Looks more like a "cutting edge space age polymer" to me . . . <img src= " height="23" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x">
Cost aside, injection molding is a great way to repeatably produce a part to very tight tolerances. Isn't the Aimrite mech made with a plastic housing?
That being said, I'm with you. Not the right place to save a buck.
People here do eat them. Usually, the soft, mushy flesh is rolled into meatball sized balls and deep fried. In fact, I have tried it myself. Maybe it's an acquired taste, but I did not find them enjoyable at all. No texture whatsoever. So I will certainly make room for the possibility that it MAY have been eaten. I just rather doubt it.
That is one wicked looking set of jaws. I think that is called "convergent evolution", and it goes even further than the jaws. Gar are one of the relatively few fish that can "breathe" by gulping air into their swim bladders at the surface, thereby allowing them to survive in waters with very low oxygen concentration. I think tarpon can do the same thing. So in the alligator, you have an air breathing animal that has evolved to hold it's breath for a long time and hunt from the water. In the gar, a fish that has evolved to "breathe" air and hunt the same environment!
I love to hunt, both with a bow on land and a speargun in the water. I'm just not a fan of killing anything that you don't intend to eat, give to others to eat, or use constructively in some other way. I don't count a big set of jaws on the wall as constructive.
So the pictures of alien looking fish from South America or enormous catfish from, Thailand, or wherever don't generally get me riled up because I am pretty sure that they were eaten, and probably shared by many many people.
I have a hard time believing that the gar was eaten, though. I know that the flesh "can" be eaten, but it usually isn't by people with access to anything else. As I recall, gar live a long time, so that fish might well be over 50 years old. I sort of feel the same way seeing pictures of enormous sharks killed just for the jaws and a photo. Same with the old safari pictures of the proud hunter with a dead lion or tiger.
Of course self preservation is a whole 'nother thing. If it's him or me, I'll pick me every time.
I suspect it's like the difference between Rob Allen float line and any polypropelene clothes line... none.
Of course there's a difference. Any device labeled "Marine" costs twice as much!
What about some type of loop knot.
Because it's way to simple! <img src= " height="23" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x"> That would be a great idea in concept, but I've never experimented with tying 400 lb mono. Based on my experience with 80 lb mono, though, I think that it would be very difficult to get heavier mono knots to tighten adequately so as not to slip.
Remember that I'm a scuba heathen most of the time (for now). Since I am using neither a reel nor a floatline, I like to know that I can quickly cut the shooting line (instead of releasing the gun) if I find myself unable to handle a fish safely. I also don't like the way cable tends to get kinked and twisted.
It would seem to me that listing records for fish which are not legal to shoot in all areas is not that different from listing fish (like Red Snapper) which are not legal to shoot at all times (closed seasons). If you want to be listed as a recordholder, then you must hunt said fish in a location where it is legal, at a time when it is legal, and with a method which is legal. Part of the job of a recordkeeping body is precisely to make sure that those conditions were met.
Are there other fish that are illegal to spear in the US, but legal eleswhere, which are listed? Snook comes to mind.
Nice guy . . .
I agree that a hole gun is a more practical approach most of the time, though i would still like to be able to quickly and easily change a damaged shooting line. Most of my hunting is around structure but I hate cable. Not that crimps and a crimping tools are especially difficult, but what about heavy duty split rings? Owner (of super sharp hook fame) makes these out of stainless steel and rated up to 250 lbs.
Focussing for a moment on Riffe style shafts with shark fin tabs, has anyone ever seen a small, low profile, snap connection for attaching the shooting line to the shaft, instead of a direct crimped loop? A regular snap swivel is way too big, IMHO, but it would be nice to be able to quickly change shooting line length, or replace a damaged line, without having to break out the crimps. One other possibility would be to use a smaller snap swivel that is sized for the actual breaking strength of the mono (usually a bit less than the rated strength, I think), instead of the typical 500 lb swivels. Any ideas?
Seems like the metal sliding against metal might be loud. In addition, that sliding might wear away the protective plating on a Rob Allen type carbon steel shaft. Also would seem to make finned shafts potentially problematic, though maybe that is not really a concern on this type of gun.
In the broader sense of national advertising, Cajun cooking usually just means "hot". If you are ever fortunate enough to dine with a native Acadian, though, you will find that the food is not overwhelmingly spicy. It's got a kick, to be sure, but it's more than just adding Tobasco sauce and cayenne peppers.
Couple more notes. The vinegar is just to make the crab meat a little easier to remove from the shells. We don't use it for shrimp, and you may not need it for lobster. Also, the corn will absorb spice faster than the potatoes or crab, so don't overdue the spice.
We just use Zatarain's crab/shrimp boil seasoning, but many here have their own secret recipes. Most involve the addition of onions, lemons, or oranges and beer.
Here's my favorite on grilled grouper or snapper, if you like a sweet/spicy combination. Very good for keeping light flavored fish from drying out on the grill, without the strong taste of some marinades. I wouldn't use it on something like amberjack that tends to have a stronger taste.
1 cup of Apricot preserves
1-2 tsp of crushed (not powdered) red pepper
2 tsp of Soy sauce
2 tsp vegetable oil.
Add all ingredient to a small pot and heat on the stove until the preserves melt into a thick sauce. Stir well to make sure the red pepper is evenly distributed throughout the thicker appricot preserve.
Brush periodically on each side of the fish while grilling. Add more to suit just before serving.
Very good on grilled shrimp too.
Crab boils are one of my favorite ways to waste an afternoon, and some of my fondest memories as a kid on the northern Gulf coast. For 18-20 nice blue crabs, we bring a pot of saltwater to a boil, and add a bit of vinegar and hot seasoning to taste. Add small red "new potatoes" and boil for ten minutes. Then add corn on the cob and blue crabs and boil it all for ten more minutes. Turn off the heat and let is sit for a few more minutes if you want it to absorb more spice. Then take it all out, spread it over a big picnic table, and eat. Plenty of meat in the claws and body, but I don't mess with the legs.
Not a "high yield" as you would say, but a nice way to eat a SLOW paced meal out on the dock. Picking the meat out takes a little time, so it's mostly a social thing.
- Discard the water.
Sorry, a little off topic for the Puerto Rico forum.
We called them "ghost crabs" in Alabama. I never thought about them being edible, as the ones we caught were typically smaller. Or maybe a different species, but from the photo very similar. There is a sandy barrier island just offshore of Dauphin Island (south of Mobile, AL) where we occasionally camped. Those things were everywhere at night.
I have wondered about that arrangement myself. Does it have any redeeming qualities? Maybe the shooting line is less likely to tangle in the bands? Or maybe as bands snap forward they could affect the rear end of the shaft less due to the extende muzzle? Or maybe, as you say, it is only for looks.
I forgot about the "Euro spike"! That's a much more elegant installation on the second gun pictured. I guess you give up a minimal amount of band stretch, but you also greatly reduce the weight of the spike, which is probably for the best most of the time.
Just curious. I think that everyone on this forum knows what an amazing fishing and diving opportunity the offshore oil and gas rigs along the Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas coasts present. Althought the 4000 or so rigs came through hurricanes Katrina and Rita without a single significant spill (at least as far as I am aware all the storm related spills were at refineries on land), there are always potential risks.
Would you support the placement of oil or gas drilling rigs in Federal waters off the coast(s) of Florida? Why or why not?
