Spearfishing

Spearfishing is a great way to add more dimension to your diving. If you’re new to the sport, there are a few things to learn besides getting your diving skills up to par. Spearfishing can be done while free-diving or scuba diving.

Spearfishing with scuba can be challenging, but in places like California and Saskatchewan, it is legal and an acceptable way to go. Besides basic scuba certification, you don’t need any special diving skills. Practice diving to hone your skills. Once you are comfortable with your actions beneath the water, you can concentrate on your hunt.

Others feel the best way to spearfish is to free-dive with a snorkel. Free-diving allows you the stealth to sneak up on your quarry that scuba just doesn’t allow. If you want to pursue spearfishing to its heights, you’ll eventually need to switch from scuba to free-diving, as some of the most desirable fish cannot be caught with scuba.

But, there are some species that are fine for scuba spearfishing. Rockfish, lingcod, sheephead and calico bass may be good choices off the coast of California. Burbot is a common choice in Saskatchewan. All of these fish provide tasty meals that will be all the sweeter for having hunted them down yourself. That is the true heart of spearfishing. Instead of sitting above the water’s surface in a boat or on a dock angling for whatever may take your bait, you enter the fish’s environment. You pit yourself against your quarry. Instead of fishing, you are hunting in an alien environment, armed only with a small speargun or pole spear. Instead of sitting back, drinking a beverage and chatting while you wait for a fish to take your bait, you are the hunter. You search through the rocks and plants beneath the water’s surface, matching wits with the creatures that make these areas their home.

This is what makes spearfishing appealing to its many fans. You are hunting for probably the freshest fish you’ll ever eat. You get to dive, hunt for your dinner, and then take it home to eat. Sure beats going to the fish market!

You’ll want to practice. You can use floating targets that can be weighted to the bottom of your local swimming hole. You’ll want to aim for the meatiest part of the fish right behind the gill. Use a pole spear at the beginning. This is a simple tool with a rubber band at one end and a spear on the other. It is fired by pulling the band tight while holding the pole and releasing the spear at the right time. Pole spears are cheap and simple, yet can be used on many types of fish effectively. Their limits primarily lie in that they are not suitable for large fish or long distances. When you are experienced with a pole spear, you may want to consider moving up to a small speargun.

Before you hunt, learn to identify your quarry. You don’t want to shoot a fish that is illegal or protected.  Only bag the amount of fish you can eat in a short amount of time. This prevents overfishing and waste. Always dive with a buddy for safety purposes, and before you know it, you’ll be enjoying your new sport as frequently as you can.