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

Spearfishing Mozambique - Spear Junkies Ep1

 

Spearfishing Mozambique Black Marlin

Spear Junkies is a spearfishing journey that follows host Cris Dillon traveling the world on a year long adventure chasing 12 dream fish. Join Cris and his guest divers as they travel to some of the world's most spectacular spearfishing destinations in search of 12 specific fish.

12 Spear Junkie fish and weights to 'Tick' off.

Some fish speared were not on the list like this very special 10.5kg Rock Salmon near Maputo.
0.5kg over the current IUSA World Record.

Cris Dillon with an excellent Black Marlin and a well deserved "Tick" on the shirt

Executive Producer Cris Dillon Camera & Edit - Barret Harvey (@African Spearfishing Diaries ) Camera & Guide Chris Coates (@Coatesman's Spearfishing ) Produced by Apnea Productions. Watch the first episode here: Spear Junkies - Spearfishing Black Marlin in Mozambique

Coatesman's Double Roller Muzzle CDR3

 

CDR3 Roller Muzzle

The NEW Coatesman CDR3 is specifically designed to fit on 26.5mm ID Rob Allen carbon speargun barrels. The double roller speargun muzzle enables the spearfisherman to easily load the twin 14mm bands, which deliver way more power than if you were loading a single 16mm or even 18mm band. The double bands produce a very smooth accurate shot with virtually no recoil.

The CDR is the original offset double roller, with the unique roller setup that enables the rubbers to align correctly. The design has evolved over the past 5 years making it the most technically advanced double roller on the market.

The CDR3 double roller speargun muzzle utilizes the proven White Lightening ceramic bearings ensuring maximum efficiency and durability, even in the toughest shore diving environments. The muzzle body is machined nylon which has a very high impact resistance, making the CDR3 muzzle extremely robust.

The CDR3 now includes the Easy Load Pretension Hooks for pretensioning rubbers, and integrated line guide.

Coatesman’s tried & tested double roller speargun muzzle is used by some of the best spearfisherman in the world. Taking down some incredible catches The CDR3 is the premium option for upgrading your Rob Allen Speargun.

Visit Coatesmans.com

Coatesman's Blackfin 7 Floating Fish Bag

Get you BLACKFIN7 Here

The Blackfin Spearfishing float version 7 is a tried & tested, effective alternative to the orthodox torpedo float commonly used by divers. 

It’s primary aim is to prevent sharks, seals and dolphins from stealing fish off your stringer, something which is all too common along the coastline of South Africa.

Its secondary aim is to protect you, the diver. If sharks are prevented from eating your catch, they remain calm. Once they have eaten your fish they become frenzied and erratic, and dangerous.

A third aim is to produce a float which is more functional, lightweight, streamlined and practical than the conventional float setup. 

When divers have fish on their stringers and sharks are present, they are forced to remain alert to protect their catch. There is a feeling anxiety that remains with the diver for the entire duration of their dive. When using the Blackfin Fish Float both of these feelings are eliminated. Sharks may patrol the area in that they may smell your fish, but they can no longer see them in the water, something which is crucial to the shark when hunting its prey.

Divers can remain focussed on hunting effectively when they know their catch is safe. Their concentration is solely on finding quality fish, and not divided between hunting and protecting already secured fish dangling on their stringers. 

This in turn keeps the diver calm and relaxed, which are two vital ingredients in lengthy bottom times and productive Spearfishing.

Key Features

Heavy duty front strap glued and sewn with 2 x shark clips

1 x Rear shark clip

Backpack straps

3 x top lanyard straps

Strong YKK Double zipper

Heavy duty reflective mesh upper

Heavy  duty PVC construction

Internal Key loop

Lightweight

High Visibility

Get you BLACKFIN7 Here

From a construction perspective, these floats are incredibly streamlined and easy to tow behind a diver. This means less exertion for the diver and less fatigue at crucial points in your dive. Gone are the days of dragging a bag of crayfish and gamefish against the rip or current and wasting precious energy. These floats have very little parasitic drag when loaded (max tested weight 70kg), allowing you to swim them from spot to spot with ease.

At the same time, second guns and flashers/torches can be stored on top of these floats while swimming out to the drop off, eliminating further drag and loss of energy. Energy drinks and sustenance can also be stored in the float bag. It is crucial for a diver to remain hydrated during a long shore dive.

 The floats are very functional in that they double as a dive bag and fish float. Diving fins and extras can be stored in the bag during the long walk down the beach to the point of entry. No more lost gloves or fin guards during the long early morning walk. Canvas shoulder straps allow you to carry your gear and fish on your back to your car after your dive. With your car key safe on the internal key loop. 

The floats are very robust and lightweight at 2.4kgs. They have withstood the heavy ocean conditions on the KZN dolphin coast. Produced from high quality materials by professional fitters. They are also guaranteed against manufacturers faults. 

From a visual safety perspective, the float bags are bright in colour and at the request of the diver we can install a diver down/bright orange flag for further visibility. 

As a parting point, everyone hates losing quality fish to sharks. We wake up super early, drive long distances to shoot quality fish for our families, only to have them stolen from us. It’s a waste of a fishes life and of  time and money.

Get you BLACKFIN7 Here