interesting Spearfishing article

[tlapinski]

doing some random searching on google today and found this. not sure if i could bring myself to spear a bass, but the read is interesting just the same.

http://www.freediver.net/freedivelis..._stripers.html

[BigFish]

Spearing striped bass I am sure is illegal....at least in Mass.

[tlapinski]

it's legal in RI. i am not sure, but i thought it was legal in mass too. i like swimming with the bass, just not sure about shooting them.

[Christian]

its illegal in mass.

legal in RI.

my friend spears alot during the summer. tog, flounder, and seabass.

[TunaCell]

Cool article, sounds like an interesting hobby.

[Pete_G]

I think there are a LOT of large breeder size fish being taken in RI waters every year by spear fisherman.

A good spearfishermen in RI waters will rarely leave the water without something 20#'s plus, and a lot of guys are doing that almost every day, some with commercial licenses.

Spearfishing is growing rapidly right now and the usual target is stripers.

I really have no idea what sort of harvest is taking place, but at least within that size range, I wonder if it's more then rod and reel anglers due to spearfishing's effectiveness.

Not trying to start any controversy, but at least along the shoreline here that's what I see.

[bart]

i heard from an ol' timer that a 61 pounder was taken at one of my favorite spots this past october by a spearfisherman. i don't know if there is any truth to this, but he said he was told by a "very reliable" source.

kinda makes you wonder how many big fish they kill tho....

[BigFish]

The "practice" should be eliminated.....not a very sporting way to fish! Just my .02 cents.

[tlapinski]

BF, why do you think it should be eliminated? not trying to argue either way, but what is the difference between spearfishing and targeting bass with a rod/reel?

[RIJIMMY]

I met a guy in Matunuck this year that does this all the time. He seems to think fishing is the hard way. he says he see the fish he wants and then goes and gets it.
I told him I catch and release and he looked at me like I was nuts.
I was suprised to find out that the there were big fish around in daylight. He shot a 45lber of Roy Carps beach in the afternoon

[BigFish]

Not looking for an arguement T....I just believe as Pete said that by spearfishing, it becomes too selective and guys will always pick off the largest fish....also, I have faith in human nature that many will do the wrong thing and sit down bottom spearing fish at will and leaving the carcasses on the bottom while they have a grand old time. I am not throwing a blanket over all spearfisherman, however I do believe that just as people indescriminately litter and figure "someone else will clean it up" a person who has no morals or is not obligated to obey rules and laws they will abuse the situation and there is nobody there to keep them in check! Just my .02 cents....you asked.

[goosefish]

Yeah they see some big fish in some skinny water. I got no issue with it, and for all I know I may pick up a sling for next year. Not a gun but a sling---could be the difference between wire and a fly rod?

[TunaCell]

BigFish: The "practice" should be eliminated.....not a very sporting way to fish!

The "practice" is not as easy as it sounds. It's a bit more sporting than most realize. But I catch your drift though.

[Roger]

I've spearfished and rod/reel fished, and I find fishing with eels much easier and more effective. For every spearfisherman that is really good at shooting bass, I know 20 rod men that are as good or better on a per outing basis.

[BigFish]

TunaCell....I am sure it is an exciting way to fish if done with responsibility and forethought....of that I have no doubt. It just seems, more than anything else, that the method makes it "too" easy to target the size fish we need to keep breeding. Thats all I am really concerned about in a nutshell.

[TunaCell]

Sorry BF if I sounded antagonistic because I wholeheartedly agree with you, and I think that's what we're all concerned with in the long run. And by the way, does anyone know if spearfishermen follow the same recreational regulations that conventional angler's do?

[Mr. Sandman]

You can't do it in mass...I don't know the reasoning behind it.

One warm early Sept day I was laying on the beach (with rod of course) on BI and saw a guy in a yac and dive gear...he pulled more fish out of that hole then you could believe.

[Nebe]

hey Bigfish, how many fish will you catch and release to find your 40 lber?? thousands?? tens of thousands?? now givin the mortality rate with catch and release, lets say a couple hundred fish die in the process.

a spearfisherman will only kill one fish if its only a 40 lber he is after.

[BigFish]

Just concerned about the mortality of the breeder fish Eben.....examples like the one Mr. Sandman gives alarm me....and as for my mortality rate.....I do not doubt that a small percentage of the fish I catch, and as careful as I am in releasing them, will not survive, but the percentage is as I said very small. However, I cannot openly target "only" the large fish.....thereby taking a fish over 30 pounds everyday if I choose as the spearfisherman can if he so chooses. This is the glutony that I worry about and I know you do too. I only kept 3 fish all this past season Eben, I keep only what I can eat in a short period of time and I do not fill my freezer as most do. My point being that a spearfisherman is solely targeting the large breeder fish...otherwise why is he down there with a speargun.....not to take home a 28 incher I am sure. I know that in any aspect or method of fishing, be it rod and reel, or spearfishing there will be excess and greed and laws will be violated by the ignorant few. My doubts are not directed towards the responsible few but towards the irresponsible many, and I believe there to be many more of the latter.

[Nebe]

I see what yoru saying, but remember, many surfcasters are only interested in keeping the largest fish that they catch. It could be for a tounament, or it could be just for the glory, most surf fishermen are going to keep the larger fish too.

We are all to blame... recs, commercial and spearfishermen

[TunaCell]

Besides most of the articles I've read on spearfishing, and the spearfishermen I've talked to are all very conservation minded(more than I can say for a few surfcasters I've ran into). I also like having them in maritime community because they become the eyes and ears of the surfcaster/boater. From the stories they tell the striper stock is on a serious comeback.

[Fish_Eye]

Hi Guys,

As a former competitive spearfisherman (15 years) and as someone who has been close to the tribe of athletes that pursue fish in the most demanding and challenging of ways, let me add my thoughts to this thread. Although I haven’t shot a speargun in over 10 years I spent over 30 years chasing fish with everything from eel gigs, Hawaiian slings, guns with bands, and pneumatics.

I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting hundreds of divers from all over this planet; many of the great spearos who compete in National and International events, and some not so famous divers from remote islands, atolls, and far-flung jungle regions. Talk about being committed to a sport, they put their lives on the line every time they hold their breath and drop down into the fish’s realm…you think crawling out on a breakwater on a rough day is a risky proposition, try diving the Race where the current is trying to rip your mask off and visibility is often measured in inches not feet.

One thing that is prevalent amongst divers vs. many anglers is a deeper (no pun intended) respect for their quarry and the environment they live in. The vast majority of divers are truly sport divers and they only shoot what they intend to harvest; often referred to as “release and catch”, they will refrain from shooting all the fish they see within range that are too small, or don’t meet their trophy aspirations. Many seasons I would shoot a 30 pound bass and then not shoot another striper until I got a clear shot at a 40, once I nailed a 40 I was on the quest for a 50.

There are commercial fishermen that catch more breeder size fish in one day then the whole community of divers will take in a season. Don’t even get me started on the wholesale piracy issue as it pertains to the illegal rape of stripers in RI, CT, MA, and NY. I would love to see a sting operation that targets: the aholes that catch their daily limit...four and five times a day; the arrogant anglers that think they’re above the law and take 40 fish out of RI waters and then sell them in MA; the longliners that illegally target stripers and then fillet at sea.

Do I feel that we need to impose some type of slot limit to reduce the number of big fish being culled from the biomass? Absolutely! And that applies to every manner of landing stripers. Just my opinion.

Good hunting and Good fishing,

Mike

[snake slinger]

Hi!, I've done a lot of spearfishing in the past. Any real spearfisherman is a free diver, they hold there breath. Believe me its not like shootin' in a barrel. On the surface you inhale as much air as possible then you dive down 50 feet and lay on the bottom waiting for a fish to swim by, if your lucky you shoot a fish. If its a big bass be ready for a good thrashin', then after you get the fish under control you swim to the surface, you did all this on one breath. Back when there was no limit on tataug many freedivers had comm. licences and sold a lot of them. Tataug used to be the target species. I've dove with national champions and none of them shot fish and left them on the bottom. snake slinger

[bud8fan]

Just think guys! You could dive with a speargun and if you ran
into someone whom you had taken to one of your secret spots and there he was with a bunch of his friends, after he promised not to take anyone there! You could easily eliminate the problem with one pull of the trigger.


Not that I would ever do that!

[tlapinski]

I have to agree that spearfishing is far less damaging to the overall stock of fish than recreational rod and reel fishermen are. i do some free diving, and only see a handful of bass per dive. none of them so far have been anything to brag about. to say that the spearfishermen target the large breeders, while rod and reel guys don't, is ignorant. how many people do you know that go out and actually target small fish? most are out for the trophy fish to make their season/career complete. from talking to a lot of guys this year, it has suprised me how many have said once they get that 50, they are going to cut back the fishing effort. very few recreational anglers would even consider letting a fifty swim free. i only know a couple, personally, that have done so. spearfishing is not as easy as it may seem. i had visions of diving may favorite fishing spots and seeing schools of big fish swimming all over. it just didn't happen. the pages of magazines such as The Fishermen and On the Water are covered with the dead bass of so called conservation mided rec fishermen. how many striped bass spearfishing mags have you seen?

this argument f spearfishermen are bad sounds very similar to the argument blindly spewed blaming commercial fishing for the lack of bass.

[Krispy]

this argument f spearfishermen are bad sounds very similar to the argument blindly spewed blaming commercial fishing for the lack of bass.

Yup, its the ignorance of rec. fisherman that does the most damage and then blames everyone else for creating the problem, while they/we claim our deep love for the sport.

[RIROCKHOUND]

I have zero problem with spearfishing, as long as it is done in the manner you guys mention. I know and have had issues with 'friends' who went spear fishing daily and killed daily mostly because they could. I agree with Eben, I keep mostly bigger fish surf fishing, but this is done more because I havent landed a true trophy yet, but also because of the conditions that fish was caught, landed and relased in. On a sandy beach, releasing a fish that isnt hooked overly deep isnt a problem, I have no issue with that, on a calm rock inside a breachway or standing on a low boulder offshore I can usually release a fish with minimal handling or time out of the water. Take those same fish, lets say its 25lbs, and take it off the rocks of gansett on a night its humping 3-5ft with chop ontop.... tough conditions... that fish is likely banged against the rocks and hoisted up by the lip or gills while you scamper back up high enough to unhook the fish and then go back down the water and relase it... Those are the fish I keep... I released quite a few good fish in calm conditions because I could. and I kept I few fish I may not have because conditions and handling prevented me from feeling comfortable releasing it.
Just my 0.02, but give some thought to conditons and handling before releasing a fish that may or may not make it.....


As far as toby's post... I agree with you, and to be honest I'm not sure I could release a 50.... but I think one of the biggest problems is people targeting small fish with light tackle... say the average schoolie monster goes out and catches 10 schoolies a few times a week.. maybe he's using storm shads and the inhale them... get hooked deep, and 2 or 3 of those fish die, definetly not unreaslistic, especially in the summer when the water is warm and fish stress easier... We have all seen this guy, and some are worse than others, i.e the guy who kicks fish and doesnt unhook them etc....
That guy then goes home and is very proud of himself that he was stricly a C & R fisherman, even though he unknowingly killed 3 fish. Meanwhile people fishing heavier tackle at night (in my experience) take less schoolies and those that are taken are subdued quickly and generally released quickly... and maybe that guy keeps and kills one fish, and maybe thats the only fish he caught all night....

The moral is who's a better person for the fishery? Who knows, I am speculating about the small fish dying, but I do know that light tackle is fun, but it does kill more fish (lactic acid buildup etc..) and increases mortaility rate, which also increases with water temperature increasing..... just my 0.02 again... and to steal a line from an old gym poster.. go heavy or go home

[Jamie M]

The number of stripers killed by spearfishermen cannot be 1% of what is killed just by 6-pack charterboats. Those boats go out twice a day, and probably 65% of the time they kill 2 fish per fisherman. Two trips a day. Multiply that by the number of boats that are out there.

Then for ha-has, think about those of us who have our own boats, plus the number of surf-caught fish that are killed.

I started spearfishing last fall, and it's tough (although very fun), because the only method I've ever seen is free-diving (no scuba gear, just holding your breath).

There just aren't enough people doing it, for it to even show up on the radar screen. As someone said, fishermen might practice catch-and-release (which still kills fish), but spearfishermen practice release-and-catch. There is no mortality as a by-product.

I am curious to know why it's illegal in Mass.

[leptar]

Talking to a MA environmental officer the other day I asked the question why is it illegal to shoot stripers with a spear gun; his reply was "You can only harvest Striped Bass in the state of Massachusetts by Hook & Line only. Not speared, not shot, not by net, ECT... What the abstract states is how you should follow the law. I asked why again and he said he didn’t know why it’s just hook and line (he also said no one ever asked why a second time either).
Quote from
MA DMF website "The taking of striped bass by any other means other than hook and line is prohibited."

[pete santini]

Then it must be legal to take a bass underwater with a rod and reel.