I had the opportunity to meet Rob Allen at blue wild and talk to him about his design vs. his competitors. He was actually very informative and has inspected JBLs product himself. The problem he says is that with his trigger mech (I believe a reverse trigger mech he stated) there is hardly ever involuntary discharge of the shaft. However, the JBL cassette which uses an old Rob Allen design and more plastic parts may present more cases of accidental discharge. He said to make sure when loading the shaft to lock it in place because sometimes it will feel secure but isn't and when you load the bands it will discharge automatically. I asked him if it was worth upgrading the internals of the cassette but disassembly sometimes cracked the case or damaged other plastic parts rendering the mechanism useless. I guess cassettes are meant to be switched out as a whole anyways and I could simply put in the Rob Allen cassette in there which I plan on doing anyways when I rig my breakaway system. We also got to talk about rollers too which was awesome and he is only a fan of the single band roller apparently because it's enough to get the job done. Don't know if that was just a sales pitch however.
Posts by Jos
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This is a fairly good spot to get your toes in the water. I started out there and the biggest problem is parking and getting your gear to the point of entry. I would suggest planning ahead to accommodate for this. However I have been able to dive from the spot with ease when the right conditions are present. First off, avoid high tourist traffic times, second call 941-232-2437 which is a beach quality service. When you call the number it will give you a list of counties and beaches to choose from, select Sarasota County and then select Siesta Key beach. This will give you a visibility report, don't bother to go if it's dark. Moderate may still be workable but your best chances are under clear conditions. This information can also be gathered here: Beach Conditions Reporting System. If you are smart about choosing your conditions you will have a much better time fishing. You will have the opportunity to shoot a wide array of fish, I have shot sheepshead and mullet there. I have also seen a barracuda there but just a small one. There are a lot of other fish you can eat at the location but you will have to search for a sizable fish. The biggest problem you will encounter is actually depth, it is very shallow during low tide so go during high tide to maximise your conditions. During low tide people walk on the rocks that are usually submerged so your hunting area is severely limited. If you are fairly adventurous you can swim all the way down south towards turtle beach and into some deeper areas, it's not actually that hard to get to and very safe as long as you have a dive flag! There are some crazy jet skis sometimes which is why I hug the rocks. Don't worry about sharks, you won't be bothered by them at all. Again figure parking out first because that's the hardest thing about the spot, there's only one parking area with easy access to point of rocks and it's right after you cross the bridge to get on the key to the left. You'll see a very easy to miss alleyway with angled parking on only one side. That's the only place to park. Let us know how you did!
-Jos -
I'm just here to share my experience. I purchased leaderfin ICE stereoblades. Didn't have any problem with the blades but the footpockets were too loose and I didn't like the plastic they used at all. It did not hold shape and the opening to put your foot in was not circular or uniform between the two foot pockets even. Leaderfins is based in Estonia or Latvia, so returning the footpockets was no option as shipping would be far too expensive. What I did was purchase the Mako footpockets only. They fit much better with little tolerances but will allow me to fit my foot in with a dive sock. The plastic looks much better visually but it is also lighter, and holds form much better. Also around my ankles where the leaderfin pockets used to have gaps because of the loosey goosey plastic is a nice seamless snug fit contouring where my foot fits in the fin. In hindsight I wish I had purchased the foot pockets alone first for fitment, then gone on to purchasing whatever blades I needed.
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do you need more pictures or the trigger mech than Dan already posted? Because I can't deconstruct it more than that myself. I assume that's what the cassette is but if I'm misunderstanding you just let me know, I'm not used to the terminology.
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I'm right down south of you in Sarasota/Venice. I can confirm how hard it is to find a beach dive on the gulf coast. If you find any solid spots in your area let me know because I have been driving to Ft. Lauderdale for Beach Dives. It is MUCH more friendly on that coast for spearos plus visibility from the shore is amazing. The problem with the gulf coast is access and visibility. The sheepshead you talk about filter food out of the sand so when you kick up the bottom they will come looking for anything they can eat. Makes it easier for you to find what you're looking to eat too though haha. I am familiar with the palm harbour/Dunedin area and am wondering if you have tried any of the causeways? Those might yield better results for you. If you need a buddy hit me up because it's safer to dive together especially if you're testing your limits. Most of my friends are into the finer things society has to offer so I could use a dive buddy myself.
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I really appreciated all the advice it was invaluable, thanks Dan. My decision to go for a coated steel shooting line was because there weren't any drawbacks that were apparent to me. Of course I do not know any better. I have not shot into any wrecks yet and only experience coral reef on the Ft. Lauderdale coast but it's mainly soft coral. I guess there is no real justification yet but I thought why not as I don't know what my future requirements might be.
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This is for all who are interested in how the bands lay up. The muzzle is my favourite part of the gun as you can see it lines the bands up nicely.
As for design of the gun I am very pleased, I guess that is in large part due to its similarity to a Rob Allen. I don't find much problem with the handle rake, in hindsight that might be due to my shooting style. I keep the gun under my profile until I see a fish, then I extend my arm into the shot. If anyone has anything to say on why I shouldn't do this please do, I just feel that it's easier to pinpoint a shot with some forward momentum instead of just using my wrist muscles and moving my arm at full extension in the water.
The quality of the gun's fit and finish is a little more concerning to me. First off, the shaft guide does not line up perfectly with the trigger mech, it is a little offset (rotated to the left). It does not seem to affect the accuracy greatly but as a perfectionist it is worse than death. The protective coating on the barrel does not do well when you drop the gun in the driveway, I'm not sure if it only prevents low impact scratches in the water but the gun came with a rubber buffer on the shooting line to stop that from scratching the finish so JBL realises this. You can see where I've replaced that part with my own matching rubber.
I also changed the shooting line to a stainless steel coated one and have one wrap on the gun, it comes with two wraps and some people say it can shoot further than a single wrap. At full extension the range is 20.5 feet with one wrap. This includes the length of my arm (2.5 feet) and shaft (50 in). This length is greater than most effective ranges in the Gulf so one wrap is all I do.
Please let me know if you are interested in anything else. My final thoughts are it is very sufficient for my first gun, but we will see if it remains so in the future. At the price point JBL has these guns at, you can tell they are trying to push Rob Allen out of the American market.
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Hey everyone,
My name is Jos, I just got started in spearfishing a little under a year ago. It hasn't taken long for me to become addicted, I visit South Florida regularly for the awesome visibility and ease of beach dives however I'm based in the murky waters of Venice on the Gulf Coast. I found this forum thanks to Dan who gave me some invaluable advice regarding what I could do to improve my speargun (the JBL reaper that is actually posted in the Speargun/polespear section).
I'm looking forward to sharing knowledge with everyone, especially since I will benefit the most. I feel like a minnow amongst sharks in here as I see most have many years of experience but I hope I won't get chomped up too easily
If anyone is nearby get in contact, would love to meet up and head out in the murk.
-Jos
