The New Ultra Light - CDR3L Coatesman's Double Roller Muzzle.

The Light CDR3L Coatesman's Double Roller

I have just released the newest version of my double roller the CDR3L. This new 'lighter' version is the same as the CDR3 but with smaller lighter bearings. This reduces the weight of the muzzle by 35g which significantly affects the buoyancy on spearguns using std Rob Allen railed barrels. Giving the same affect of either increasing the barrel length by 5cm or reducing a 7.5mm steel shaft by 10cm.

This improvement in buoyancy almost eliminates the need for cuttlefish barrels on the longer 120 & 130cm guns. This means that you have a well balanced speargun that is as sleek and manoeuvrable as a std Rob Allen 'pipe' gun, but with all the benefits of a powerful double roller. 

With the CDR3L's weight similar to that of the std Rob Allen single roller, shorter guns like the 100cm  & 110cm are now way more practical options than before. So now you can easily hand load guns from 100cm up to130cm shooting 7.5mm shafts without sacrificing any performance.

27kg Spanish Mackerel taken on a 110cm CDR3L

To achieve this buoyancy improvement The size and weight of the bearing needed to be reduced without sacrificing performance, and durability in harsh spearfishing conditions. The solution is the new ultra light & strong hybrid ceramic bearings, with stainless steel inner and outer races. The Stainless steel inner and outer race ensure the durability against impact and deforming under high loads.

For more information and to purchase your own CDR3L muzzle kit visit Coatesmans.com

Spearfishing Giant Marlin on a Reelguns

 What are your thoughts on targeting extra large fish with reelguns?

Over the past few years a number of XL Marlin have been landed on spearguns using reels. I personally was lucky enough to have shot and landed a Black Marlin of 230kg using a 130 Rob Allen reelgun. I had a perfect opportunity, and landed a kill shot stoning the large fish. But it has always intrigued me as to what would have happened if I did not stone the Marlin with a lethal shot. 

230kg Black Marlin

Over the past few years a number of XL Marlin have been shot and landed with reelguns. Many of them were also killed on the first shot. The most notorious is Albert Prinsloo's 374.8 kg / 826.3 lbs IUSA World Record Black Marlin. 

Albert Prinsloo's 374.8 kg / 826.3 lbs
IUSA World Record Black Marlin. 

But what happens when you don't kill the giant fish on the first shot? 

Guy Le Meme's 253kg beast Black Marlin shot with a std Rob Allen 120 reelgun, was one of those fish that put up a fight. Taking 2 hours and multiple shots to subdue the fish. 

Guy Le Meme's 253kg Black Marlin

Shooting giant fish like these on reelguns normally means that you run out of the spearguns reel line pretty fast and you need to have a beltreel or access to a float and buoy line to land the fish. 

Probably the best blow for blow example of this is the Black Marlin Cris Dillon shot in Mozambique.
The marlin quickly emptied the gun reel and Cris's belt reel. Fortunately his friend Jamie was there to clip his belt reel to the spooling line. This gave them enough time to get a large float attached to Jamies line.
From there the fish towed them 5km before they could get the fish close enough to get a second kill shot to kill the fish.

Watch the a blow by blow video here: Spearfishing Marlin on a Reel Gun

So would you take the shot if you only had a reel gun in your hands when a giant fish swims up to you? I think if you are prepared with beltreels and a float ready to clip on then, yes. 
Maybe one day I will have another opportunity to shoot a giant fish like this, and have adrenaline rush of battling the fish with out killing it outright. 

Coatesman

The 120 Single Rollergun - Unrolling the Roller Spearfishing Series

 

Spearfishing Series - Unrolling the Roller - The 120 Single Roller

In this spearfishing episode I am going to be dispelling the myth that long rollerguns don't work. As well as why I love my 120 single roller and why I think it's the best rollergun to date made by Rob Allen. 

You hear it all the time out on the internet that long rollers don't work

In theory there should be no reason they would not work. 

One of the reasons small guns work so well, is that proportionately you load more into them. Let me explain. If you are able to load 50-60kg then your loading capacity is the same whether the gun is 90cm or 120cm long. So it is easier to load the right amount of energy into a smaller gun than a longer one. 

All most everything is scalable and the only variable is what you are able to load. And if what you can load is enough, which it probably is. Then there is no reason why longer 120 & 130cm rollerguns won't work. 

In fact the 120 single roller is my all time favourite rollerguns and what I believe to the one best bluewater/reef all rounders available on the market. If I was could only have one gun, this would be it. Making this the best off the shelf gun made at the Rob Allen Dive Factory.

The 110 Single Rollergun Setup

 

Speargun Setups - 110 Single Rollergun

In this video I am going to go over my favorite setups for the 110 single rollergun from Rob Allen as well as going over what I think we should be prioritizing when it comes to roller gun setups in general. 

When setting up a speargun of anytype there are three main elements to consider and that is:

Accuracy

Handling

Power

Range

The most important of these elements is accuracy, for obvious reasons. 

You can have all the power in the world, but if you can hit the spot its pointless. Accuracy is the golden key to any magic setup and has to be your first priority. 

However most guys focus on ‘power & range’ when setting up their guns, and just assume that because it is a roller it will be accurate.

Another problem with having ‘power & range’ as your focus when setting up guns is not paying attention to how the gun handles in the water. 

Recoil, weight & maneuverability all affect how the gun feels. This might seem insignificant to some, but how the gun handels affects accuracy. Recoil affects the guns accuracy, and the way the gun handles will affect your accuracy.

It is the way you and the gun interact. Heavy or cumbersome guns, hinder agility. Agility affects your reaction time. 

The faster you can take advantage of a situation, the greater options and opportunities you have of a good shot. 

When things are smooth and predictable, it is easy to be comfortable and find confidence in the gear. 

 Confidence is another key element to accuracy, this is the accuracy that you as a diver develop with experience, enabling those quick instinctive lethal shots. 

So when you have accuracy as your starting point when deciding on a setup. You need to also prioritise how the gun feels and handles, over how much power and range it will have. 

Work with in the power and range a good setup can give you. And not the other way round.

Using this philosophy on gun set ups lets take a look at the 110 

How to Setup Your 110 Roller Gun

The 900 Single Rollergun - Unrolling The Roller Speargun

 

How to setup a 900 single roller speargun

In this spearfishing workshop episode, I cover my favourite single rollergun setups, starting with the 900cm speargun. This is the setup that I have found to have a good balance between power, accuracy and the overall feel of the gun. 

Possibly one of the greatest factors that determine the setup I use is buoyancy. A 900 roller first off needs to have enough buoyancy to float the roller gun with the shaft out. Must remember that all the components on a gun remain the same, but the shorter the gun, the less volume /buoyancy you have to play with.

A carbon barrel in this case is essential, and also adds to counter the weight of the shaft. Even then the carbon barrel will only be buoyant enough for a 1.3m 6.6mm shaft. But if you don't mind a slightly heavier muzzle then a 7mm works really well too. 

Being a short gun makes the 900 easy to load. So I prefer to hand load 14mm bands which have more than enough power to drive the 6.6mm & 7mm shafts.

Lengths will depend on your rubber. 45cm (400% when loaded)  is as short as I would go if you can load it. 50cm is a good length to start with. 

Speargun Setup:
Gun: 900 Carbon Rob Allen Speargun or similar buoyancy

Rubbers: 14mm @ 45cm -50 cm

Pretension: Maximum

Spear: 1.3m 6.6mm shaft – double wrap 1.8mm Dyneema

Cheers

Chris #spearfishing

Floats and Float Lines for Bluewater Spearfishing

Watch the video here - Riffe vs Rob Allen vs Gannet Floats

Here are some basic tips on rigs for your next bluewater spearfishing adventure. I chat about choosing the best inflatable floats and why I would use them. 

Including how to combine them with different float lines and bungee cords.

I was not able to cover everything in this tutorial so if you have any great tips or tricks on blue water rigs please share them below.

Cheers

Coatesman

600 MAMBA / Rob Allen Roller Gun?

After a few test variations here is a custom MAMBA 600 rollergun with Rob Allen mech Mamba barrel and Roller Powerhead. For a VIP client needing a super short rollergun for grouper in tight holes. Cool additions are the the slim line Rob Allen Vecta reel and new finger trapped 1000lb olive green dyneema ... Over kill I know :-)

For more on rollerguns read:

Unrolling the Roller - Rollergun Test and Comparison

The Ultimate Rollergun Test

Black Marlin Speared On Shore Dive

Paul Jorge 86kg Black Marlin

Every year around this time something really special happens in the world of spearfishing up on the North Coast. Today was that day! Paul Jorge shot and landed an 86kg Black Marlin while on a shore entry up the coast.

His amazing feat is not with out a story tho, first he swam out in the dark to the back of Salt Rock reef, but found that the reef was quiet and decided to swim all 650m back in and find another spot.
He then drove up the coast and swam out at Sheffield, and soon found some Snoek. While subduing the Snoek the Marlin came in and attacked his flasher. He did a quick reload with his 1200 speargun and planted a good shot behind the head.

The shot however did not hurt the fish and it took off out to sea, dragging him out with it. Paul reckons it just did not stop pulling and he just got deeper and deeper out, almost drowning him a couple times! Eventually he subdued the fish and with some quick thinking instead of killing the fish he just turned the massive fish to shore and let the fish swim him back to the back line. I cant think of too many people who would have thought about that.

Well done to Paul on an amazing catch.

Now bring on the seared Marlin steaks!! I'l do my part and bring the soy sauce :-)

Coatesman

Mozam Magic - Spearfishing Video with Rob Allen

Mozam Magic Episode 1 - Spearfishing Video

Today we launched our new spearfishing video called Mozam Magic. It is a 3 part series designed specifically for Youtube and was a collaboration between the Rob Allen Dive Factory, the Ultimate Spearfishing Magazine and the editors & directors of the 'Onefish' films.

This short and punchy vid also features some insights to the new Rob Allen Vecta 2 handle and the newly designed optional loading butt. So it is a little different to what is typically scene on the net.

Me all acting strange.

There is something I know you will have a good laugh at. It's me .... we did a 'call to action' to get the guys to subscribe to the video sothat they automatically get the next videos when they are released. We did this shoot late one night after 2 full days of shooting. I had been putting back a far amount of potent energy drinks and was very wide awake. Or more like the lights were on but no one was home ... if you understand me? Anyway be sure to see me all googly eyed at the end of the vid ... too funny. Next time I am going to have to get the editor to make a plan or reshoot it.

Hope you enjoy

If you missed the link above click here: Rob Allen Spearfishing Video

Coatesman

Bonani Cele's First Fish

Bonani Cele with his first fish.

If you go into the back of the Rob Allen Dive Factory you will find a friendly face, the factory manager Bonani Cele. There is an interesting story behind this man. After years at the Dive Factory he became a little more than curious about spearfishing. This lead to him taking part in the PDI course with SAUFF a short while ago, where he was introduced to spearfish and water for the first time.

This weekend he joined Dane from the Dive Facs retail store for a dive off the piers in Durban. After a while and not seeing any fish Bonani ventured off over the sand and landed up in a shoal of Gunter. Congrats to Bonani, not too many guys can claim to have a class fish like this as their first fish.

Coatesman

Onefish Going East Spearfishing DVD - Durban Premier

Chris Coates - Rob Allen (sponsor) - Richard Leonard (Director) - Matt Swart (Editor)

This past Friday night saw the Onefish Going East Durban Premier. The In The Zone team celebrated the release of their new film with a good crowd of guys that came out to the event. The film was a big hit and seeing it on the massive screen was insane. Some of the finest spearfishing moments ever caught on film blew guys away and many said they need to buy the film just so that they could go home and try absorb it all.

The guys had an opportunity to check out the latest gear, from boats, suits and guns.

The evening was hosted by the Ultimate Spearfishing Magazine who also organised a mini spearfishing Expo and cocktail evening. This on its own was ground breaking as this is the first time spearfishing in SA has had an expo with different manufactures coming together. The guys enjoyed some of the new products and got to met some of the spearfishing gear manufacturers first hand. SAUFF were also at the event and announced the South African squad for the World Championships in Spain later this year.

For more pics go to : Onefish Going East Durban Premier
Get Your Copy Here Onefish Going East

Coatesman

Spearfishing Crystal Clean Mozambique

Jeremy Williams Spearfishing in the Crystal Blue Mozambique

I recently got back from a quick spearfishing trip to Southern Mozambique with the Rob Allen crew where we went to get pics for the mag. I was supposed to be on a charter in Inhaca but the wheels came off that trip and the trip was canceled at the last moment. Rob and Jeremy were going up to Milli for a couple days and when they invited me I was all in!

The conditions were epic and we had some beautiful water which made it great for taking pics. Some days I left the speargun on the boat and just did drifts with the camera looking for species to take pics of. I did not get any shots on big pelagics, as you need to get super close with the camera, about 3m!! Got some great pics of other fish and loads of other spearfishing pictures.

Abundant Reef Life in Mozambique

Here is an example of how clean the water was and the abundant reef life Mozambique has. Its just too good, I am already planning my next trip!

Coatesman




Book your own Mozambican Spearfishing Adventure go to: Spearfishing Charters Mozambique

Return Cuta at Cape Vidal

Rob Allen Cape Vidal - 25 & 28 kg August Return Cuta

Its no secret that the place to be spearfishing in the first 2 weeks of August is Cape Vidal. If you are lucky enough to be able to watch the weather and get up there in between the wind ... well you could just come right with some 'Return Cuta'.

So what is a 'Return Cuta' this is a big fat sardine fulled cuta on its way back to Mozambique ...probably to go and spawn. The fish generally don't eat on the way back up .. well thats an assumption based on the fact that the ski boaters don't often come right. And there are numerous stories by spearfisherman of wall to wall 20 plus kg fish just cruising north!!

I know many guys who try spend a week up there over this time in hope of getting a good day in. Over the years John Little and crew have made the mission many times, only to be blown off the sea. .... Oh but they still did get good fish!!

Rob Allen took the gap on Tuesday to do some "product testing" and proved the 'return cuta' theory right. 

When I grow up I want to go "product testing"

Coatesman

Spearfishing - Summer Cuta On Their Way?

Nice Cuta shot with Rob Allen's New Closed Muzzle

After missing out on the mornings spearfishing, I committed to an arvo dive with a mate. The forecast said the wind was going to pick up, but I figured the vis would be ok and would jump in any way.

The reports from the guys who had dived said it was very quiet, and when we got down the South East Devil /Poison wind was blowing. We jumped in any way as this could be our last dive for a couple days with forecast showing east winds and many of the rivers flowing.

The water was a little iffy 26deg on the surface and 25 deg on the bottom - but good water for Cuta. I battled to find the drop off and landed up up on a ledge full of Bat fish. On my second dive while strumming my rubbers 2 cuta came in and a stoned the one. (Damn Rob's new sleek closed muzzle is the BOMB.... this is the 4 or 5th fish in a row which I have stoned)

Any way a little while later another cuta came in while I was on the bottom (the water was not good enough to see them from the top ..unless they swam right underneath you of course) and I got a great shot from below. I first though the shot was too low, as I tend to aim low when shooting up .... lost too many fish shooting up and just getting fine flesh shots in the back.

The shot was good and I landed the fish, not before it almost ran all the line off my reel!!
Morne also bagged a fish before it got dark. The fish were super fat and healthy. Mine were females with eggs. The small on was 8.5kg gutted and the larger one was 11.9kg gutted. Morne's was also good at 8.7kg gutted.

We bumped into some other mates that had dived another reef and they got nothing :-( I guess we were spearfishing in the right place at the right time.

Lets hope the cuta start coming out in greater numbers ... and a little help from the weather will also help.

Smiles

Coatesman

New Spearguns & a New Season

I have recently acquired some new spear guns from Rob Allen for our up coming Mozambique spearfishing trip. Nothing to out of the ordinary, but i have been keen to get them in a pool and just check that they are 100%. I think it is more for my confidence than anything else. I also dont want to get to Mozambique and jump into the water with a gun that I have never shot with before ...... to nerve racking.

Any way the sea made a small turn for the better yesterday and 'all of a sardine' I was juggling my last few appointments for the day .... actually it was quiet at work :-) but juggling sounds busy!!
And hooked up with a mate of mine for a quicky at a spot I like at a certain time of the day. I was about to take my trusty old Rob Allen 1.3m ...absolutely cant miss with it! When I thought ...'premo' opportunity to test one of the new spear guns.
I grabbed the new 1.3m caranx, everything 100% stock off the shelf. I normally shorten the rubbers slightly and use a slightly longer spear, but there was no time so took it as is and went diving.

The long and short is that I got 2 good size cuta hitting the spine on both fish!! On the bigger one the shot was a little further away and the spear only just pierced the other side. So I will be shortening the rubbers a little. But I have to say that the gun is 100s and I will probably not change the spear either.

Now were amped, so we get up super early and hit Tiffs before that Durban crowds hit the place. I decided to try the Rob Allen 1.3m Tuna this time. And again 2 good size cuta, not as big as yesterday but between 8 & 9 kg .... nothing wrong. And again I spined the one and the other was a perfect shot. I am tempted to shorten the rubbers ... but i know it is very easy to over power these guns, so i might just leave it for now.

Any way loads of fun and with the west due tomorrow maybe some more good water.

Cheers

Coatesaman