Spearfishing is a form of fishing that has existed for centuries and people from all over the world have used spears, pikes and tridents for fishing. Spearfishing has come a long way, and although the principles of spearfishing are still the same, the equipment has evolved. If you are planning on going spearfishing, here are a few pieces of equipment that you will need.



Speargun

Spearguns are available in a variety of models, and spearguns are divided into three categories depending on their firing mechanism:

a)Elastic-powered (mechanical) spearguns

Elastic-powered spearguns are similar to crossbows; they are the simplest spearguns available and are not as powerful as other spearguns available in the market. Elastic spear guns are ideal for hunting smaller fish and are relatively inexpensive compared to other spearguns.

b)Pneumatic spearguns

Pneumatic spearguns are based on simple gas propulsion and the spear is propelled by expanding gas. Pneumatic spearguns do not release the gas used, and the gas is captured and reused.

c)Gas powered and explosive cartridge

Explosive cartridge based spearguns are very rare but are the most powerful spearguns available, they are not ideal for underwater use and gas powered spearguns are ideally suited for underwater use. If you are planning on hunting bigger fish then Pneumatic or gas powered spearguns are ideal.

The wetsuit

Contrary to popular belief, spearfishing wetsuits are different from regular wet suits. Wet suits designed for speargun fishing are usually two-piece and are camouflaged to facilitate easy movement without scaring fish away. While buying a wetsuit, make sure you let the seller know you are looking for a wetsuit for spearfishing. Most spearfishing wetsuits also have a special chest pad that allows easy loading of the speargun.

Weight bells and fins

Even if you are the best swimmer on the planet, you might want to use weight bells when you are spearfishing. Fish are extremely sensitive, and even the mildest vibrations can scare them away. Instead of using fins to descend into the water, you should use weight bells to slowly ?sink? to the depth you want to hunt from.

Iki jime (kill pike)

The Iki jime was has been used by Japanese fisherman to quickly and humanly kill captured fish. It is believed that killing a fish quickly improves its taste and the kill pike should be used whenever possible. In addition, a kill pike also helps kill a fish quickly and reduces the chances of dying fish attracting sharks that might be lurking nearby.

Knife

Even though you might be carrying an Iki jime (kill pike), make sure you carry a knife with you at all times. A knife can be used as an additional kill pike and more importantly allow you to make a quick escape if you get entangled with the float line or spear line.

Buoy or float

A buoy helps to subdue large fish and can also assist in storing fish, but more importantly it is a safety device that warns boat drivers there is diver in the area.

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