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Old 05-21-2013, 02:27 PM   #1
MJsizzle
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How to up our Game! Need advice

Hello my name is Michael, me and my buddy have been diving/spearing for a while now, but were having some trouble moving up in our spearing game. We have gotten a heak of a lot better since we started, but we need some advice!

We both have great guns and adequate gear now, and were getting better at diving, but we seem to still be only hitting up lower level fish!

I'm wondering if it's us, the spots were spearing, or maybe the depth we dive! maybe it's all three, but we seem to only take home big perch like halfmoons, maybe some small calicos if were lucky that day, around 14" to 16", sometimes we get some small sheephead around the same size, but we never seem to really see/shoot anything bigger. Honestly I think it's because we don't really SEE anything bigger or better than what were shooting as described above, so we never have a chance to up the game. We usually dive about 20ft. to 25ft. deep, maybe the beginning to middle of kelp beds and around the rock formations in more shallow areas.

We currently dive Little Corona almost every time, we have done a trip to dana point once, which was more of an exploration dive. i'm just wondering if any of you guys out there have a word or two of advice to help us target larger fish, or up our spear game in any way, or maybe a different spots we should try, i dont know if Little Corona is just out of date or what, but we see plenty of spearos there and the OC Spearos often spear there, so i'm begining to think it's just us that need help . So any advice or help is greatly appriciated thank you so much! If you need further info on what we do or anything to help better the advice, just ask thanks again!

~Michael and Austin!
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Old 05-21-2013, 02:43 PM   #2
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Re: How to up our Game! Need advice

Hey Michael and Austin, Im just curious how long you guys have been diving for? One of the best things about this sport is the exploration part, get out a map or go on google earth and look at spots YOU think would be fun to dive that are not in the MLPA. It is so much sweeter if you put in the time and find that sick pinnacle that is holding a fat 15lbs sheepshead then if I tell you a spot that I found after hundreds of dives. The bigger fish will come with time in the water it is that simple and you you be ready for them because you put your time in and were dedicated. This is a process that most guys here have gone through so keep at it and be sure to work on being safer in the water and ask as many question as you can.
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Old 05-21-2013, 02:46 PM   #3
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Re: How to up our Game! Need advice

Go out on one of the diveboat freedive trips to the islands, you will learn from the other divers and from diving unreal spots with tons of fish. I would recommend the Sand Dollar. George will put you on the spots that produce so you can get your bass on.
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Old 05-21-2013, 03:02 PM   #4
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Re: How to up our Game! Need advice

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Originally Posted by GREENBEAN88 View Post
Hey Michael and Austin, Im just curious how long you guys have been diving for? One of the best things about this sport is the exploration part, get out a map or go on google earth and look at spots YOU think would be fun to dive that are not in the MLPA. It is so much sweeter if you put in the time and find that sick pinnacle that is holding a fat 15lbs sheepshead then if I tell you a spot that I found after hundreds of dives. The bigger fish will come with time in the water it is that simple and you you be ready for them because you put your time in and were dedicated. This is a process that most guys here have gone through so keep at it and be sure to work on being safer in the water and ask as many question as you can.
very well said and very true.
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Old 05-21-2013, 03:03 PM   #5
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Re: How to up our Game! Need advice

Explore. Have more experienced divers take you out any show you around. Work on your technique. Have fun! There is no substitute for time in the water. All of my favorite spots are ones I either randomly stumbled upon while exploring or spots a buddy took me to. No one will give away thier honey hole to a stranger on the Internet.

I live a bit north of you but dive as far south as PV when I'm in LA and as far north as Carlsbad when I'm in SD. If you all are willing to make the drive some time hit me up in pm and I'll gladly dive with you. I don't claim to have anywhere near as much experience as a lot of people on the board but I'll gladly share what I do have.
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Old 05-21-2013, 03:10 PM   #6
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Re: How to up our Game! Need advice

Find deeper and more remote areas to dive and you will find bigger fish because there is less diving pressure. Google Earth plus NOAA soundings are a good resource. Also, if you are not comfortable diving deeper then start looking in the holes and caves (use a flashlight) in your regular spots. Many times very big fish can be found hiding out in the shallower areas. It's also just putting in your time; you are likely swimming over stuff and your eyes don't see it yet, and you are spooking big fish before you even see them.
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Old 05-21-2013, 03:12 PM   #7
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Re: How to up our Game! Need advice

Sounds like your doing the exploration part right just keep at it and search for those new honey holes. Keep in mind to safety is #1 and the fish will come with experience
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Old 05-21-2013, 03:45 PM   #8
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Re: How to up our Game! Need advice

Being quiet in the water is difficult to learn, and makes a lot of difference. By quiet I don't just mean your voice but also clanking, splashing, bubbles, thrashing around...
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Old 05-21-2013, 03:50 PM   #9
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Re: How to up our Game! Need advice

go to a dive club meeting in your area, like minded spearo's will no doubt strike up a conversation and before you know it you have found a mentor and a new friend to put you in a position to learn at a faster pace, and be safer.
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Old 05-21-2013, 04:30 PM   #10
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Re: How to up our Game! Need advice

Quote:
Originally Posted by GREENBEAN88 View Post
Hey Michael and Austin, Im just curious how long you guys have been diving for? One of the best things about this sport is the exploration part, get out a map or go on google earth and look at spots YOU think would be fun to dive that are not in the MLPA. It is so much sweeter if you put in the time and find that sick pinnacle that is holding a fat 15lbs sheepshead then if I tell you a spot that I found after hundreds of dives. The bigger fish will come with time in the water it is that simple and you you be ready for them because you put your time in and were dedicated. This is a process that most guys here have gone through so keep at it and be sure to work on being safer in the water and ask as many question as you can.
Thank you all for your comments and advice it helps a lot it really does! Most of your comments are about enjoying dives and being patient, and I really Love the scenery and even on the days where we come home with no food I sincerely enjoy it and can say well that was a great day!

but my question was more, about things were doing wrong, I don't need spot names or anything like that i completely understand keeping that info to yourselves i'm talking like should we go deeper? what to look for? should we be more in deep kelp beds or just around reefs/rocky outcrop? I would Love any advice for that as all i seem to see is perch =/ not that that isnt great and Beautiful it is!! I just am an adrealine junky and love the thrill of hunting haha, perch are still fun but I would Love some bigger game and where to find them, like should we go deeper?
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Old 05-21-2013, 05:39 PM   #11
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Re: How to up our Game! Need advice

If you can safely and comfortably go deeper, by all means check out the deeper areas. BUT.....it is completely unnecessary. Most of my fish, big or small, were taken in <25 feet of water, and I'm sure most guys on here would say the same. Work on slowing it down. Like others said, if you have a full day during the weekend, try driving to some new spots. Another thing, consider when you're going. Time of day, tides, moon phase, time of year, etc. all play a role in fish presence and behavior. These are things that take years and years to learn, but becoming aware of this and learn a bit at a time from experienced divers will help your learning curve drastically.
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Old 05-21-2013, 07:00 PM   #12
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Re: How to up our Game! Need advice

I would second the advice to slow down and work on being silent, from how you clear your snorkel to how you dive under water.

Sometimes if you just stay at the bottom without moving or swimming, some fish will come to check you out as well.

Like it's been said, you might be spooking fish before you even see it.
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Old 05-21-2013, 07:41 PM   #13
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Re: How to up our Game! Need advice

surprised no one has said it yet but; if you want to shoot bigger fish, stop shooting at the smaller fish. when you see smaller fish try to get as close to them as possible without spooking them. Try to put your spear tip on their head without them bolting. You will learn how to move in the water and bigger fish will start to magically appear. Stay safe and don't push your limits. Seriously. Don't push your limits, longer and deeper is not a requirement for bigger fish.
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Old 05-21-2013, 10:40 PM   #14
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Re: How to up our Game! Need advice

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surprised no one has said it yet but; if you want to shoot bigger fish, stop shooting at the smaller fish. when you see smaller fish try to get as close to them as possible without spooking them. Try to put your spear tip on their head without them bolting. You will learn how to move in the water and bigger fish will start to magically appear. Stay safe and don't push your limits. Seriously. Don't push your limits, longer and deeper is not a requirement for bigger fish.
I second that. One of my favorite games to play is how close I can get to a fish before it swims off.... I point my gun, think "boom you're dead" then let them go. Saves me a lot of fileting and I don't feel as bad when I do take a big fish more than half my age aha
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Old 05-22-2013, 12:16 AM   #15
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Re: How to up our Game! Need advice

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I second that. One of my favorite games to play is how close I can get to a fish before it swims off.... I point my gun, think "boom you're dead" then let them go. Saves me a lot of fileting and I don't feel as bad when I do take a big fish more than half my age aha
Thank You all for your answers and advice and also your concern for safety!
I will be very cautious when diving, and will try to be more quit and learn all of these techniques you all have stated, thank you very much for your insight! I think this will really help me and my buddies diving experience thanks sooo much!
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