Spear Fishing Requires Focus, Patience, Skill

If you want to cook up the freshest of fresh fish, consider the JBL Magnum 450 speargun. This type of spear gun allows a diver to shoot from a distance and still achieve heavy penetration. These features are ideal for open-water spear fishing. Priced at around $200, the JBL Magnum 450 spear gun is a quality product at a mid range price.

Enjoy the Ancient Sport of Spear Fishing

JBL spears make for high quality hunting gear, no matter the skill level of the diver. JBL has a spear gun model for whatever type of underwater hunting you do, from big game hunting to reef fish hunting. JBL spears generally range in price from $20 to $30.

A Good Knife Is As Important as a Spear Gun

Remember to have a good knife with you when spear fishing, whether you're free diving or using scuba equipment. It's just as important as having a spear gun. You need a dive knife for two main reasons:

1. You should have a knife accessible to quickly and humanely kill fish you have speared.
2. You should have a knife available to help cut yourself out of a jam if you get tangled in someone else's line or rope.

You don't need to spend a lot on a knife but get a small, sharp serrated blade and have it easily available to you.

Know the Local Laws First

If you are planning on doing some spear fishing while on a diving vacation, make sure you understand the local rules before you hit the water with your spear gun.

Different countries and states often have differing rules on when and where you can spear fish, what fish you can go after, and what tools are allowed.

Check spear fishing community web sites. Those that allow anyone to ask questions and hold discussions online are the best. Also, you can call ahead, or ask your host, hotel, or travel agent for details in advance.

Don't Spear More Fish Than You Plan to Eat

Make sure you monitor your air supply closely when spear fishing. The thrill of the hunt often causes divers to breathe faster and use up their air more quickly. Or they will hold their breath. Neither is a good idea.

Often deep diving around wrecks attracts sharks, especially if your buddies already have shot fish and the predators can smell blood and sense thrashing in the water.

Spear fishermen can get a bad reputation for over fishing reefs and wrecks. Recreational boaters complain that spear fishermen -- with their high-powered guns and underwater views -- have unfair advantages. The best advice is to show respect for the environment. Don't spear more fish than you will take home to eat.

Scuba Versus Free Diving for Spear Fishing

Which kind of diving is better for spearing fish -- scuba or free diving?

Each has their devotees and their good and not-so-good points. Free divers claim their sport is the essence of spear fishing and that it is the only way to be stealthy enough to catch some game fish. They are purists who want to pit man (or woman) against fish without any other assistance than a weapon.

Scuba divers like the convenience and the ability to go deeper and farther looking for fish. Either choice can work for beginners. Ask more-experienced spear fishermen which style they prefer and make up your own mind.

Practice Good Safety When Spear Fishing

Spear fishing is not dangerous as long as you follow basic safety procedures. Most are common sense but they are worth repeating to your dive party before making the descent:

1. Keep the safety lock on your spear fishing gun until you are ready to shoot.
2. Rely on a dive buddy to monitor your depth and time as you hunt.
3. After you spear a fish, get it out of the water quickly, as not to attract larger predator fish.
4. Always look beyond the fish you are about to spear to make sure there are no other divers in your range.
5. Don't spear fish that are beyond your experience. It takes skill to land big fish that are fighters.

Spear Fishing Requires Focus, Patience, Skill

Spear fishing offers thrills and challenges. It is an adrenaline rush that may cause the unfocused diver to lose track of his depth or time underwater. Here are some rules to follow for safe spear fishing:

• Don't spear a fish that is too large to handle.
• Make sure you do not get dragged off by the prey you just shot. A quick release on your gun will allow you to lose the cable, spear and fish while keeping your spear fishing gun.
• Be patient. It takes skill to aim and shoot underwater. With more experience, you will get better.
• Be prepared for larger fish to swim by and try to swallow the fish you just speared.

Enjoy the Ancient Sport of Spear Fishing

Spear fishing uses a spring, elastic band, compressed air or bow to propel a sharp spear at a fish. There's a romance and mystique to the ancient sport of spear fishing, which dates back to a time when humans used the power of their own arms to spear fish. Even today, the so-called Blue Hunters of the South Pacific free dive to depths of 100 feet to spear giant tuna. Modern scuba divers who spear fish boast that their pastime is one of the true great hunting adventures in the earth's must untamed and vast wilderness: its oceans.

Try to Spear Fish in Clear Water

The most favorable conditions for spearing fish are in clear water and away from species of sharks that are dangerous. But weather can change and sharks go where they please. Here are some other tips for successful spear fishing:

• Once the fish is in range of a fully extended spear, take aim and shoot, aiming for the head.
• To get near a fish that is at a distance, dive deeper without making a disturbance. Then creep or swim near the bottom until you near the fish.
• After you successfully spear a fish, approach it quickly. Either grab the fish or the end of the spear and head toward the surface.