Flying with spear guns......

[Jaksonbrown]

I was reading on Scuba Board and came across this thread..... It was so funny I had to repeat it.....

This guy is checking his luggage and informs the airlines person at the counter that he has a Bow (bow and arrows) in a case in his luggage... The attendent looks at him and asks...."Is it loaded?"

Funny stuff!.....

Cory-

[Jaksonbrown]

The reason I brought it up was also to see if anybody on this board is into some Spearfishing? I am going to start diving some "off the wall" spots pretty soon looking for some good Cabby, ling, halibut , etc.. sites in the near future... Any body up for some exploring?? They will be mostly boat dives.......

Cory-

[Sounder]

You may read up on responsible spearfishing too - there are many good reasons NOT to shoot the biggest fish you can. For instance the big ones are the breeders, their meat has the most worms in it, it's "soggy" and gross in texture, and it doesn't taste as good as the smaller to medium sized (24"-36") lings. Similar things go for cabbies. I don't know anything about halibut, and I know there were some serious regulations on the taking of rockfish recently.

There is a fair amount of information on this board if you go searching for it and there are lots of people with experience who can offer advice on how to enjoy your hunt while being responsible to the fishery.

[Jaksonbrown]

Thanks for the good advice Sounder......Will do.....

[Sounder]

Thanks for the good advice Sounder......Will do.....

I'm no spearo expert by any means, but I can pass along advice someone gave me. I can also point you in the right direction to find the answers if you can't find them through searching around here.

[whatevah]

You may read up on responsible spearfishing too - there are many good reasons NOT to shoot the biggest fish you can. For instance the big ones are the breeders, their meat has the most worms in it, it's "soggy" and gross in texture, and it doesn't taste as good as the smaller to medium sized (24"-36") lings. Similar things go for cabbies. I don't know anything about halibut, and I know there were some serious regulations on the taking of rockfish recently.

There is a fair amount of information on this board if you go searching for it and there are lots of people with experience who can offer advice on how to enjoy your hunt while being responsible to the fishery.

My personal experience does not agree with some of the above. I haven't seen a strong correlation between worm prevalence and host size - to me it seems more closely aligned with location - this is actually something that interests me - I wonder why some areas seem to have fish that are worm infested while others don't. Are the fish more prone to infestation when they're somehow stressed? The bigger fish taste about the same - the texture of the meat is more pronounced though (definitely not soggy), and it is harder to cook thick sections of meat without drying it out and making it chewy. This is true of Cabezon, Lingcod and Halibut. I think Lingcod are pretty good eating - Cabezon are marginal (good for fish tacos though), and Halibut are of course awesome but you aren't likely to spear any around here. You will find Starry Flounder though, and some decent size sole - they are a lot of work to clean, but the fillets they produce are wonderful when fried up nice and crispy or broiled - they have a very mild white meat like halibut - melts in the mouth. I'd think twice about eating a lot of these kinds of bottomfish if you're taking them in the south sound though - there may be some health concerns. FWIW, Kelp Greenling are also quite good. As far as ethics and Lingcod size, I would point out that the slot limits in place for anglers throughout most of the inland waters (minimum length 26", maximum length 40") seem to be working okay for maintaining the stocks. Those limits do not apply to spearfishers, but if you choose to apply them yourself I think that's probably in everyone's best interest - perhaps even stick towards the low end of the range for fillets that are more reasonable to deal with and prepare. Admittedly, it can be difficult to judge fish length when hunting underwater, but you can develop an eye for it. Recent Lingcod seasons I've just been shooting the first fish I see in the size range (most likely towards the lower end of the range) - that achieves my objective - I've got the fresh food requirement out of the way so I string the fish and spend the rest of my dive exploring the area and observing cool critters. I've found that's a lot more satisfying than spending the whole dive swimming around worrying about whether I'm choosing the right fish.

[Sounder]

I agree with you on the self-imposed size limits... and remember, they appear 25% larger underwater. I also agree with spearing (or catching) anything mid to south sound!!

Also, thanks for doing it away from popular dive sites. It's just a respect thing and I realize there is no rule, but it stinks to see someone coming out of a popular dive sight with a beautiful fish or octopus that you might have photographed if it was still there.

[Jaksonbrown]

People actually shoot Octopus here?? I think that is pushing it a little bit,... However I have no bones about stickin a nice Ling or Cabby,.... away from dive sites of course!

Cory-

[loanwolf]

I do not know anyone who would spear a Octo but I do know people and myself who will once in a while grab one and toss it into the goodie bag for fresh calamari. I know for myself and my friends we however do not take them form the more popular dive sites. Keep in mind ling season is very sort usually 15 days unless you go to the coast. The main reason to not take the big ones is not so much the parasite problem but they are the brood fish. Cod do not start laying decent egg clutches until they get big. So it is a common thing to leave them to make more little fishes for us to hunt, gun or camera. As far as flying i have never had a problem with a spear gun and air plans as long as you check it. Don't try to carry it on in the states. I have carried it on on local flights in many different places without any questions.

[H20doctor]

Hey give me a PM about hunting... I am a spear gun owner and I hunt when the season is open.. I have a nice JBL 38 special and it loves to kill !!!!!!! I have hunted north off of camano and boats ..

[H20doctor]

I only hunt and kill fish when the season is open... Just like crabbing... I have my license and know when and where the the dept of game and fishing Zones are Open... I am not a poacher and I don't Hunt anywhere near dive sites or popular dive sites... So don't PM me with MSG ... Just keep your PM's to your self.. Thank you

[Sounder]

It is illegal to use ANY penetrating implement to catch octopus. It is also illegal to use any irritants, chemical or otherwise. It's straight up hand-to-hand combat... and thank you for not taking them from popular dive sites.

Fishing license in hand, respectfully and responsibly hunting, and doing it during the open seasons in the proper areas - I wish you great luck!!

[Scubak]

FYI...
Calamari is another name for squid...
Octo is Octopus...
K

[Jaksonbrown]

I have never had Octopus, but love sushi,.... Dunno about taking a live one though..... or even killing one.... I have a problem with killing something that has an inherant intelligence to them...... I whole hartedly agree about poaching though.... Nothing worse than some jerk out there breaking the laws and ruining it for the rest of us.... I am quite serious about doing some exploring dives to get ready for the upcoming season though..... Maybe we could find some big sole or something while we are at it...... I think it is still open year round......

Lets get a list together and we can start making some plans..... Add your name to the thread if your interested!!
My boat could probably carry 6-8 divers & gear.....comfortably.... 10-12 if we wanna get friendly...LOL

Cory-

[Jaksonbrown]

I only hunt and kill fish when the season is open... Just like crabbing... I have my license and know when and where the the dept of game and fishing Zones are Open... I am not a poacher and I don't Hunt anywhere near dive sites or popular dive sites... So don't PM me with MSG ... Just keep your PM's to your self.. Thank you

Perhaps I am being over cautious here, but I have got a couple PM's by others suggesting that I had asked H2Odoctor to go hunting or do something illegal and a subsuquent butt chewing...... And since I started this thread and by the above comment it does appear that way... For the record,.. I did not PM H2O at all or ask him to do anything illegal......Nor would I ever,.. Please clarify H2O........I Know you didnt direct it at me, but all these anti-hunting/spearfishing emails and PM's are getting old......I agree with H2O ... if your against spearfishing,... please just keep it to yourself.....Thank you!
And for the rest of us PRO spearfishing divers,... I see that area 4 is open year round for cabezon and rock fish...Also much looser rules on Lings and Halibuts.... Anybody up for a trip to Neah Bay one weekend for some diving and Cabby slaughtering???

Cory-

[H20doctor]

Yes .. I got PM by other board members about Hunting and its quite childish.. God made fish for use to eat. Weather you catch it on a fishing pole , or spear it in the head with a speargun.. I hate guns , cancer, and diabetes, but I don't go around PM people about it.. So knock it off OR I will sick Nailer on you and you'll deal with the MODerators of the Board... Now back to our discusion of Hunting Yummy fishies ...

[no excuses]

Love hunting fish, I have a pole spear and a gun, I personally prefer to use the pole spear. In fact pole spear has fresh band on it waiting to be used, although I have killed the hay quite a few times with it since I rebanded it . I have done most of my spearfishing off the OR coast.

[smike]

Pole spear works great and is a lot easier to "reload" - So how big of a fish can I kill with the pole spear and make it stick? I have worried that with a 10 lb fish that the pole wouldn't hold it on

Whaddya think?

[CaptnJack]

10lbs is too big unless you stone it. And you can't count on that with such a big fish with heavy operculums and bones, so you could quite easily lose it. IMHO 6lbs is about max for a pole spear and you better have a rock or sand to pin it up against while you bag it.

[smike]

10lbs is too big unless you stone it. And you can't count on that with such a big fish with heavy operculums and bones, so you could quite easily lose it. IMHO 6lbs is about max for a pole spear and you better have a rock or sand to pin it up against while you bag it.

Thanks for that. I haven't tried with bigger fish, and I would especially hate to lose a big one. To have a general idea where the effectiveness lies is very helpful.

I really like the pole spear for perch, I miss too much with the gun and it takes a lot of effort to re-string it and re-band it. Someone was telling me they use a coil for the line on their gun, that would help some. I guess if the perch were bigger it would help...

Mike

[AB219]

Lets get a list together and we can start making some plans..... Add your name to the thread if your interested!!
My boat could probably carry 6-8 divers & gear.....comfortably.... 10-12 if we wanna get friendly...LOL

Cory-

Hi


Sounds like fun... sign me up. I would love to try some spearfishing!!!!

[CaptnJack]

10lbs is too big unless you stone it. And you can't count on that with such a big fish with heavy operculums and bones, so you could quite easily lose it. IMHO 6lbs is about max for a pole spear and you better have a rock or sand to pin it up against while you bag it.

Thanks for that. I haven't tried with bigger fish, and I would especially hate to lose a big one. To have a general idea where the effectiveness lies is very helpful.

I really like the pole spear for perch, I miss too much with the gun and it takes a lot of effort to re-string it and re-band it. Someone was telling me they use a coil for the line on their gun, that would help some. I guess if the perch were bigger it would help...

Mike

This is mostly based on the spawner salmon I've taken out of the aquarium. I can take out the largest Chinook (~18-24lbs) but I have to do it in stages. First shot to the gills and they bleed out in maybe 5mins. I can dispatch on the 2nd shot. I definitely can't keep a fish that big on a pole spear so I don't even try as inhumane as that might sound. The 4-6lb jacks and coho are do-able with one good gill shot. With a pole spear you definitely need to avoid belly shots (at least on salmon). I don't spearfish outside so I'm not sure how universal this experience might be. Salmon are fast as hell but lightly built compared to a ling or cabezon.

[smike]

Well, not legal on salmon or any freshwater game fish anyway, but OK on the ling and cabbies (and rockfish in some areas). BTW, it IS legal AFAIK to take a pole with you under water and fish with lure or bait. That would be interesting, maybe in a lake or river.

Mike

[smike]

spawner salmon I've taken out of the aquarium. I can take out the largest Chinook (~18-24lbs) but I have to do it in stages.

Can I go fishing where you fish? Wow! How do you get that license?

[CaptnJack]

spawner salmon I've taken out of the aquarium. I can take out the largest Chinook (~18-24lbs) but I have to do it in stages.

Can I go fishing where you fish? Wow! How do you get that license?

Volunteer diver. I wouldn't eat them IMHO