Spearfishermen

[The Reibz]

Just wondering how many are hanging around on here. Went out to the Mokohinau Islands yesterday and thumped my Personal Best Kingi at nearly 17kg.

Water was cold and all the tropical species have long since left but there were quite a few of these around. Surprising as fuck to be honest. We lost one that was pushing 35kg, bent the spear in half and ripped itself off. Hearty as fark.
I have been spearing just over 2 years, I mainly do reef diving from the shore but I'm leaning towards blue water now as the targets get larger. Set myself a goal of a Marlin in the next 3 years.

Heres a few pics from past trips towards the end of this years summer.


I mainly dive up Northland but I have done Wellington, The Sounds, Banks Peninsula, Akaroa, Bluff, The Soloman Islands and a few parts of Aussie.

If anyone is interested I get cheap charters to most places in the outer Gulf for a max of $200 for the day. I use the operator alot and he is one of the best, http://www.oceandiversity.co.nz/

Any other muppets on here into spearing and can post up a few pics?

[scissorhands]

Not so much anymore but used to snorkel at least every month when younger.
If I was closer to the action I would, and especially if I was in warmer water.
Need to watch out for big rays and sharks in some spots.

My last snorkel I got in at takapuna reef and snorkelled round to Thorn Bay/ Minihaha, saw 5 rays and hundreds of red Moki, couple of timid snapper is all.

This spot is crawling with kingfish

[Akzle]

gah. Something ive been meaning to get into.
Did a bit of freediving, but my breathing has gone to shit and, err, ive gained some bouancy...

Also. Dont have a pointy thing or lead belt anymore.

[The Reibz]

Hey Scissorhands,

I have done the coppermine reef before. Really interesting terrain there. Lots of nice looking fish to watch as well.
Don't shoot Red Moki hahaha, you will never live it down. Your right there are some really big rays around, seen one that would have been 100kg plus a few weeks ago. Such graceful and beautiful creatures to watch, until you shoot a fish next to one thats been lying in the sand for a while, then all hell breaks lose.

Had a run in with a Small Mako yesterday. I shot the Kingi through the gills and had to fight it for around 10 mins before it died. Lots of blood in the water, saw him out in the distance as I was getting back in the boat. Probably drawn in by the struggle more than anything.

Got a few photos in the water yesterday too...

[SMOKEU]

I need to buy me a spear gun!

[Akzle]

I need to buy me a spear gun!

pussy. Use a sling.

[unstuck]

Did a wee bit when a young un growing up on the shore. Have not done any for over 30 yrs, but some mates down this way are right into it and are always trying to get me to go out with them. Would love to, but I am a pussy when it comes to cold water, and the sea down here can get pretty friggin cold.

[george formby]

pussy. Use a sling.

TBH a good Hawaiian sling will fill your chilly bin quicker & easier than a spear gun. A good hunter can knock over the best eating fish quick & easy, bang, bang, bang. Butterfish, Snapper, Trevs, Kahawai etc. No getting tangled up trying to reload or pulling your spear out of weed & rocks. Did a dive clinic up north with a guy & we went out off the beach at Rangiputa on the Karikari peninsula. He nailed a 10lb+ snapper in about 3mtrs of water with his sling.

Did a clinic with Len Jones up there too. Fantastic guy. He got most of us over 5 minutes with our breath holds using the right techniques.
Be careful with big fish, always have a buddy & a boat man. Diving solo I hit a horse of a Kingi just down from the light house on Cape Reinga, shoulder shot. Bastard thing must have towed me a Km offshore. The tide turned & I couldn't get back to my entry point. Cut off my float line & ended up getting ashore down by Spirits Bay, smashed all my gear trying to get in on the rocks in heavy swell. Lesson learned.

Have not had the time to get in the water for a few years now but I really miss the Zen hunting thing. Amazing sport & guaranteed a feed of some sort.

If we get prevailing easterlies for awhile try & get a tinny out to Matapia off Ninety mile beach or head up to the end & dive Scotts point. Epic big water hunting. You have to be on top of your game & organised. If you see seals expect Great Frights or Tigers if it's a hot summer.
I've dived most places up here but the West Coast is jaw dropping. Scotts point is fantastic if you have a good kayak, paddle out, jump in, use the kayak as your float. Paua the size of dinner plates around the corner. It's a hard bit of coastline to access. If you can launch a decent boat off the beach you can get up to Cape Maria Van Demen. The current is insane so set up drift dives based on time & carry a self inflating safety sausage so you can get hauled out. It's a sphincter puckering dive but worth it. Everything is huuuuuuuge!

Oh, if you can get that far you might as well go for stick faces over the Pandoro reef off shore from the Cape, comes up to about 120mtrs from the abyss. Like Jurassic park but toothier & bigger. We handlined for Hapuka out there, for every 2 we landed the 3rd was just a head. Get a big F-off flasher rig to get the action happening. Unfortunately they attract everything that's hungry, but hey, you want to push the limits eh?

[The Reibz]

Yeah you can definitely get a feed a bit quicker with a pole spear, its primo getting Blue Maomao with one, same with the Trevs if you find yourself in a workup. Will take a feed of butters anyday but unfortunately alot of spots up here that are all fished out. Asians and just general rapists that take to much. Getting harder to find kinas now too, atleast around the low tide mark where the hand gatherers can snorkel for them. The further you get out of Auckland though the better it gets, I surpose you could say that about alot of things and not just the fishing.

Im definitely keen for more big game. Desperately want to break the 20 - 25kg mark and hopefully not get drowned!

[Road kill]

It's something I've given a bit of thought after a short dive a few years ago.
Mainly due to the availability of a lot of fish that aren't usually caught by line fisho's,plus the ability to be very selective.
So I bought a free diving starter package last year an spent a week up at Stony bay on the Coromandel,but I spent most of the time thinking/worried about shallow water black out.
A week later a young and very fit guy died from SWB down Tauranga way an that did it for me,,,FT !

The next plan is to do a dive course so I can use bottles.

[Road kill]

Hey,while were on the subject.

Is it legal to collect Paua using bottles ?

It'd save me a lot of walking.

[Akzle]

Hey,while were on the subject.

Is it legal to collect Paua using bottles ?

It'd save me a lot of walking.

depends how black you are.

Open water tickets are fkn expensive now.

Just hold your breath you pussy.
(and have a spotter)

[The Reibz]

Hey,while were on the subject.

Is it legal to collect Paua using bottles ?

It'd save me a lot of walking.

Lol you mean dive cylinders?
Fuck no, and if you get caught with them in the same vehicle or boat as a paua you will have that shit seized by MAF. It aint worth it. Not for a feed. Well if your black, maybe it is...

[george formby]

Be patient, use a bungy & think about your shot. Kingi's are inquisitive, easy to attract & easy to shoot but for the big fullas you really need to stone them. Particularly in 30 mtrs or less. Once you get them coming around, wait. The big ones are big for a reason, old & smart. They are at the back of the school. Get a buddy to nail a smaller fish & let it thrash around, the big fullas will muscle in & you get your shot. They fight dirty & will head for the nearest bit of structure to screw things up so stay high in the water & let the bungy tire them out. Swim down to get more line as they circle & let your buoyancy do the work. The harder you pull the harder they pull. Softly softly or you rip the spear out.
When you got him wrap your legs around his tail, stick a hand up into the gill covers to hold him, he will thrash a bit, then give him the icky through the top of his scone. The big fullas can knock you around a bit but hang on, don't let the tail go & hang on to the gills for dear life. You can stick your fist in the mouth, too, no teeth but a lots of pressure. Grin & bare it, better than watching a fatally wounded PB swim away. A shark clip is a good idea for big fish, you remove your gun from the float line & can stick another shot or two in. An extra float a third of the way down your line, 10 mtrs on a 30 mtr float line helps a lot.
If you go blue water beware of mask blindness. With nothing to see in the water your eyes can end up focusing on the inside of the lens on your mask. You have no focus point. Being able to shift your focus is another skill that needs to be learned. Bigger guns with more rubbers give you better range not more impact. They move slow in the water & will recoil, I had a 160 with 3 20mm power rubbers. Stupid thing was impossible to shoot, the force of the shot shoved me back, pushed my wrist & arm down & lifted the gun as the spear left the barrel. Hopeless. Hunting technique beats power every time.

This thread has got me buzzing. Must get back in the water! The old faithful 100cm sporasub is still in the shed, 20mm rubber, accurate, quick to load & enough bang at 6mtrs to go through a 25kg kingis back bone & out the other side.

[The Reibz]

Thanks for the advice dude. I have hunted with another guy before and the technique of shooting a smaller fish to bring in the larger ones while it struggles works wonders. The Bro came away with a 23kg Kingi.
I have been offered a tripple rubber 160 with a slip tip for 1200, with the big floats and heavy duty lines included. I really need to get a bungy, I went out with a guy who had been spearing 30 years and he said he loses way less fish now hes using one. I lost a kingi a couple of trips ago because he towed the float a few meters down and wrapped himself up in the reef. Had to make a couple of 15m+ dives to unwrap everything and wore myself out completely. He towed me for a few hundred meters first before I finally had to let go of the float. Unsure of its size but it was BIG.

I got a 100cm with a 20mm on it also. Wicked striking power.

Whats your personal best George?