Holy cow! Now those look like a lot of fun to shoot! I agree on the salt water fish vs fresh water fish culinary value. Some fresh water fish taste muddy and bland. But depending on where and time of year, freshwater fish are tasty. Can't bring myself to try freshwater sashimi though.
Thanks for the info.
Looks like most are using gigs for the pike. Poking these fish would be fun with A pole spear/three prong, especially given the fresh water visibility in some of the videos. Is there a culinary value to pike? Not too many destinations will pay you for simply doing what we like to do...
Interesting possibilities
This week I had the pleasure of hooking up with that other windward Big Island fish slayer, aka Akira dkt, to do some fresh water hunting at Lake Pleasant, AZ. The last time I spoke with Josh we were standing in a parking lot at Waiakea Ponds/ Wailoa River discussing the build I wanted him to do for a travel-take down gun. The first meeting having taken place at Tokunaga's in Hilo. Now here we both were in AZ (me because my job has me based here, and for Josh he was attending his sister's graduation) with a chance to go and see what damage we could do in the lakes around Phoenix. Due to the heavy rains AZ has had, the water in some of the lakes was too dirty to dive. But lake pleasant was at least good enough to dive, though not super clear. Both Josh and I had visions of shooting striped bass, but only got a few sightings. Water got dark and cold at 30-50', so most shooting occurred in mid 30's. All we were able to shoot were carp...although other fish were sighted, only carp and striped bass are legal for spearing.:nono: But shooting fish is shooting fish so we made sure we shot a lot of whatever we could legally shoot. Day one the total fish taken were 13 decent sized carp...not a great culinary success but they are a lot of fun to shoot and put on your kui! Day two ended in a total count of 10. Out of self preserved pride I will only say that we traded positions for who shot the most fish:cool2:
Having Josh here in AZ for a couple of days was a great boost of local Big Island stoke. This kid can hunt! And yes, the smile you always see in his fotos is real and genuine...reminded me of diving with my sons. As for the gun build...absolutely beautiful.Weve already started talking about my next Akira dkt build. His wood working is masterful and allows the character of the raw blank to come through. I gave him a few "must haves" that I wanted to see in the build and cut him loose to design and create as the builder. I will be taking this gun to Indonesia and back to Big Island to "baptize" the gun next month as my 17 year old and I set off on another exotic adventure....the accounting of which will not be found in the "Freshwater Shooting" thread. :laughing2:
Ive asked Akira dkt to post about the build and share the pictures he has of the build progression. For any of you looking for your next build, especially if you want a unique and innovative approach to guns, talk to Josh.
Can't upload the pictures for some technical reason...maybe Josh, you can throw them up on a reply
Big Mahalos for reading...
A Hui Hou!
Aloha!
Makoa
Absolutely yes! I love it! My youngest daughter wants me to build her a pink speargun...Whatever it takes to get them in the water!
Awesome pictures Hank. Thanks
Incredible! Was a shark shield in play? That tiger's eye membrane kept closing as it approached and turned away, just wondering why? Maybe the song "Danger Zone" would have been appropriate...
Great footage!!
Quote
Now THATS funny! :laughing3:
Right on Hank! Thanks for posting.
And then there are the benefits of having kids that dive...
1) It's a great excuse for spending your $$ on dive and spear gear, and fishing trips
2) More fish in your cooler
Haha...nah, wasn't intentional...just a great song!
Thanks for the positive comments.
Wanted to start a thread for spearos who have enjoyed the experience of sharing their ocean-born passion with their sons, daughters, or other members of their family. It gets a bit sentimental....sorry in advance! Those of you who know me, or have come to know me through the sharing of stories and ideas about diving and spearing, know that I am as passionate about my relationship with my kids as I am about my relationship with the ocean. In the same way that the ocean can be the scariest and most intimidating force of nature one moment and then the most beautiful and generous friend the next, children are the most amazing blessings we humans can have...scary and intimidating forces of nature at times, and beautiful generous friends at other times. For me, nothing compares to the sense of victory more the the adrenaline pumping experience when you've been diving in rough seas, or have had to kick hard through a ripping current, or have made it through a tight reef pass in pounding surf, all with a day's catch on your kui. Island divers know what I'm talking about. It's satisfying because it took work, endurance, focus, and desire. Raising kids is the same. No other effort IMHO brings the same satisfaction than having your children grow from your child into your best and most trusted friend. My kids have saved me as a person because of their love for me, and one son actually saved me as a diver because of his awareness of me. I could go on and on and.....
Please share your experiences, stories of adventures, or memories you have of diving with your kids. I love to see and hear experiences others have had. Marco, Hank, and others have posted pictures and it's cool to hear the similar stories of watching their sons shoot their first fish to out doing their old man as they get older.
I look forward to hearing about all the father-son, or father-daughter dive partners out there.
Aloha! Makoa
Wow Marco, I wouldn't have guessed...you look 10 years younger than me! Where's the grey hair hermano?! Maybe I need a super hero avatar...
Aloha!
My entire head is grey Bruddah
Age 54, but feel like 34! I think having 8 kids, 5 of which are active, athletic boys who all share my passion for the waterman's way of life has kept me young and feeling as though my age is simply a number denoting my years of experience and not the age of my body. Having a passion for activity, not living life on a couch, and wanting to be there to enjoy adventures with my kids are keys for me in thinking I'm younger than 54. The only issue for me has been that recovery time for injuries has increased! I've broken ribs, torn rotator cuffs, and had surgery to repair the ligament on both thumbs as results of motocross and surfing "mishaps!" I don't usually hang out with guys my age on the golf course or sit in the diner sipping coffee reminiscing of "the good ole days." My golden years are now...while my boys still like doing things with their dad. I also attribute my "youthfulness" to my wife's farm girl way of feeding us...raising free range chickens for eggs, goats milk from our goats, fresh fruits and vegetables, home made meals, and of course, the fresh fish we enjoy.
Nickmal, way to go man. Glad to see the young at heart doing what they love. A total inspiration.
Aloha!
Maybe we'll actually get out and get a dive in together...in Indonesia! Thats awesome. Keep me posted for sure.
Aloha!
While you were driving over saddle road I was Probably out at Laupahoehoe getting skunked by dirty water and big seas from all the rains and winds! Saddle road is a great drive...but Waimea and malasadas from Tex's Drive Inn keep me on Mamalahoa highway. And of course the poke bowls from Papaaloa Store! Hope you had a good stay in Kona. Did you and Jake get out? Lots of changes going on over Kona side.
Yeah, can't wait for Indo. Want to go remote and off grid. We'll do 2-3 weeks to travel and a couple weeks back on BI.
Shoots! Aloha!
Yes, we've chatted and he's got a wealth of knowledge on Indo. Thanks for the response!
Aloha!
My boys and I are wanting to put a trip together to Indo and wanted to check with anyone who has speared in Indonesia. Any info regarding legal regs etc would be greatly appreciated. We are planning to spend the month of June travelling.
Big Mahalos in advance.
Aloha!
How deep are the pargo in panama? I've hunted deep in Mexico for pargo only to be totally surprised to hear of local guys shooting pargo in 10' of water at night!
Very Nice Marco!
Aloha
"The Greater Baracuda have a very strong odor"...
The meat doesn't have a strong odor. It's the skin and slime. I've never smelled ammonia though. It does have a distinctive smell though....like only barracuda smell....:):
Yes. Not the meat, only the fish after it's on the boat...but if put on ice the smell subsides. Meat is translucent and very mellow and "buttery" in its texture.
I've got to pipe in...best ceviche and poke (Hawaiian style raw fish) ever! The mellow, non-oily meat makes it so perfect for sashimi. I've found that to cook it would be a sin...The Greater Baracuda have a very strong odor which I think cause most to think they are a bad tasting trash fish. Also there is a misconception that they are "full of bones"...WHAT?! The only valid argument against eating these meaty, mellow flavored fish is the fact that they are prone to cig. The Kaku (heller's barracuda) in Hawaiian waters and other waters (Mexico, South Pacific) don't have that "ammonia" smell like the Cuda I've taken in FLA. I've not hunted South Fla waters in a long time but central Fla both on gulf and Atlantic sides seem to have numerous cuda. The only thing I can think of for the new regulations would be that they are not hard to hunt as the greater barracuda like to "hang" stationary rather than swim through a location in schools like the kaku. The new regulation is very curious.
Kahala Smoked hands down!! A nice smoke of kiawe (mesquite)!
Glad the taxman got the fish and left you alone. Night dives at Laupahoehoe have been spooky with the local resident tax collector!
