Plug this

[CANAL RAT]

Originally Posted by Nebe

i used to spearfish alot in highschool so let me stop some misinformation right now.. 1st a fish under water looks smaller than it does out of the water... 2nd, you get to chose what fish you kill for dinner, while a rod and reel guy has to cull until he gets something he can legaly keep. 3rdly, there is no catch and release.. you go out and shoot a fish or 2 then you are done. Fourthly and most importantly, if you think that is not sporting, i would like to see someone stand on the high tide line, hold their breath.. run down to the water, cast, reel, hook a fish, land it, then drag it back to the high tide line...... all while holding your breath.

To say spearfishing is damaging to the stocks or that it is going to catch all 'our' 5o 's and 6o's is ludacris. Rod and reel and especially fly fishermen are the real problem and the real murders of the striped bass. I counted 4 dead schoolies float by me and clammer in a half hour period why guys up current were catching them..

how nice putting down fly guys like myself. i like to see you fool stripers when there feeding on 4 inch sandeels. also how can a schoolie be more hurt by a single barbless fly than a mouth full of two sets of tremble hooks . as for you guys putting down spear fishing you try aiming under water while holding your breath.i urge you to try all types of striper fishing- fly fishing,spear fishing,surf casting,troll from a boat.

[SolOmoN]

Again .... forwarded from another forum......

(Here is the fish out of water, to gauge the weight. Sure is a cow, eh?

World Record 60.49 lb BI October 05)

sorry I had to resize the immage.

sol...

[Rappin Mikey]

Dang! Thats a big one.

[tattoobob]

Looks like a boat fish to me

[Headhunter]

Slob for sure. Anyone that thinks free diving isn't a sport should try it and they will quickly change their mind. I'm pretty sure he paid his dues for that fish. Try watching and hold ur breath for the entire vid just sitting there!

[Pete_G]

I don't question the "sport" aspect of spearfishing, I do sometimes question the efficiency with which it removes larger breeding class fish.

I just NEVER see a spear fisher holding a 15 to 20# dinner fish. A friend of mine used to spear fish every day and sell them commercially. He never came out of the water without a fish over 30#'s. Maybe he was just unbelievably good, I don't know.

Are there any regular spear fisherman here? And if so what do you really take from the water and how often?

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by Pete_G

I don't question the "sport" aspect of spearfishing, I do sometimes question the efficiency with which it removes larger breeding class fish.

I just NEVER see a spear fisher holding a 15 to 20# dinner fish. A friend of mine used to spear fish every day and sell them commercially. He never came out of the water without a fish over 30#'s. Maybe he was just unbelievably good, I don't know.

Are there any regular spear fisherman here? And if so what do you really take from the water and how often?

I agree with Pete's take. I have no problem with the sport - its like hunting. I have a problem with the ease of taking the biggest fish by this method in a time when I think its pretty clear that we have a big fish deficiency compared to years past.

Its like comparing deer hunting to the hunting of any threatened species. They are both hunting & therefore sports - but hunting deer with a huge population is obviously widely accepted while hunting, say wolves or whatever threatened species, it prohibited.