Im getting into spearfishing (with a gun), been posting around around some diffrerent questions, and I got another one, do you need a float/floatline, if so is that what you put of the reel, what is the best material for the floatline? what kind of float do I get, on the aimrite website they have the inshore model, im guessing thats what im going to be needing, also how do you rig the float line, is it attactched to the spear? or the gun? I know these may seem like simple questions, but im a newbie to the whole gun thing, thanks guys

Float lines can attach to the gun or the shooting line depending on what your hunting, How about A few more details about where, what & depth you plan on hunting.

If you are planning on hunting in shallow water, say up to 70 feet, the Aimrite reel would be a good choice to go with the Aimrite gun, and you would be able to get it all from the same place. A reel is great for reef fish that like to hole up. This setup is unrestrictive in the water (no floatline and float to pull around) and allows you to stay connected to your fish if you cannot retrieve it after the shot. Let's say you dive down to a reef in 50' and see a big grouper. If you don't hit him just right, he will be a handfull. If the fish holes up and you can't get him out before you need to surface, you can hold on to your gun and let the reel line play out. This allows you to surface and still be connected. You can then make another dive to retrieve your fish.

If you are diving in deep, open water, the reel is not the right tool for the job, and if you shoot a big fish in deep water with only a reel, you rish loosing your gun. A floatline and float allow you to dive down and shoot pelagic fish, then surface with the fish fighting the buoyancy of the float. If you choose the Hawaiian breakaway system, then the gun is totaly separate from the shooting line/floatline after the shot and you can surface with your gun in your hand. You can then pull the fish up by the floatline.

Floatlines are made of different materials. The best ones are vinyl or pvc tubing with a spectra core, as sold by www.neptonicsystems.com. Others are made of foam-filled poly which you can get from any commercial fishing supplier. You can also make your own floatlines by following Bill Kitto's instructions:http://ic_spearguns.tripod.com/ - just follow the links.

One more thing - I shot a nice king mackerel once at about 30 feet deep in about 80 feet of water. He took off like a bullet and by the time I got to the surface (only a 30 foot swim) he had taken at least 2/3 of the line off the reel. So if you are likely to encounter large pelagics where you dive, it would be a really good idea to invest in a floatline and float.

Here is a picture of Bill McIntyre's Hawaiian breakaway system. Basically, you cut your shooting line a bit short, crimp a loop, then add a small bungy. Then clip your floatline to the crimped loop, NOT the bungy. With this system, the shooting line and floatline are totally separate from the gun.

Here is a picture of Bill McIntyre's Hawaiian breakaway system. Basically, you cut your shooting line a bit short, crimp a loop, then add a small bungy. Then clip your floatline to the crimped loop, NOT the bungy. With this system, the shooting line and floatline are totally separate from the gun.

And just to make sure he gets it, here it is after the trigger is pulled, releasing the bungee from the line release.

ok I got it, thanks for the info guy, ya im gonna be in shallow water, im sure about 70% of the time i wont need a float, because most hogs/mangos are small here, but when I go out to the reef it seems like that would be good, I'll probally go with the reel, and when I get a fish that rocks me up, ect, I go up and clip it to a float? will that work? and then I go back down and retrieve the fish. Also if you guys wouldnt mind you you post a step by step instruction thing, im not used to spear guns so I dont really know whats already on the gun, what I have to make ect. Thanks a lot again, I really appreciate, also if any of you live near miami, I am always looking for someone to help me spear a couple of fish, and scoop up a couple f bugs.

I would always recommend diving with a buddy. When using reel guns, your buddy can hold your gun if you have to retrieve a holed up fish. Hogs and mangrove snappers shouldn't be an issue. I'm sure that after you get your gun, the rigging stuff we are describing will become much more apparent. If you bought the Aimrite with the reel already set up, it will be ready to take fish right from the start. I like to have separate shafts rigged for use with a reel and a floatline, so just get a spare shaft and rig it with the Hawaiian breakaway if you do any open water spearing.

get a float line and use the Hawaiian breakaway setup, you don't even have to stick a big float on the end, just put an egg float on the back of it and you're good to go. And if you ever need a float for pelagic fish, you already have the floatline, it's not that tough, and I can't even notice towing around my floatline in the water.

Nick, it is definitely a great idea to have a floatline in your arsenal, but I would not recommend the use of a small egg float for Florida. There isn't any kelp to snag a float on and there is a good possibility of seeing large pelagics even when you are concentrating on smaller reef fish. A nice king mackerel could take your floatline and egg float easily. The Rob Allen inflatable floats slide very nicely on the surface, so they are not bad to tow around.

If you are doing most of your diving in shallow water and especially for smaller reef fish, a reel is so much easier to swim and dive with and still provides you a way to land a big fish.

The only reason California divers use small egg floats is because they have to in the kelp. You can't very well dive under some kelp and come up on the other side and two a float with 40 pounds of buoyancy after you.

But if you aren't in the kelp, you should use a float big enough to fight the fish.

I'd get used to usin a float if you're fishin S. Florida unless you plan on having a close encounter with a propeller. That being the case, having a reel always seemed redundant to me since I'm usually stuck towing a float. I've used the breakaway before and the only issue I had with it was that the float can torque the gun off aim at times. For big fish though, you gotta have it.

On shallow reefs and small fish you can simply just tie your gun inline with the system and swim freely after the shot. i.e tie the wrist lanyard on your gun to the floatline, and the shooting line on the muzzle end. This gives you 2 totally free hands to use after the shot.

I remember shooting a big yellowjack once in a poor spot. He got real ornery on me and holed up. I had to grab him with one hand physically and then knife his gills to subdue him. A lot easier to do with the inline system. Especially if you're usin a biggun. (I had a 130cm at the time)

Anyways... there's a time and place for every technique I suppose. Get used to it. :toast:

Good point about the float being a safety device. When using a breakaway system, if you shoulder your gun immediately after the shot, you also have two hands to use.

:banghead:Good point about the float being a safety device. When using a breakaway system, if you shoulder your gun immediately after the shot, you also have two hands to use.

Good point... my lanyard's too dang small for that though, and if it was larger it'd slip off too easy. I've let it just dangle from my arm, but it's annoying and in reality a very inefficient way to dive.

Flipside: puttin your gun inline on a big AJ, king, or wahoo that's rolled up on your spot is a bit... "iffy" hehe :rolleyes: I'd do it if I had a good enough float though. Those big riffes are plenty. But $150 for a float? :bsflag:

I meant to shoulder your gun through the bands.

Paying up to $200 for a float just dosen't seem right does it!?

I was just thinking of the egg float for the use of keeping the end of the floatline up. If he's doing reef fishing and not wanting to target the pelagics, the egg float is a nice way to just keep the end of float up. I know people that use egg floats on the end of their floatline when they paddie hop, no problem with the kelp getting caught on that one, just that they want the bit of floatation at the end of the floatline.

Here's the normal dropline kit I've seen used:
http://www.scubatoys.com/store/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=DeluxeFloatKit
These are handy for extra stuff like weights, pneumatics, extra line and so on.


BUT, they suck for holding a cooler. Only thing I've found that's CLOSE is:
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_52142?cm_mmc=froogle-_-350-4-6-_--1-_-38-622-414-77&hvarAID=froogle&mr:trackingCode=99954A41-4539-DC11-8E88-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA
They also sell it at Target.

I'd have to modify it of course, probably put a custom cloth cover over it with strapping all around. And some tow hooks located ventrally and foreward. The cooler probably would be light-weight low-profile foam with a hinged/latching lid. any spare room would be storage. A large dive flag would attach as well.

hmmm... a cooler-float designed for spearos would be a hot product :FIREdevil:

hmmm... a cooler-float designed for spearos would be a hot product :FIREdevil:

that is a damn good idea! Hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna have to get to work on making me one! Should be easy and pretty cheap, $150-200 is pretty ludicrous IMO, when you could have the added benefit of throwin em' in the cooler for what, maybe $50 and a little ingenuity?

that is a damn good idea! Hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna have to get to work on making me one! Should be easy and pretty cheap, $150-200 is pretty ludicrous IMO, when you could have the added benefit of throwin em' in the cooler for what, maybe $50 and a little ingenuity?

Feel free. I HAVE thought of designing one for commercial sale, but honestly I just dont have the time... so if/when I make my own I'll post here to share findings.

The riffe float is GREAT if you need to tow and cover a lot of ground. But for those diving on structure or one-spot a torpedo float is near useless. An innertube type float you can grab and stow things in is much better. Granted, they tow like shyt.

Those fish will taste much better too if they die on ice, rather then sittin in a catch bag or on a stringer until you can swim your way back to the boat (which wastes energy and time).