Hello everyone,
Does anyone have any tips for shooting Barracuda? I have never shot one and plan to during the st pete open. Where is the best/worst place to shoot them? How do they react after shooting them? Do they react like an AJ does? Any tips will help. thanks

Just shoot and hang on, similiar to an AJ but they run out off gas a lot quicker...

Just shoot and hang on, similiar to an AJ but they run out off gas a lot quicker...


And their teeth are a little bit bigger :FIREdevil:

shot correctly (or is that luckily?) i've had some 4 footers roll over like a $2 hooker.

i've also seen them shot poorly and show moves that :chuck: couldn't accomplish....all the while slashing with some nasty chompers.

ask mobile diver about his run in with a nosey cuda on the Tbolt

Shoot from behind with a non-slip tip spear. That way it is easy to gain control if you don't stone 'em.

Cuda were removed from last years competition, wouldn't be suprised if they were yanked at this years captains meeting too.

Stay away from the teeth, alive or dead.

Thanks guys for the info. The teeth are the only thing that make me nervous about them.

They tear off easy if you don't hit them in the head. With enough penetration, if you shoot them through the head they may not be stoned but won't tear off.

I think I've only stoned one of the beasts so far. Mostly, it's a matter of taking the shot & then it gets sporty.

I had one break a 1/16 stainless cable this weekend by wrapping it around a rig leg and then going to Mach 8. I had never seen stainless cable broken in the middle before that.

As someone else said, watch out for the teeth. I stoned one inside the rig, good thing too, or that would have gotten very interesting in a hurry. 10 minutes later we were weighing it when it came to life, flicked its tail and jerked its head leaving a nice gash in my friend's abs.

Cuda were removed from last years competition, wouldn't be suprised if they were yanked at this years captains meeting too.


Adam,

Cuda was removed from the SPO last year for a political reason that was:bsflag: but its back and it ain't going anywhere.:thumbup:

shoot 'em in the head, then approach 'em from behind.

Adam,

Cuda was removed from the SPO last year for a political reason that was:bsflag: but its back and it ain't going anywhere.:thumbup:

Glad to hear it. In that case I'll share my super secret, always stoned technique. Drop on top and stick em right through the top of the head. Works every time:smthumbup:

I eat cuda pretty frequently, so shoot them now and again, and have a really hard time stoning them.

When you do shoot one, they usually BOLT in a straight line. I shot one on a head on angle one, and he almost ran me down. If I was a few degrees off, I am sure he would have swam into me thrashing with those big ole chompers. I now hit 'em broadside or on a slightly away angle, then control them with a line.

Thanks for all the tips guys! I have a pretty good idea of what to do and how to stay away from those massive teeth.

shot correctly (or is that luckily?) i've had some 4 footers roll over like a $2 hooker.

Tell me all about that $2 hooker!

Aim for the head, let it get tired and then pull, watch the teeth and as soon as you get it stick the knife in the head. But you should practice how to do it before the tournament.

In the keys we shot them with hawaiin slings.
We aim from behind and hit them close to the head at an angle so that the spear comes out on the other side through the head.
They'll usually do 30 spins on their way to the bottom.
I've never tried this technique on anything larger than 20 pounds. Since we're cautious of the Ciguatera.

I had one break a 1/16 stainless cable this weekend by wrapping it around a rig leg and then going to Mach 8. I had never seen stainless cable broken in the middle before that.

As someone else said, watch out for the teeth. I stoned one inside the rig, good thing too, or that would have gotten very interesting in a hurry. 10 minutes later we were weighing it when it came to life, flicked its tail and jerked its head leaving a nice gash in my friend's abs.

Long story short, my brother started a cuda feeding frenzy in St. Thomas by making a bad shot on the first one. A second cuda came in and cut the one on his shaft in half, and then several other cudas joined in. There were 3 freedivers in the water together, and it spooked them all pretty badly. Luckily, no one got hurt..

How do most of you guys shoot them? free shaft, line shaft, or with a reel on the gun.?

Definately shoot from behind or else they will charge you.

I line shaft them. My preference is to shoot them through the head, then grab & subdue them.

Gotta be careful of the teeth & don't give them a chance to use them, but a nice, easy way to subdue them once you have your hands on them is to just grab them over the gills & squeeze hard. If they can't pump water through the gills it cuts off their breathing & puts them out fast.

If they're too big to do that, grab them by the gills at the bottom & squeeze like hell. This cuts off their blood flow & also puts them out fast.

But don't shoot them when they're pointed at you or another diver, as they do tend to take off straight in the direction they're pointed when hit.