Best products from r/Spearfishing

For gear it really depends on what you want, and what you will fish. I will give you some ideas though.

FINS:
If you want to dive more shallow/ near rocks or on reefs, get some nice plastics for now. They will help you build up endurance as well.

You can also upgrade to fiberglass right off the bat. Find some foot pockets you like. I recommend trying pathos and omer. Then buy some fiberglass fins for them. You can also put a skin on these to protect against rocks or reefs but know that you could still scratch them.

I don't recommend carbon because they are pretty expensive and it's not something you want to use as a beginner.


GUNS:
This is my favorite. A good size all around gun is about a 110cm. This will allow you to actually catch a lot. Reef and some bigger ones.

If you want just reef, go a little smaller. This way you shoot in holes and under rocks.

Again as a beginner, I don't think you need to buy anything bigger right now. Wait until your skills are better. If you don't like the idea of eventually buying another gun, buy a roller version. Gives you some longer distance in shorter guns. I.e 110cm roller will shoot about the same as a 130cm non roller.

There are many options for guns. You can get aluminum rail gun, carbon rail gun, many kinds of wood guns. Aluminum is cheaper. Carbon is lighter, and the right wood gun is a piece of art that will cost you but you will love as much as you can.

You can get a standard 2 band, a roller, an inverted roller (not really newbie gun).

Now my person recommendation for you:

Get pathos or omer foot pockets. Try them on. Pathos is very light, very durable, and able to mold to your feet. Omer is considered one of the most comfortable. Buy some plastic AND fiberglass blades. You can interchange them for where you want to go. You want to go reef and not worry about scratches possibly breaking your fins, put the plastics. You want to dive deeper and shoot pelagic fish, put in the fiberglass.
If you buy your stuff as a set of fiberglass fins, adding the plastic back ups can be very little $20-$50.

The gun is what i call the budget breaker. It can be something dirt cheap to over a grand. So I will give you a few options.

Option one - mares sling bandit. 110 cm. $140

Option 2 - . Pathos open laser pro 110cm $309
(I prefer the D'Angelo 2)

Option 3 - Rob Allen tuna 100cm $290

Option 4 - order a custom wood gun or look up the sea sniper.

I love the Pathos and Rob Allen. Pathos shoots perfectly for me. Rob Allen has a very smooth trigger pull. They also have the option of a roller muzzle. These prices are based off Amazon.

If you have any questions or want some more input on the perfect equipment suited for what YOU need or want. I recommend calling Spear America ask to talk to Petros. That man is amazing. He can get you the perfect set up that you will love and he has some of the best prices. He also knows how to ship pretty cheap. I call him for all my gear.

Hey there! I love to see people get into the hobby!

First and foremost, fuck you for living where the water is warm. I would be in the water in Florida 365 days a year. It gets damn cold up here in MA - even in the summer I use a wetsuit most days (at least a half one).

Since you have diving experience, there's not much point in talking about that. Are you snorkeling or scuba diving? I really suggest snorkeling, it's much easier/more or less no prep to get into the water.

I would highly, HIGHLY recommend a boat of some sort. I have a $160 8' ocean kayak. Got it at an army/navy store and I don't understand how I went out without it. Easy enough to get on/off of while in water over my head and it's amazing how nice it is to have a 'base of operations'. If you want more info/suggestions on setting up a kayak for spearing on a budget, I'll be happy to go into detail :D

I don't own a spear gun. I may buy one this year, depending on budget at the time, but I'm very happy with my polespear(s). First year I got into the hobby I was unemployed so I made my own spears, but after that I bought a JBL 5' spear - works great. Linky: http://www.amazon.com/JBL-meter-Fixed-Spear-without/dp/B0000DYTO9/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1330808956&sr=8-4

What do you have for a mask/flippers/snorkel? I use cheap snorkels ($20 or so), but I spend $50-60 on a mask every year or so. Not that a mask is only good for one year, but I usually don't store them properly over the winter. I highly suggest anti-fog. It's cheap and works well.

Also, you want to get a dive flag. I made my own, as to buy one from my local shop was $40. Used a red tshirt, white duct tape, a wooden dowel and zip ties. Total? $10.

Not sure about the fish in the area. Up here I can ALWAYS get flounder - they're everywhere. I would suggest speaking with the people at your local dive shop.

Also, crabs and lobsters. Delicious. The lobster permit is worth the $40 a year, even if you only get two of 'em.

I love my Seiko SKX007K. The rubber strap is super comfortable and the offset nob doesn't bang into the top of my hand when I'm working.

I just got a Mares Instinct 7mm top and 5.5 mm bottom for diving in Central/Northern CA (water is 50-55 deg) and love it. Open cell suit and keeps me very warm, and almost totally dry since it fits so well. From amazon, it came to like $220.

Top: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00L8JBZME/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

Bottom: http://smile.amazon.com/Mares-Instinct-Wetsuit-5-5-Pants/dp/B00FRQDQJY/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1425930119&sr=8-7&keywords=mares+instinct+camo

I'm in South Florida, near Lauderdale. Here it's an 8 month season from August 6 through March 31. Regs here are 6 per person per day, except mini season (the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July) which lets you get up to 12 per person per day for those two days....unless you're in Monroe County or Biscayne National Park and then it's till 6 per person per day there too.

The Current FWC Rules:

1. Unless exempt, a recreational saltwater fishing license and a lobster permit are required to harvest spiny lobster
   
   
2. Lobster must be landed in whole condition. Separating the tail from the body is prohibited in state waters.
   
   
3. The harvest or possession of eggbearing spiny lobster, or any other eggbearing species of lobster belonging to the families Palinuridae (spiny lobsters), Scyllaridae (slipper lobsters) or Synaxidae (furry lobsters) is prohibited
   
   
4. No person shall harvest or attempt to harvest spiny lobster using any device which will or could puncture, penetrate or crush the exoskeleton (shell) or the flesh of the lobster
   Recreational trapping prohibited
   
   
5. Regardless of what species you are fishing for, bag limits are only for properly licensed individuals and those people exempt from license requirements who are actively harvesting. People harvesting may not exceed their individual bag limit and take someone else's bag limit. That is, people (including children) who are not actively harvesting or are not properly licensed (if a license is required) may NOT be counted for purposes of bag limits.
   
   
   
   As for catching them, I generally use the green lobster snare....works better than anything I've used before and it locks in place when you pull it tight so it's easy to grab the lobster without having it escape.
   
   Cooking them....I like grilling them up the best; the leftovers are amazing chopped up and used in pasta.

I am a big fan of Mako for wetsuits. Yamamoto neoprene and at amazing prices. They are also very responsive with their customer service.

I am currently rocking a Pyle Snorkel watch. They're only about $90, but let you know the water depth, dive time, temperature, date of dive, and temp of dive. You can't hook it up to your computer and it doesn't graph your depth during the dive, but for $90 it is pretty sweet.

As for the Malco dive knife that was mentioned, I wouldn't spend my money on it. Way too big and bulky, and not carried by home depot. If you're going to be spending $10, this knife isn't too bad. I currently use this one since the tip if quite a bit finer and it's really easy to brain a fish.

If you are doing any shore diving that requires surface swimming, these fins are a hell of a deal.

The best stringer in the sport

little more expensive but This is a pretty good thing to have if the person is really into spearfishing

Sounds like it would do the trick. I just bought a 1/2 in band and it's super strong, I actually use a slightly lighter one on the day to day.

These work really well. If you can't find the wine in these bags or if you don't want the wine then you can get mylar bags on amazon for a lot cheaper (split it with some friends). In addition to that a float like this is a must in my opinion. I've tried using flashers a few different ways and this is by far the best way to keep them organized and untangled.

Most normal lights are designed for 6 feet max so might as well go straight to the real dive lights in that case.

Dive-rated isn't my strongest area but the best one under $50 that I'm aware of is the $40 Princeton Tec League 100. It is rated for 100 meters depth.

Yup, this is a Plainfin Midshipman. They're pretty neat little critters.

Don't shoot things you can't positively ID. I'd suggest picking up a book like this and going over it until you can ID most of what you see on a normal day out.

Thanks! Yep, Hero 3 Black edition. I use this mount, worn underneath the hood of my wetsuit.

Spyderco Aqua Salt FB23PBBK Knife 4-3/4" Fixed Blade Plain Edge w/Sheath https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SX51E7M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_TxkmDb143WXK9

I wouldn't go titanium if you want a good edge.

Spiderco fish Hunter is also good.

I use this handheld light. Works great to blind the bugs while you grab it from behind. I don't find it an issue to only having one hand to grab with, Princeton Dive light.

Also a Floridian and my favorite method is using one of the green snares like this: https://www.amazon.com/JCS-Lobster-Stainless-Stranded-Lanyard/dp/B009QP36J2/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=lobster+snare&qid=1565880172&s=gateway&sr=8-7

I bought a couple of these to use in my kitchen and ended up with one left over. It works really well and takes up minimal space.

Be sure and anchor it to studs.

Bubbla blades are really nice. But crazy expensive. Victorinox will get you close to a bubble blade in quality at a fraction of the price. These knives are used in professional kitchens and have a really nice steel that holds and edge well. If money didnt matter I would get a bubba blade, if it did I would get one of these.

http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Cutlery-7-Inch-Fillet-Handle/dp/B0000CF8XV/

http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-47513-6-Inch-Boning-Fibrox/dp/B000QCNJ3C/

No blade will stay sharp without being honed/steeled so make sure you get something to do that before each use.

Backup fish brainer http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XW7KEK/