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September Spearfishing Report

Posted by :tonecalle On : September 19, 2012
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Category: Spear Fishing

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Well September is here and although too many it’s the slack month for fishing, and the end of summer spearfishing- to those in the know September is the beginning of the hunting season (yeah, yeah I know land hunting as well, lol) the spearfishing hunting season! September has a few perks to it, for one most days in September are pretty “windless”. These quiet days are awesome as the bottom isn’t all stirred up thus improving viz for spearfishing. Another is most of the “fishing crowd” takes a break off the water, as summer fishing dwindles down, heat + no wind, makes for bad days fishing, but for us spearo’s that equates to “all the ocean to ourselves”. And finally the water will start to cool off, meaning less spearo’s , and shallower fish!!!This year has not been what we would call a spectacular spearfishing year-it’s actually been a bit off as a whole-a warm winter, countless windy days (more so than I can count), and wayyyy more rain than normal…hurting viz, and slopping things up, making this a perfect formula to a poor spearfishing season! And of course all the tropical storms/hurricanes running through ours waters, was the icingBUT don’t dismay as the best is yet to come-Welcome September Spearfishing!September is a great time to head out for some bluewater spearfishing, as plenty of pelagics start moving in with the Gulf stream; Spanish sardines, pilchards and an array of baitfish start running. If your spearfishing the Florida Keys head to Islamorada’s famous humps, with most of the fishing crowds heading home at this time of year, you’ll have the humps to yourself, less pressure and boat traffic means fish will be closer to the surface, and surely less spooky…a “shootable” chance at a blackfin tuna balling bait or a bull mahi is amp’ed in September…and if you got the Gulf currents moving over the Humps that’s the ticket to filling the cooler. Generally speaking your chance at spearing a double digit mahi is excellent, find them birds, weedline or floatsum-you could be amazed what a log, or pallet can be holding under it- but you may have to dive a little deeper to find them, till the water tempt cools a bit more- work from the reef edge out to 500+feet. A few windy days coming out of the SE coupled with a darkmoon phase, usually improves your chances at spearfishing a bull. Off the Cut (Government Cut) head either North or South to the wrecks a bit of patience could reward itself with a Kingfish which are starting to make a show, or a solitaire bull- just remember a little deeper…! Speaking of wrecks don’t forget to drop on the shallower ones…always a toothy cubera, black grouper, or Mutton snapper lurking on them waiting for you to skewer them. Keep an eye out and don’t forget to hit those wrecks in federal waters too, as it may be highly likely to find some permits stacked, chomping on everything in site! Spearfishing the wrecks in Miami, and the Florida Keys is always productive….but get to them early, before the hook&liners! 

September has great spearfishing, but the fish are moving, so running & gunning is the choice spearfishing tactic this month- hit a reef, comb it, no fish, move on. Also keep an eye on the barometer, if its dropping or rising fish are moving, and you guessed it September has a lot of those. Here’s another spearfishing fish locating tip- find some current-on the reef especially the Hawk Channel highway, all of which looks sooo spearfishy… always holds mangroves; some slabber go’s might still be hanging around after the spawn which started a bit late this year… ….jumbo yellowtail are always a bonus and a spearfishing trophy to boot, this fish are relocating off the spawning grounds, just find some good current on those reefs with a steep drop offs 60’-80’ and your chances increase 10’fold. The whole grouper family is registered at Hawks Channel, two plates separated by sand is usually a grouper hotel, find that structure and you’ll find the grouper! Just remember when spearfishing grouper, your drop is the key….slow, and virtually zero movement, with the sun on your back-CLICK! Here’s another spearfishing fish finding tip….if you find the current, next find the bait….the more bait a Hawk Channel “street” has the higher your chances to score on some fish. Don’t forget to look up, on the ascent, you’d be surprised how many- spanish mackerel, yellow jacks, and yes cobia, cruise by above you outa curiosity…especially if the reef is bait laden.

So September is the mark of the spearfishing season, now go out and hunt some fish!

Till next spearfishing report, tight bands, straight shafts, and smooooooooth triggers!

Tone

http://www.settingsteelspeargear.com

THE EASIEST GoPro BRACKET to make

Posted by :tonecalle On : September 1, 2012
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Category: Spear Fishing

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

GoPro Mount for speargun

For awhile friends have been telling to come up with a simple homemade Gopro bracket to use on their spearguns.  So as an Industrial Designer, I figured that would be an easy thing….but not exactly.  Sure I came up with lots of designs , many which were already out there, and others that were not.  The only problem with these Go Pro spear fishing gun brackets is that, well none were easy to make with just some simple tools….so back to the drawing board.  The idea was to make a GoPro mount to fit most spearguns, with the least amount of tools and the least amount of work, the least amount of moving parts, of course inexpensive, and finally, in the least amount of time, I mean com’on we want to spend more time shooting fish- not making Gopro brackets from home-right?

Soooo whats the best and easiest gopro mount for a spear gun?  You tell me………Since its a bit of a hassle loading lots of pictures on this spearfishing blog, go to my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/settingsteel and under the albums section see Easy GoPro Speargun bracket….and of course hit me with some LIKE love if you found it helpful

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

5″ Stainless 1/4″ bolt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So now you have your bolt, washers and nuts, optionally you may want a Wing nut too for easy on/off of your GoPro spearfishing speargun mount.

Next get your bolt cut the head off as close as possible to the actual head and cut a shallow (1/16″ deep) notch about 7/8″ from the end of the bolt

Grind the end of the cut head to a taper, as you will later need to screw a nut to that end
Wrap the tip with tape so as to not ruin threads place it in a vise and slowly bend it at the notch to a 90 degree angle (see my Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/settingsteel album for more pix) then grind at the bend to clean up any sharp edges

 

 

 

 

 

Next drill a 1/4″ hole thru your gun handle.  Get the 90 degree bent bolt

screw your nut on then add your finish washer and finally your lock washer, Insert the long end of the bolt thru the handle and place your lock washer, finish washer and end not on the bolt .  Get an adjustable wrench and vise grip to tighten

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now on the 90 degree bend (that’s the short end) screw on your nut and your finish washer.  Next get your GoPro an screw it on that short end (you may need to bore out the hole on the mounting bracket just a tad).  Finally either put an end nut screwed to the top securing the GoPro to your spear gun bracket, or a wing nut if you want to take it on/off easier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there you have it an easy DIY spearfishing gun bracket perfect for your GoPro- very simple and cheap (under$10) to make right outa your home, man cave or garage…this mount will take less than an hour to make with some simple tools, and will work with a little modification on any type guns- Riffe, CressiSub, Wong, Aimrite, Beuchat, Salvimar,Rob Allen, Mares,  even the cheapo Mako , as well as all Euro spearguns and mid handles….and all the SettingSteel guns just include it with your order and for an extra $20 it’ll ship already installed to your Euro carbon fiber enclosed spear gun- be it the Sliver, Stone Stik, Halfbreed or our newest (out in2013) Freak gun…..oh and remember go to http://www.facebook.com/settingsteel go into the albums for  a full clear DIY pictorial on a GoPro speargun bracket!

 

Till next spearfishing report, tight bands, straight shafts, and smooooooooth triggers!

Tone

http://www.settingsteelspeargear.com

Simple DIY Spearfishing Marker

Posted by :tonecalle On : August 27, 2012
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Category: Spear Fishing

Fish markers or structure markers have been around for quite some time and they have proven their value amongst H&L’ers. I’ve been tinkering around with this idea of a spearfishing “reef marker” and how it can be applied to our sport of spearfishing. The idea came about from a necessity to be more efficient when spear fishing patch reefs that are in close proximity to one another, but far enough that you can’t see them neither under the water nor when you are on top, doing the “porpoise jump”. Of course, its value comes into play when everyone’s in the water spearing and the boat is anchored- in other words no driver pointing the spearo in the direction of the next patch reef or in tow.

Not much goes into a regular marker it’s just a hi-viz float that dispenses line and marks an area- they are simple, relatively small, low to the water, and you can spot them easily from your vantage point on your boat. Things get a little tricky if you’re in the water as everything is at eye level with the surface, so a low lying float is not ideal. After searching around a bit and coming up empty handed I decided to build my own.

 

 

 

What You’ll need:

A few pool noodle floats ( I got mine at the Dollar Store-for a buck)

3/4″PVC pipe (Home Depo)

5200 Marine Adhesive (Home Depot)

Nylon braid Line or Spectra (Home Depot or old used line from your spearfishing reel)

3-5oz Lead (Tackle store)

Snap swivels

1-Measure off your noodles to whatever height you want, I went with 2 feet, and cut them a miter saw will work just fine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2- Using the same Miter saw cut about 10 inches of PVC pipe, about 6” will go into the noodle and 4” will hang out the bottom of the noodle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3- You’re going to put about half (5-6”) the tube onto the noodle and half will hang out so drill a thru hole right where the the tube exits the noodle, run a line in, bring it out the other hole, make a long little wire hook, stick it up the PVC tube and snatch the line and bring it out bottom of the tube,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just flush with it, snap your swivel combo which should be practically flush with the PVC tube’s interior

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then tie it off with a couple of wraps around the PVC and any flush type knot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4- Dry fit the PVC tube into the noodle jam it up the noodle’s hole up to the tie off, pull it out and repeat again, your basically trying to bore out the hole a bit for utmost adhesion with the 5200

5- Get your 5200 Marine Adhesive, put a generous amount into the noodle hole (that you previously bored out), stick the PVC tube in, pull it out, dab some more 5200 into the noodle as well as on the PVC tube, and stick it in up to your tie off…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

let it set

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6- Next get your lead weight and hammer it flat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7- Measure off your nylon line- be it 20’, 30’, 40’, 50’, whichever amount you need for the general depths you will be spearfishing your patch reefs. Tie your flattened lead weight to the nylon line, and on the other end make a loop knot and clip to your snap.

8-Now wrap your nylon line around the PVC tube-IMPORTANT- when you wrap your line around the PVC start from the top that is the part close’s to the noodle and end on the bottom, that is the part closes to the snap. In this way the line will dispense quickly and fluidly from the PVC tube

 

9- Finally get your Flattened lead weight and curve it around the PVC line wrapped tube and shape it tight with a hammer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can make a few of these and have them ready next time you go spearfishing, and hit some patch reefs. Simply unclip the weight, cruise along the border of the patch reef and and chuck it overboard, if you wrapped it right , it’ll dispense the line quick and easy, and wrap itself up on the reef, proceed to the next patch and repeat….now you have all your patch reefs marked with a red 2′ marker standing up above the waterline and easily spotted from within the water

Till next spearfishing report, tight bands, straight shafts, and smooooooooth triggers!

Tone

http://www.settingsteelspeargear.com

 

Shoulders Problem Rehab, and Spearfishing

Posted by :tonecalle On : August 20, 2012
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Category: Spear Fishing

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As some of you know I suffered a big shoulder injury in 2011, and as a result my ticket to the National Spearfishing tournament held here in Florida was dropped, needless to say most of my spearfishing training and hunting was also put on hold for most of 2011.  My first line of action was to visit my doctor who after a little pushing & pulling, coupled with X-rays and MRI’s diagnosed some shoulder tendonitis, and luckily no rotator cuff damage other than the tendonitis in and within the area-prognosis R&R and a rx to get some physical therapy.  Soon after my visit to her I proceeded to my physical therapist….wrong move, as my PT turned out to be not a a physical therapist, but rather a physical terrorist :( .  This was the first time I’d ever received physical therapy for any injury at all…and my shoulder was neither cooperating with him or my brain…after a few visits I threw in the towel…and decided to take matters in my own hands- my first line of action was everyone’s good old reliable friend-GOOGLE!

Its pretty amazing the anatomy of the shoulder and how interrelated every shoulder muscle is to each other and especially the back and arm muscles-2 very important muscles related to spear fishing, as these are incorporated into pulling tight spearfishing gun bands or loading pneumatic spearguns

Lets start with an acute injury (one that’s happened recently) first thing is to apply the RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) principles:
Apply ice to decrease swelling do this ASAP it really makes a BIG difference , in the rehab. Get a Zip lock bag filled with ice double it in another zip lock then wrap it in a cloth to avoid discomfort to the skin. Apply the wrapped ice 8-10 minutes at a time or more if you can bear it.  This is most helpful in the first 1-2 days.  Support the arm in a sling to rest the rotator cuff muscles as well as the trapezoid muscles. The sling may be taken off at night, ideally you want to sleep in a position that creates zero pressure on the injured shoulder- face up with arms crossed over my chest (yeah like Dracula) worked well for me.  Also you may want to take anti-inflammatory medications as these may help reduce pain and swelling, but take it on a full stomach trust me on that…
Your next step is to make an appointment with your doctor for an assessment. The physician may ask you to be seen for follow-up, either by a primary care doctor or an orthopedic surgeon (specialist), which may want further assessing via imaging to determine the degree and involvement of the muscle tear. This is often done via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).  Perhaps surgery within an allotted time might be needed to repair the tendon, especially for younger, more active people with larger tears.  But don’t be to hasty to make that call ( I’d wait about 6-8 weeks while following a shoulder rehab program, unless you have a full out rotator cuff tear beyond repair)- depending on your Dr. sometimes they’re quick to cut in, when the body itself might repair the tear, just at a slower rate- sometimes the time to recover from the surgery can be longer than the actual recovery from the tear .  Also age is an important component in the decision, generally the older you are (40 >) the less the  surgery’s benefits will outweigh plain rehab…so if you opt not to go the surgery route read on!

 I’ve put together this report to list some of the exercises that I found useful when I injured my shoulder spearfishing (and then some) and also exercises that the physical therapists, doctors, and shoulder rehab specialists instruct patients to do, but highlighted it with exercises geared towards rehab for the spearo and as it relates to our sport of spearfishing

The major objectives of rehabilitation from a rotator cuff injury or shoulder injury are to increase flexibility (this is perhaps the most important as it relates to spearfishing), obtain pain-free range of motion, and strengthen the muscles of the shoulders, upper back, front chest, and upper arms. In severe cases, you should avoid activity that causes shoulder pain altogether. In these cases, you can still maintain cardiovascular fitness by cycling (swimming if tolerable is good, but in most cases you’d have to wait some time before you are able to hit the pool), unless otherwise prescribed by your doctor.Stretching and strengthening of the 4 shoulder rotator cuff muscles (subscapularis, infraspinatus, supraspinatusand teres minor -Initially, soon after injuryand after the pain has let down a little, it’s best to start performing shoulder exercises to maintain the range of motion in the shoulder and promote healing in as close as possible to its natural range as allowable. Ultimately you want to prevent the scar healing process during inflammation. The logic behind stretching and strengthening the inflamed rotator cuff in order to speed healing and functional is pretty simple.  The inflamed tissue is characterized by increased fluid between the cells, increased numbers of new blood vessels and inflammatory type cells. As a result of this inflammatory reaction, new collagen tissue is laid down in an effort by the body to heal the injured tissue. If the shoulder is immobilized during this time, the new collagen is laid down in a disorganized fashion, creating scar. The goal of gentle stretching, strengthening and anti-inflammatory medication, is to stimulate the cells to lay down collagen along the original strands of fiber, forming normal strong tendons. The combination of a good warm up, gentle stretching, strengthening below the limits of pain, icing after working out and anti-inflammatory medication has been consistently shown to speed recovery time.  This is best performed initially by isolating each muscle group and selectively training that muscle (known as Isometrics) – with no weights.Phase 1 – Isometric exercises.Bend forward 90 degrees at the waist, using a table for support. Rock body in a circular pattern to move arm clockwise 10     times, then counterclockwise 10 times

Do 3 sessions a day

Clasp hands together and lift arms above head. Can be done lying down (drawing A) or sitting (drawing B). Keep elbows as straight as possible.  Repeat 10 to 20 times.

Do 3 sessions a day.

Keep elbow in place and shoulder blades down and together. Slide forearm back and forth.  Repeat 10 times.

Do 3 sessions a day.

With elbow straight, use fingers to ” crawl ” up wall or door frame as far as possible. Hold 10 seconds. Repeat 3 times.

Do 3 sessions a day.

Raise arm to point to ceiling, keeping elbows straight. Hold 10 seconds.  Repeat 3 times.

a day.

Raise arm out to side, elbow straight and palm downward. Do not shrug shoulder or tilt trunk. Hold 10 seconds.  Repeat 3 times.

Do 3 sessions a day.

After you are comfortable with these stretches and have minimal pain and good/fair range of motion in your shoulder, you can move onto resistance exercises. These usual start with what is known as tubing exercises. The ‘tubing’ is also known as a theraband, which is just a big rubber elastic band that you tie, at one end, to something and you hold the other end and pull the band thereby stretching it and providing resistance for your shoulder.

Phase 2 – Tubing exercises

”"”"”"

External rotation: Stand resting the hand of your injured side against your stomach. With that hand grasp tubing that is connected to a doorknob or other object at waist level. Keeping your elbow in at your side, rotate your arm outward and away from your waist. Make sure you keep your elbow bent 90 degrees and your forearm parallel to the floor. Repeat 10 times. Build up to 3 sets of 10.

Internal rotation: Using tubing connected to a door knob or other object at waist level, keep your elbow in at your side and rotate your arm inward across your body. Make sure you keep your forearm parallel to the floor. Do 3 sets of 10.

Extension: Same principles as the other two. Keep the arm parallel. 3 sets of 10.

As you feel more confident and you find your strength increasing, you can add more resistance – either in terms of shortening the length of the theraband so you need more resistance to stretch it or by increasing hand held weights in small increments.

Of course, these aren’t the only exercises for shoulder rehabilitation. There are many more. Ive listed a few more below that I’ve found from a good website:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDd6fwUgJIE

 

 

A few more:
Overhead stretch
Lie on your back with your arms at your sides. Lift one arm straight up and over your head. Grab your elbow with your other arm and exert gentle pressure to stretch the arm as far as you can.Cross-body reach
Stand and lift one arm straight out to the side. Keeping the arm at the same height, bring it to the front and across your body. As it passes the front of your body, grab the elbow with your other arm and exert gentle pressure to stretch the shoulder.Towel stretch
Drape a towel over the opposite shoulder, and grab it with your hand behind your back. Gently pull the towel upward with your other hand. You should feel the stretch in your shoulder and upper arm.Shrugs
Stand with hands at sides with no weight in either hand. Raise shoulders to the point of pain and hold for five seconds. Relax for five seconds. Perform this sequence 10 times, 3 times daily. As pain permits, hold dumbbells of equal weight in each hand while performing this exercise. Add weight by using hand-held dumbbells as pain permits.Bicep curls
Stand with arms fully extended at sides while grasping 2- to 5-pound weights in each hand, held palm forward. Flex the arms at the elbow to approximately 100 degrees, or to the point of pain, whichever comes first. Hold this position for 5 to 10 seconds. Return to the start position. Rest for 5 seconds. Repeat this exercise 10 times. You can increase the weight as pain allows and strength develops.Triceps curls
Stand with elbows directed upward over the shoulders and with arms relaxed. Extend arms at the elbow so that the hands proceed upward to the point of pain. Hold this position for five seconds. Return to the starting position and relax for five seconds. Perform this sequence 10 times, 3 times daily. As pain permits, add weight by using hand-held dumbbells.

Chest raises
Lie on belly with hands extended along sides of the body. Raise the upper chest from the floor to the point of pain and hold this position for 5 seconds. Return to the start position and relax for 10 seconds. Repeat this sequence 10 times, 3 times daily.

Saws
Reach out and place the unaffected side hand on a corner of a table. Bend at the waist. Flex the injured side arm at the elbow and pull the injured side arm backward and upward as if sawing wood. Slowly bring the shoulder blades as close together as pain will permit. Slowly bring the injured side arm down to its beginning position. Repeat this sequence 10 times, at least three times daily.Pendulum swings
Stand with the hand of the unaffected arm resting on the corner of a table and supporting some of the body weight. Slightly bend the knee on the unaffected side and extend the other leg sideways. Allow the injured arm to hang loosely over the unaffected side foot. By shifting the body weight, cause the relaxed injured arm to swing in circles to the fullest extent possible as limited by pain. Perform 25 swings in a clockwise direction. Allow the injured arm to cease swinging. Perform 25 swings of the injured arm in a counterclockwise direction. Repeat this sequence at least three times daily.

Flexed elbow pull
Bend and raise the injured side elbow to shoulder height. Grasp the injured side elbow with the uninjured side hand. Gently pull the injured side elbow toward the opposite shoulder until limited by first significant pain. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Relax for 10 seconds. Repeat this sequence 10 times at least three times daily.

And make sure to check these out too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY0TMsw7W74&feature=relmfu

Now the $100 question-When can I start spearfishing again?  There is no definite answer for that. It depend on the degree of your injury, how dedicated you are to your rehab and the rate at which your body heals and  your age.  Some people with minor tears can return to spearfishing in as short as 4 weeks. Other with larger tears have to have surgery and can be out for a year(s).  For me it took 8 weeks to get back into the groove with stretches , at about 16 weeks I was hitting the  gym doing light exercises and about 20 weeks I was doing a couple of hours of spearing fish, at about 30 weeks I was benefiting from the results of my weight training and spearfishing stretches to the point I could dive a full day-not over exerting myself-and feel little discomfort, by about the 40 week I was doing well, but one-two days a week was my max spearfishing, and often the following day I was sore, today I can’t say my shoulder is at 100%, but I do dive the entire day and flow pretty well throughout the week with little discomfort.

My advise to you is, don’t rush it. Let your body take its time to heal. Be strict in doing your shoulder rehab exercises and the results will come with time. Impatience is one of the biggest causes of re-injury.

And most importantly, always consult your physician for advice. While this report/tips may help point you in a right direction, nothing can replace a one-on-one physical examination and a good consult with your Doc.

 

Till next spearfishing report, tight bands, straight shafts, and smooooooooth triggers!
Tone
http://www.settingsteelspeargear.com

Enclosed Track Hybrid Euro Speargun-First of its kind

Posted by :tonecalle On : August 13, 2012
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Category: Spear Fishing

Tags:, , , , ,

The HalfBreed it seems is the only enclosed track hybrid speargun made on the market…I’ve been doing a few searches and up to now that statement seems to be true- lots of hybrids, but none with a fully enclosed track, pretty stoked!!! Alot of questions have popped up about this gun and I wanted to blog about it as it may very well be questions that others of you may have, plus its a nice opportunity to showcase the HalfBreed. The idea behind the HalfBreed is my persistence in shaving inches off a spear gun, while making it incredibly accurate and lessening the spearguns recoil- not an easy task fo’su, but if it were such then everyone would be doing it,right?Speaking of which alot of great guns are getting thinner eversince my Stone Stik design back in ’08 the vibe “anorexic spearguns” seems to be catching on, I think alot of wood/composite gun makers are trying to get the maneuverability of a pipe gun with the benefits of wood-at least thats how it all started with me a few years ago, when prototyping various designs till finally creating the HalfBreed.

A Euro enclosed track Hybrid speargun is a great combination. A Euro speargun, due to its design recoils mostly straight back towards the spearo, the speargun’s handle placement in the furthermost rear is the primary reason, this is a big attribute to why Euro spearguns are so accurate, and thus so popular with spearos worldwide. A “pipegun” style European speargun provides a minimum of drag, due to the narrow barrel, most are about 1-1.5″ in diameter. Thus a narrow barrel makes for a more hydrodynamic speargun and so the final result is that the speargun tracks fast, this is essential as many fish targeted in Europe are smaller and faster than here in the States. So we can safely say that a European type speargun although it recoils, the recoil will not have a huge influence on accuracy; due to their streamline design will track fish faster and more efficiently than a square type gun like the Riffe Competitor Series and AB Biller spearguns to name a few.

The wood type spearguns have a few benefits as well which makes them also very popular with a lot of spearfisherman (and women)- For one wood is quiet, a wood speargun has very little if any metal clanking against the shaft (or reef), making it quieter than metal guns like the Mako spearguns, Jbl spearguns and Riffe metal tech spearguns. Wood is buoyant, more so than metal. Buoyancy is important in a gun(I will add that not all guns need to float- even though a lot of spearos insist that a gun float with the shaft out- this is not always the case depending on what/where you are hunting. I’ll talk about this more in another thread). Ok so why is buoyancy important? A spear gun that floats will allow you to add ballast (fancy for weight)exactly in the area it needs it most not so much to “balance” the gun, more so to tame the spearguns recoil and shaft whip. I’m often surprised to see speargun builders novice and experienced alike put lead plugs along the entire spear gun barrel’s length “balancing” the gun throughout, ultimately making it negative…sinking completely horizontal, although it looks cool, its not the best way to ballast a speargun for optimal results e.g. best accuracy, most consistent accuracy, least recoil, and least shaft whip- these arethe important factors when ballasting a speargun.

If a speargun is ballasted correctly shaft whip will be minimized. Shaft whip is the inertia caused when the speargun’s bands,shaft, and muzzle react. Think of a rifle. When you shoot a rifle the recoil causes the front of the barrel to jump up, this is exactly what happens with a speargun…but the results are a bit different. When the speargun’s shaft leaves the muzzle, the tail end of the shaft is lifted (due to the upward momentum of the muzzle)as it exits the muzzle, this in turn causes the shaft to move at an angle downward, resulting in a low shot- most guys who’s spearguns are shooting low think they need to power up on the speargun bands, when in actuality they are more than likely overpowered! Of course, the shorter the barrel of your speargun, the more exaggerated the whip will be. Again using a firearm as our example, if we shoot a handgun you notice a more exaggerated whip of the handguns barrel compared to a rifle, this also applies to spearguns. We all want a short speargun (easier to maneuver) that shoots far (heavy bands or lots of bands or both)but having the best of both worlds is tricky, very tricky.To help spearo’s attain more power, in a shorter gun- the Enclosed track came to be. An enclosed track is a channel that runs from the muzzle to the trigger, in which the shaft is “enclosed” in (think of a rifle barrel). Many wood guns have the facility to incorporate this in their design so you’ll see many custom wood guns in enclosed tracks (this is very different than a rail, often found in pipe (Euro) spearguns. A rail is just that, a long groove in which the shaft sits atop, the shaft is NOT enclosed, it just rests on the rail).

Basically the enclosed track will tame the tail end of the shaft as it exits the muzzle so you can power up the gun while keeping shaft whip to a minimal. Another surprising observation is that most gun builders will open up the front 2-4″ of a guns barrel (muzzle area), although I will if asked to, this will actually defeat the purpose of the enclosed track, as those 2-4″ are the most vital to prevent the tail end of the shaft from dipping.

All these factors where important considerations when I set fourth designing the HalfBreed spear gun-ease of maneuverability, quick tracking, accurate, minimal recoil, quick loading, and quiet. Plus a few extra perks to make it the complete weapon for hunting the ocean.

Till next spearfishing report, tight bands, straight shafts, and smooooooooth triggers!

Tone

www.settingsteelspeargear.com

The Ghost Falls

Posted by :tonecalle On : August 13, 2012
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Category: Spear Fishing

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , ,

Its interesting how sometimes we develop a “relationship” with certain fish, those of you that are reading can perhaps connect – the relationship is both spiritual, respectful,challenging and humbling all at the same time.

For about a year and change I’ve been spearfishing after a Florida Mutton snapper that I rightfully called “The Ghost”.  He’s a willy guy that has managed to elude me for what seemed an eternity.  Not particularly big by Miami standards (or any other for that matter), but quite a trophy for me, and as time passed, more so.

On some Miami Spearfishing ChartersI would drop on a patch in 50′ of water and do a slow stalk on some fish, and on the end of my downtime, he’d appear outa thin air to show his presence then vanish.  Other times he’d come straight in, face me, head on, but just out of range.  In low viz deep waters where your stalking is on the bottom….long and slow he’d flash me here, then flash me there, but never a presenting a shot that I felt comfortable with…and then vanishing.  Amazing how the Ghost would appear and just as quickly disappear.  Seldom was their a time when I shot a fish in his area that the Ghost would show up to tell me" nice shot, shoulda waited I was around for you", of course it was these times he'd be about 10' from me broadside sitting still,lol.  How did I know it was the same fish...well he had a distinct blotch on both his sides that seemed as though he had been shot before, and survived...probably tore off using that helicopter spin Muts are famous for...and although subtle out of the water it was very distinct in the water popping as a grey blotch on both sides.  I remember once throwing up a sandstorm in 70' waiting for him, till my lungs were bursting and as I was coming up seeing the red tip of his tail right in the sandstorm maybe 5 feet away, but so camo'd that I didn't see him, or even expected him to come in soooooo close.  The Ghost was elusive indeed.....