Spears

[slurpie]

What makes s spear good? What makes the schooly spear so wanted? 

[TDH]

I think you mean Dooley? There's nothing special about them that puts them ahead of any other custom built spear. they're just a cleaned up laser cut with pretty powder coating when you get right down to it. I'm not saying they aren't good spears though, they definitely get the job done. I've never heard or seen anything but positive things about them. I think most people want them now because its something new and different from what else is on the market. I'm not really into the laser cut spears myself. I prefer one that has spring steel tines. Bottom line is if it fly's true, penetrates good, and hold the fish its a good spear. Anything else on top of that is just gravy.

Edited February 9, 2016 by TDH

[Walleyehooker]

First time I have heard of the Dooley but it looks like one of the better lazer cut spears I have seen. Probably because even though it was lazer cut it still has some hand crafted touches to it. Not really much to a basic spear but the better ones have a weighted head so it goes strait. Years ago we used to make spears out of pitch forks as the tines are spring steel which tend to hold up better. A few years ago I was looking for a nice spear and after looking at a bunch of them I ended up buying a Fabeck spear. But I don't think he makes them anymore and mine was one of the last ones he made. There are some out there that use the same design. Most will do the job but I wanted a old school hand crafted spear. And these had a knurled copper upper handle that really looks nice.

[mrklean]

Some comes down to supply and demand I think he made less then 5 spears and doesn't plan to be a mass producer.  I was able to see one last winter and its a nice spear good weight forward spear made heavy duty he puts time into them that's for sure quality over quantity. 

[MJ1657]

Talking about spears is like talking about who makes a better pickup. Lots of ideas and preferences. 

I personally like a heavy hand forged spear. I have one made by Roger Cook. I'm letting it rust with just a little steel wooling and oiling here and there. It's taking on a nice patina. I have another hand forged spear on order from Rice Blacksmith shop. That one is a two year wait time. 

I also have a Dillo style spear made by Lee Moening. It's a great spear that Mollie likes to use. It's getting seasoned just like my forged spear.

Lots of choices out there. 

[slurpie]

What is the weight of a normal spear ?  Or what is the weight of a heavy spear?  

[MJ1657]

My Cook spear is around 9 pounds if I'm remembering correctly. I have some spears that are in the 4-5 pound range.

I like a heavy spear because I typically spear deeper water. 

[mwal]

I like heavy spears. I have a heavy 9 tine from Dave Mead in MT. I also have Dooleys which is on the heavier side . I have a dillo that has served me well and my original Randall from the Late 70's. It is very light as spears go. I think Dave posted on this board or the FM forum on building one of his spears with pictures. SPears are like guitars and guns you can't have just one.

 

Mwal

left to right Dooleys, Mead, Dillo

[mrklean]

Buy or win the Dooley?

[mwal]

Won it at spearfest event that was held in Garrison. They had a Gordie Mach and a Dooley as door prizes

 

Mwal

[slurpie]

I have spears that look like the dillo. I'm pretty sure I'll be spearing slot of 10' depth. I'll try the dillo spears and see what happens.  Can a person add weight to a spear. 

[mwal]

Dillos are well known for there accuracy on longer shots. They go where you point them and hold fish well. As to adding weight I have never tried or desired to change a spear from the original design for fear of changing its balance and accuracy.

Mwal

[Early Riser]

This thread reminds me of some of the discussion about spears we used have on these forums going back to 2006.

For day in and day out I like the turned weighted center spears like the Dillo, and contemporaries Kraemer, Moening, Fabek, the so-called Amish spear, etc. I think with a heavier spear you have to practice a clean release on longer angled shots because the weight can cause an inadvertent "double clutch" which can throw off the shot, which will be straight, but sometimes slightly off target. For this reason many people prefer the 9-tine Kraemer, for a little more leeway in such scenarios.  

Historically speaking Dillo Hinnenkamp and Joe June perfected this spear design out of their blacksmith shop. They practiced by spearing potatoes on the bottom of the lake in various depths and at steep angles. Wendell Pimple, also out of Melrose, MN was making a weighted center spear prior to Dillo and June. He fashioned his tines from hay rake tine spring steel. They are lighter and shorter spears, but very nice for slightly shallower water spearing. They are real darts, with long fine tapered tines and barb work. 

The Dooley looks like a good laser cut spear. The only laser cut spear I have in my collection is made by Dave Pawlak of MI. It is fairly light and throws very straight at depths up to about eight feet. It holds fish, and is great for accurate off-hand shots when fish come in suddenly, and are leaving quickly, or for when you are standing, stretching, eating, etc and have to grab and throw quickly. Interestingly the Pawlak spear has almost exactly the same length, tine length and weight of the so-called Brainerd spears made by Louis Gustus. 

[MJ1657]

I ran across this in an antique shop this week. It made me think of the op asking about adding weight to a spear. This thing would be deadly straight down just make sure you have a stout rope on it. 

[Neighbor_guy]

So they took a Randal spear and added a section of lead filled pipe to it?!?!

thats barnyard engineering at its finest. 

[MJ1657]

29 minutes ago, Neighbor_guy said:

So they took a Randal spear and added a section of lead filled pipe to it?!?!

thats barnyard engineering at its finest. 

Yep.I didn't buy it but I might have to go back and grab it if it's still for sale. 

[Dooley87]

On 2/9/2016 at 9:35 PM, TDH said:

I think you mean Dooley? There's nothing special about them that puts them ahead of any other custom built spear. they're just a cleaned up laser cut with pretty powder coating when you get right down to it. I'm not saying they aren't good spears though, they definitely get the job done. I've never heard or seen anything but positive things about them. I think most people want them now because its something new and different from what else is on the market. I'm not really into the laser cut spears myself. I prefer one that has spring steel tines. Bottom line is if it fly's true, penetrates good, and hold the fish its a good spear. Anything else on top of that is just gravy.

 

There are a few special things on mine that do help with performance, if you notice my tines angle out slightly so as the fish moves up the spear it becomes wedged in the tines and the fish almost never fall down to the barbs. I also make my heads out of an ultra high strength steel that actually has a tensile strength greater than most spring steel. I've tried to bend my tines by hand with the head in a vise to test them and I needed a cheater pipe placed over the tine to bend them. I also like to make them 5'6" overall length so you can place the spear a little further in the water before throwing. I've had guys spearing in 17' and tell me they are like bullets that go where ever you throw them and they hold fish like nothing they've ever speared with before. 

 

The head is cut out of a plate but if you saw what I had to do to the plates as far as finishing and rounding every single edge to turn the square tines into round tines you'd realize it isn't just a pretty powder coated laser cut spear. I figure I have around 15-20 hours into every spear. Sometimes I think it would be easier just to bend some round bar and weld it into my center weight like an Amish spear but I wouldn't be able to achieve some of the performance features I want.

 

I have a long waiting list (2-5 years) and I have stopped taking orders until I can catch up.  

I don't think I can post the spearing videos here because of the policy of spears in the fish but just search youtube for dooley and you can see a few videos showing some fish speared on them. 

[mwal]

My son speared a couple over the Weekend with the Dooley. It performed wonderfully . The fish were  about 8 ft down and he achieved complete penetration. He is very happy with his spear.

 

Mwal