Getting ready to head out from orange county in a few.

Good fortune in battle to all those participating and I'll see everyone at the weigh in:bounce:

How did it go for you Mike?

I didn't do that well. Diving was tough with low vis conditions at about 4 feet sometimes opening up to 6 feet.

At the first spot, I was using a 5 prong rake tip on my 9' polespear to get the perch for points plus hopefully some bass. I ran into a 30" halibut freeswimming in about 4' of water and nailed it in what I thought was the spine. I was wrong, however, and it dragged me around the rocks and kelp. It eventually put my pole on a rock edge and powered down into the crack, bending the front section of my pole about 30 degrees and managing to get off of the rake tip.:(

I am starting to think that the long pole spears are pretty much over-rated for California inshore hunting! Hopefully D-may will post a pic of my "pretzeled" 8' Gat-Ku:cussing:

Mike it was great to finally meet you! I hope you plan on attending the Larry Staat Meet in December!

I...my "pretzeled" 8' Gat-Ku:cussing:
:eek:Ugh, I hope you're kidding John. Those are very nice (and pricey) polespears.

Howard

:eek:Ugh, I hope you're kidding John. Those are very nice (and pricey) polespears.

Howard

big goats screwed mine up too. I was able to bend mine back but I doubt John will have the same luck.

:eek:Ugh, I hope you're kidding John. Those are very nice (and pricey) polespears.

Howard

Unfortunately, I am not.

The Gorilla Pole Spears(event sponsor) looked pretty nice, although VERY pricey! Very strong, for sure! However,There are some modifications that I would like. The nice thing about Gorilla, is they are willing to make special pieces. I have a couple of ideas that I am going to inquire about.

Unfortunately, I am not.

The Gorilla Pole Spears(event sponsor) looked pretty nice, although VERY pricey! Very strong, for sure! However,There are some modifications that I would like. The nice thing about Gorilla, is they are willing to make special pieces. I have a couple of ideas that I am going to inquire about.

I'd agree on both the niceness of those gorilla poles, which are basically a resurrection of the Reidel and therefore a resurrection of the Charlie Sturgill pole by proxy, and the priciness of the poles at ~$200 for an 8 footer. One mod that I would make to these poles, though, would be to remove the sandpapery adhesive grip tape and put on something a little more substantial and not as hellish on the gloves.

I liked my skinny 9' pole for most of the inshore reef hunting in CA since it had lots of momentum but didn't sacrifice too much speed, but the more I start tangling with bigger and more powerful fish the more I'm starting to think that a more stout and heavy 8' pole is more the way to go as even a modest sized halibut will bend the front section of the pole.

With the vis as low as it was yesterday the 6' JBL pole felt a little short at times which is weird, though I should preface by saying that I hold my 9' pole at about the 6' mark and the 6' pole at about the 4' mark so it is only another foot of lead-off. You would generally only see a tail swimming off at the edge of vis and maybe a profile before that tail headed off and the 6' pole was too short to lead the tail far enough to hit the head with any force where my 9' pole was able to lead the tail by a foot and still have the power to punch the fish and land it.

Mike,

I am thinking more along the lines of a 6-7' thick-walled, aluminum fat handle with an 18" 9/32" shaft and slip-tip/8-9 prong combo.;)

Mike, I build spears that you may be interested in. Click on the link below my signature and it will take you to my site.
I also build 6' 2 piece and 8' 2 piece spears.
The 6' spears have an OAL (over all length) of 7'2" with a 12" shaft and the OAL of the 8' spear is 9'2" with a 12" shaft.

Mike, I build spears that you may be interested in. Click on the link below my signature and it will take you to my site.
I also build 6' 2 piece and 8' 2 piece spears.
The 6' spears have an OAL (over all length) of 7'2" with a 12" shaft and the OAL of the 8' spear is 9'2" with a 12" shaft.

What diameters do you offer the handles in, what is the shaft diameter, and what is the thread count? How much of the shaft is actually threaded/inserted into the handle? I would like a one-piece handle, 6'-2" with a 9/32"X18"X6mm thread. Can you do this?

Hey John how did you bend the Gat-Ku? Did you talk to Justin or Jack and let them know? Where'd it bend the middle connection?

Hey John how did you bend the Gat-Ku? Did you talk to Justin or Jack and let them know? Where'd it bend the middle connection?

I think he said a big goat was responsible. It probably went something like this: "#$%^&$$ I can't believe I missed that big sumbitch...#$%&$$#....", then he puts the polespear over his knee. :FIREdevil: Yeah, my guess is it's bent right around the middle.:D

I think he said a big goat was responsible. It probably went something like this: "#$%^&$$ I can't believe I missed that big sumbitch...#$%&$$#....", then he puts the polespear over his knee. :FIREdevil: Yeah, my guess is it's bent right around the middle.:D

:lol:

IIRC the big goat was in a cave when he shot it and it managed to do to his pole what that flattie did to my pole, only carbon fiber can't be bent back.:fish:

Seacrecher, the pole is 3/4" od X 1/8" wall 6061-T6 tubing. The grip or handle is at most an 1" in diameter. If you don't want this you can take it off or I can send it without. Underneath the grip the pole is knurled.

The 17-4 SS spear shaft is 5/16" and comes with a single flopper, 6mm or 5/16-24 threaded end. The shaft is inserted 1.75" into the end of the pole.
I have 12" shafts in stock of all three and only 18" with the single flopper.
I can get an 18" 6mm shaft made up in about a week.

What type and size of fish will you be using this on. If your going after halibut and big sheephead (above 25lbs) I would go with the 12" shaft as the add length of the 18" shaft will have more leverage to bend if the fish gets holed.
But if you want the 18" shaft I can get this for you. I usually use the 18" shaft on rockfish size fish.

Hey John how did you bend the Gat-Ku? Did you talk to Justin or Jack and let them know? Where'd it bend the middle connection?

I was lying on the rocks, hunting Aspetto style. A BIG goat came out of nowhere. He turned and offered me the perfect broadside shot. SMACK!!!! right in the side of the head!:chuck: The fish takes off and the pole flexes 90 degrees:eek: I let go, as I had a floatline attached. He pulled the whole rig into a hole, all the way up to the rubber on the 8'er. The boat was close, so I made a fast swim to the boat for another pole spear. When I got back, the fish was gone and my Gat-Ku looked like this!:eek:

holy sh!t he had his way with you! And yeah that connection point is what I'm most worried about in my 9' Gat-Ku. The thread is just so small.

Ugh, that hurts.:slap: