matt aka Stonecutter