Posts by hau

K, I just worked out a very easy and cheap way to make a belt reel for those spearos that use or are thinking of using a belt reel. I know that many spearos use floats, that many do not like belt reels and that many spearos have no need of a belt reel, but this thread is not about all that. This thread is for the spearos like me that want to or are using belt reels and that want / need a very good reel on a belt; easy, cheap and fast.
Sooooooo-----

I just bought two Speardiver speargun reels from Freedive store. (The service was fast and perfect as always, even here on the other side of the world in Guam). I have been using Speardiver reels since the first prototypes became available, like over 5 years or so. This is THE BEST speargun reel I have ever used. IMO, the Speardiver reel is way better than any other reel I have every used in +25yrs of spearing and I wanted to put a second one on my belt instead of using floats
I converted this gun reel to a belt reel in like 30min or less and cost me next to nothing and it works great. Only tools needed is a standard mono crimping tool, about 8inches or less of the mono we all have lying around and one crimping sleeve. You can use almost any size mono and sleeve that you already have that you use for shooting line or whatever.
1. Turn the reel face down on the table
2. Run the mono through 4 of the holes on the back base plate of the reel.
3. Lay your weight belt across the back of the reel.
4. Slip on the crimp sleeve and adjust mono through the sleeve to the correct tightness on the belt and cut mono
5. Remove belt and crimp sleeve.
6. Slip belt back through crimped mono (this is easier if you wet the rubber belt first).
7. Done

If you change your mind and want to use the reel on a gun=just slip the reel off the belt and onto your gun mount. <img src= " srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x" height="23">
Hope this helps

Quote from Ihab

2mm...316 grade stainless steel.....if you can send me the drawing of the muzzle in CAD...I can laser cut it and a few more....you pay for shipping only.

Ihab

This ^^^^ is ANOTHER of the reasons I love spearfishing and spearfishing people.
Thanks Ihab.:toast2:
Many times I wish that I had more to contribute
Good luck with your build Reefchief

IMO, "not hearing a word about it on local Miami news" says alot about how the propaganda operates with these regulating organizations. They want to hold "in suto public meetings", just be aware that if you go and voice your objections to increased recreational fishing losses that you run the risk of being:
1. Ignored.
2. Silenced
3. Escorted out.
4. Worse

This is a copy/paste from some place else;

"Key West Chamber of Commerce comes out against FKNMS
In a letter to the Editor in the Key West Citizen ;
Robin Lockwood , President of the Chamber of Commerce speaks out against the Florida Marine Sanctuary and it's proposed plans to create more closed zones and manipulate fisheries illegally.
As of this Thursday , March 6 th , at Marathon Garden club ; the Sanctuary will reconvene the meetings which drew overwhelming opposition last year.
In violation of its own charter and scope of power they will review proposed closures and spawning aggregation sites . It came out it last years meetings that the current closed areas were illegally created also. Many are calling for these areas to be reopened and cite economic loss and unsound science as primary reasons in addition of violation of legislative powers.
The FKNMS will not be able to stand up to impending lawsuits as their budget was cut by a 1/3 by a Congress that recognizes it's lack of actual worth.
Please contact your local representative to fight this illegal branch of our Government."

Nice report, nice bug, nice picture, everybody happy, happy
Thanks for sharin

Very nice looking drawing.
However I personally do not like the way you are holding the bands. I personally would prefer a more "traditional" "tie in" muzzle with an incorporated shark spike. But this is just my personal preference.
Good luck with your build
There are many very exceptional gun builders here on this forum that have years of gun building experience that like to help.
Hope this helps

I was gonna go to the show, but I had to stay here and work to make money to pay for all the new spearin gear I'm buying from Speardiver Gear. <img src= " height="23" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x">

Parker---I received your PM and sent you a reply.
Thank you for taking the time to help me.

I WTB Ulusub 90 reel, new or used, belt or gun mount, with or without line.
If you have one that you are not using and would like to sell, please PM me.
Thank you

Don Paul and Dude george---thanks for the Mori 9/32 suggestion. I'll probably end up using the Mori.
I have shot and LOVE the RA 7.5mm slip tube spear, but it is not ss and has band notches, no band fins which I prefer.
Thank you

ladvr---not sure what other area spearos are using yet, as I just went spearin with this 1 spearo so far. He was using a Riffe Padauk #3s, 51in with 3 9/16 bands and had a new Mako AR15 120 in the boat well as a back up. He is talkin about ordering a Ulusub el Bandidito, which is a 66-68in, 4-5 band wood gun as his next gun. The biggest guns I have seen for sale here in dive shops are RA 140cm. As I meet new spearos that hunt the BW I'll learn what guns they prefer.

LunkerBuster---there is no beach where we were today brother:)
We anchored 25yd out from a shear rock face that went 100f high above the water. I swam over to the rock face and looked down 70fsw to the bottom. WAY cool. We swam another 25yd out from the boat an there was NO BOTTOM

But I DO have pictures of a girl or 2 Please to remember that most of these girls here are asians an most have small boobies and small booties <img src= " class="smiley" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x" height="23" width="23" loading="eager" data-tooltip="biggrin" aria-label="biggrin">

begin at 10am------------------end at 1pm
wind from W at 5mph----------from W at 10mph
water temp 80F in 70fsw
current from S at 1mph-------same
viz ?f in 60fsw----------------same
seas 1ft------------------------seas flat
air temp 93F 10% clouds----same
surf--0

A little North of Big Navy today, boat diving with a new spearo friend, P-Dub.
First day on a real boat in a LONG time, kind of scary with all that motor noise, speed wind almost blowing my hat off. I felt like a dog with his head stuck out the window of a speeding car. <img src= " class="smiley" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x" height="23" width="23" loading="eager" data-tooltip="biggrin" aria-label="biggrin"> Way different than diving my scupper pro.
First day using real blue water float line, floats, flashers,chum, GoPro and home made roller gun. We motored out of the marina, drove for a short distance and dropped anchor 25yd out from a shear rock face in 70fsw. We geared up and jumped in and the water was warm and crystal clear. Viz was unbelievable here. Looking down 70ft to the bottom was like looking down from the seventh floor of a building to a street below, crystal clear. I worked the flashers while my buddy worked the chum. We saw maybe 6 shootable fish that were WAY off, like 100ft from us that wouldn't come any closer. This area has produced doggies and wahoo but none today.
I had a GREAT day spearin with a new friend, learned ALOT about blue water spearin.

Oscar---I'll try to post some pictures later, right now I have to sleep cause I have a triathlon at 4am.

Quote from Dan

hau, lets get real.. you don't do any of those 3 things, and you'd buy another pair of $200 Ice blades before you put this money towards a freediving course or the vest, so why give that advice?

Do you think my advise to pullbouy is poor advise?
My attempt was to help him be a safer diver. NOT to advise him to be like me.

Quote from pullbouy

I don't know.

This is the limit I set myself. I always dive alone so I gotta watch out for myself. But I feel I can go past 65 ft. and wanna do it, but I FEAR the BO.

I feel that the FEAR limits my potential.

I can't get a buddy because there's only about 50 freedivers (that know what to do incase of BO and I don't know them) out of 100 million people in my country.

Basically, I'm just asking from your experience. Is hovering around 65 ft safe enough? Can I go deeper? I just have so many doubts because of the FEAR.

Thanks!

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1. NEVER DIVE ALONE
2. Take a freediver class
2. Buy Dr. Maas Freediver Recovery Vest and wear it EVERY dive. FRV Oceanic Safety Systems
IF you SWB and die, you will feel no pain, BUT your FAMILY, FRIENDS and the SPORT will suffer for years for YOUR decision to be unsafe.
hope this helps

pullbouy---I like your avitar name

Quote from Dude george

I am no expert, but I almost exclusively dive blue water now and I understand your frustrations in clear water. Spooky wahoos are a pain, a long range gun will be an asset for sure! BUT the problem with long range shots on Wahoo is that if you don't hit them a sold holding shot in the few spots on a wahoo that allow good holding shots I guarantee if you don't stone it, it will rip off. Tuna is the fish I have found range to be the biggest asset for, their hide is thick, tough and pretty much anywhere you shoot them is a holding shot. Problem is getting them to stop their loony tunes motion long enough to get a frigging shot! (chum helps!) I have a Koah 65 4 band fully tracked gun and it is laser accurate with almost no recoil, i hear divers throwing that term around allot and it has been an exception not a rule in my experience with several guns. 1-2 band short range guns are easy to be accurate, 3 bands don't have enough penetration power in my experience from any decent range especially with a light shaft. I just commissioned a 70 inch 5 band gun specifically for the blasted 100lb + tuna that here in our crystal clear water seem to always stay just out of good penetration range of my 65. If you get accuracy at range with penetration it has been my experience it requires a big gun.
Everyone goes back to just stalk them right..blah blah blah I want results on most situations I find myself in, especially since I suck at breath hold <img src= " class="smiley" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x" height="23" width="23" loading="eager" data-tooltip="biggrin" aria-label="biggrin">. You don't need a fast tracking gun in the blue for fish as you can see them from far and line up yourself and gun for the shot most times, and I am sure for you swimming along and seeing those fish at the edge of your sight you don't need fast tracking.
What I wanted, and I got was a gun to give me a shot at the times when they are skittish and staying far away. From behind, long shots have been productive for me on tuna. If I get close enough I can spit and kill a fish so who needs a serious gun for close up work?:@;) <img src= " class="smiley" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x" height="23" width="23" loading="eager" data-tooltip="biggrin" aria-label="biggrin">

I like your thinking sir. :toast2:
What slip tip do you like?

Quote from Don Paul

Hau, I'm on the Vicodin a wee bit but I'll try to work through my thoughts.
First question is how long a gun can you cock ? Sure it is technique but that only goes so far. I'll start with my stats 5''11 with a 76'' finger tip to tip wing span. Huge hands that can rip phone books because I work them hard every day. I can can elongate 4 bands of the best grade 16mm rubber to 300% elongation (400%stretch) on a 72'' barrel. This was the length of my longest Blue water canon that I thought I needed to kill fish in super clean water found off shore around the Cook Islands and Polynesian waters when I first dove for wahoo, mac and yf tuna there. The gun with a 3/8 shaft was a true 30' killer and made up for my un-honed skill as a smart stalker and hunter. As I learned more about getting fish closer and getting the fish to swim to me the monster gun went on the rack where it still lives. Yes it has taken 80# hoo but it is over kill.
30 foot kill's can be done with a canon but over the last twenty five years I chose to get much closer to my present 20' max kill zone.
I prefer to kill most blue water fish within 15' off my tip or even closer. The longer the shot the more missed or wounded fish in the long run.
I hunt the blue now with a mid handle barrel 58'' from rubber to mech 5/16'' or 3/8'' depending on mass of the fish. It kills all day at 20 feet.

Those fish your are describing will not need a canon in my opinion just more local knowledge to get you at closer range with the longest barrel you can cock and carry around in the current all day. I would be doing it with 3 bands and something in the 140 to 150 range. Local stone cold killers with skills should be happy with a 130 max. Ho and small tuna will give you 15 foot or closer shots, but after a while may hang out on the edge. We cannot own every fish we see on our terms, one can have twenty tuna sightings a day with out the trigger pulled, that is the nature of the blue dance.
All the gimmicks, flasher tape, flasher rigs,chum, can help speed the process but are not a substitute for close stalking skills. Make the fish seek you, clear your mind only thinking love and fun while you wait for mother ocean's precious gift. In time you will be rewarded and it wont take a monster gun and 30' hail marys.
These are not deer or elk, we need to get closer to insure clean kills, It is not so much about the length of the gun.
Use the local tide and bait knowledge and befriend some hunters there that land the fish you are seeking. Most impotent you need to be in the water when the fish are moving to bait or point to point up current. Good rod and reel fishermen know this science, use them if you can. Any trick or knowledge that will get you on the fish needs to be applied to yield good results, a long gun is not as important when the fish accept you. This is way different than reef and structure hunting of friendly amber jack or grouper or snapper in their cave.

I saw one of Ihab's guns not too long ago and was very impressed at the build quality. Red Tide also speaks highly of Dan's wood gun as well, 3 band are plenty.
Now the good news...the bigger the Hoo the closer they will come to check you out and it only takes a 20'30' dive if that.

Cheers, Don

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Don Paul---PERFECT INFORMATION--thank you sir :toast2:
Answer---I am 5'10, 160lbs, 72in wingspan, can rip a 1/2in thick Guam phone book in half (10 pages at a time) and soon to be 64yr young. I shot my RA 140 2X16 Keys gun off Dania for a while til I got familiar with Dania area then switched down to a 120. I'm hangin out at the Fishermans CoOp every day I can to hitch rides out, buy beers and learn all I can.

Questions:
1. "the longest barrel you can cock and carry around in the current all day. I would be doing it with 3 bands and something in the 140 to 150 range".---Wouldn't a HEAVIER 3band 140/150 gun have less felt recoil / muzzle flip and therefore more accuracy than a lighter 3band 140/150?
2. What slip tip would be best for 25lb tuna/hoos/ulula?

jagiugui---Great, thank you sir. :toast2:

Quote from Don Paul

Hau, I'll come back to this Sun with my comments based on 30+ years of 90% blue water, the pacific and long guns.

Cheers, Don

Ooooh BOY, I can't wait. Thanks Don Paul

Ihab---thank you
What gun or gun design would you suggest for the best accuracy in 125cm 3X16mm?
Would not a 4band 140 or so gun have longer/accurate range? I am just asking.
Thank you for your reply.
(PS--I have seen fish like in your avitar here in Guam, just not that big. Congrats on such a nice fish).