Where to get a blue water set-up?

[crazyfish]

I'm new to blue water spearfishing and now know my little sawed off woody I've been using is not gonna cut it on the paddies.Where can I get a set-up and some good info on what I need in San Diego county?I' live in O'side so the closer the better.I'm looking for a Riffe cause I've heard good things about them?Anybody know what size is recommended for paddy hopping.Somebody told me a 4x was good.What about shaft,bands,floats,or reels?Any help would be great.

[Fishing Addict]

For bluewater hunting get yourself a Riffe Baja Plus or a Riffe Island. Both are great guns and I have seen them in action. Fish slayers by all means, but you still need some skill. A 100ft float line connected to the butt of the gun would probably work out nicely. Or you could use a reel, but I don't know too much about these.

[Marcus]

If you get a set up don't connect the float line to the butt of the gun. You connect it to the shooting line. Shoot me a PM if you want some help. I live in Carlsbad and can help you get something squared away.

[crazyfish]

Do you need the reel and a float?Or do you just chose one or the other?If so what are the negatives and positives to each?

[Fishing Addict]

Originally Posted by chuam

If you get a set up don't connect the float line to the butt of the gun. You connect it to the shooting line.

Dope! Thats what I meant to say. I guess I was not paying attention to my typing. Yeah, you want a break away rig. Fish pulls the shooting line with the float line attatched to it. And you have a float at the end of your floatline. Small egg float is best for the kelp and bigger floats are okay for open water.

[Fishing Addict]

Here is a 100ft floatline with small egg float at the end.
Here is a link on how to rig a break away rig. Some people use polypropolene rope as a float line instead. Beacause it is a cheaper alternative.

http://www.spearboard.com/showthread...iian+breakaway

[apneanaut]

I highly recommend you talk to Mark at James Joseph on Harbor Island (2040 Harbor Island Drive, 92101). You can also reach him at (619) 295-3705. Mark has given me some great advice in the past.

I use a Riffe 3xs with a 50ft. floatline and various floats depending on the situation. It has worked great for paddy diving as well as hunting wsb, calicos and halibut.

I really haven't needed the extra range, but if I did it again I'd get the 4xs. The 3 and 4xs competitor models are comparable to the 3 and 4 standard models (they have the same range, etc.), the only difference is that they have one less piece of teak so they are much CHEAPER. I use three bands that are tougher than what the standard 3 comes with and they have yet to snap my gun in half so I don't see the downside to having a narrower, cheaper gun. I prefer these guns to the mid-handle models (which includes the metal tech guns) because the safety pin is a pain in the ass and the mid handle is harder to load and does not give you the same extension toward your target. Some say the mid-handle gives you more maneuverability but I think the benefits outweigh the costs on this one.

I prefer float line over reel because it's simple and safe. If you drop your gun it wont sink to the bottom and there is less of a risk of getting tangled in your lines. Your float line should be longer than you can dive, but too long and it becomes a pain to untangle. I use a large float for bluewater hunting in case that big tuna comes along and tries to dive with my rig, and a small neoprene strip to merely keep the end of my float line on the surface when I'm inshore so the floatline does not get tangled in the kelp. Also make sure you have a dive knife with a pointed tip for safety and to dispatch your catch, even a small yellowtail can put up a hell of a fight sometimes.

I hope this helped and best of luck!

[apneanaut]

I also recommend the Riffe icepick tip or some other slip tip for bluewater fish and making long shots, and the standard tip (the one with the wings) for shooting around in the rocks.

[pfish]

I will second James Joseph on Harbor Island. Best service I have seen by anybody over the years for any product I have ever bought. Mark is the man! BTW, if you bring him a 6-Pak of Budweiser at closing, he will tell you how to get a WSB out of the kelp.

[Deep_blue]

I will third James and Joseph. I have dove with Mark and he is a fish killing machine...better to receive advice from people who are actually doing the sport. He has all the Riffe gear plus others at the store so you can get a flavor for what suits you best before making a buy choice. The other threads above also contained excellent advice.
Good luck!

[Fishing Addict]

Originally Posted by Deep_blue

better to receive advice from people who are actually doing the sport.

Yeah, you know most of us here giving advice just pretend to spearfish. We have never done it. Only read about it in books.

[ssrmr2]

james and joseph,

excellant customer service and friendly