Tips for Spear Fisherman

[Stiff]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a thread about different tips, techniques, “secrets”, etc. for spear fishing. So here goes… This is such an exciting sport and it seems like I learn something new any time I spend an hour in someone else’s spear house with them.
How do you choose a lake? What decoy(s) do you prefer? Live or wood? How much do you work the decoy? What color? How do you make your hole? (Yeah, Fish’s saw is awesome) Do you put anything on the bottom like eggshells? What about seats? What’s your personal criteria for taking a fish or letting it swim off. Open it up. All tips are fair game.

Stiff

Disclaimer – Seems like all you have to do is mention “spear fishing” and it turns into a debate with regards to ethics. “Is it fundamentally right to spear or not”. If you want that debate, please open a different thread. This thread is for everyone who assumes that spear fishing is just another form of harvest, those that would like to share some ideas, and those that would like to learn a little more about the sport.

[Guest]

Spearing this year has been pretty good.
I usally bring 3 or 4 differnt color decoys and switch every half hour or so if I dont see anything.
My best color has been red and white and I use wood decoys.
I use a chain saw with no bar oil to cut my hole (I own a tree company) or I would use one of those ice saws on FM my buddy has one and it works great!

I have seen alot of walleye this year I cant wait til I can sit in the boat again and not freeze to the chair!

Good Luck
http://www.geocities.com/wish_i_was_fishing2002

[This message has been edited by B Sander (edited 01-25-2003).]

[This message has been edited by B Sander (edited 01-25-2003).]

[Gissert]

I don't spear much anymore, but when I do I like to use a big live sucker on one of those harnesses with the lead ball on top.

One big thing that can't be over stressed is to mark your holes when you move or take your house off.

[Guest]

I like to use a wood decoy and a live decoy to give it little variety, sometimes they go after the wood one and sometimes they go after the live decoy. red and white decoys do the best for me. somthing that also works good is to take the hook off a large daredevil and jig that too.
I open up holes with an ice saw, works a heck of a lot beter than drilling a ton of holes and chipping the rest out
I usualy just watch the northerns, unless theres one that gonna go on my wall
I'm pretty sure that dropping egg shells to the bottom of your hole is illegal, i thought about doin it to
Most people that I see spearing are in shallow water, but if the lake is clear enough try going deeper in 18-20' I've seen more big northerns in deeper water.

[Guest]

I have only speared in 3-5 ft of water how do you spear a fish in 18 - 20 ft?

And I have used beans to find the bottom, never egg shells but I do not think it is illegal.

http://www.geocities.com/wish_i_was_fishing2002

[Stiff]

Figured I better throw my own .02 in too. I’m a relative novice and only go out a few times a year.

My favorite decoy is a red & white also. I’m not sure of the brand, but it’s the one with the pointy nose that’s sold all over but not in a package. I usually run both, a live sucker and a red & white decoy, one on each side of the hole. I run the decoy around the hole about three times once every five minutes or so. I try to let it sit the rest of the time.

I try to choose a lake with very clear water. It’s more fun to watch and the fish seem to taste better. I’ve tried a few darker lakes and lakes with a very dark bottom and I put some egg shells down when I do, but dark lakes just aren’t nearly as much fun, even when there are plenty of fish.

I bought one of Fish’s saw’s and it really works nice and it’s lightweight. I picked up a couple of old ice carriers at an auction a few years back, they work perfect for getting the ice chunk(s) out of the hole and don’t take up much space. When the ice gets thicker I usually cut the ice block in half before I try to haul it out of the hole.

If I want a fish for dinner I’ll usually spear, but a lot of times I’ll set up for spearing but leave the spear at home and just fish (angle) down the spear hole with a spoon and a minnow. It’s a rush to have a fish come in on the decoy and then turn and close in on the minnow. It’s very hard to wait for the fish to turn away from you before you set the hook when you actually watch the fish take your bait!

~s

[Guest]

When I spear in deep water I will raise the decoy if the northern is watching it and usualy they follow and if they dont i just try to line em' up with the spear and I drop it

[Bruce Mosher]

Decoys, Live Suckers work good but if you want another option, try using a teaser box. It's basically a battery operated box that you hang in your house, attach a good snap swivel, add enough heavy line so that your spoon will be about 4 to 5 feet below the ice, add another snap swivel, add any color spoon that you think would be good. Turn on the teaser and watch the Northerns come into the hole to look at the spoon that is slowly turning. It has a constant motion that attracts fish. Check out the Mini Teaser on my site at www.todaystackle.com and get a little better idea. Good luck, Bruce Mosher

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Bruce Mosher,www.icebusterbobbers.com