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Old 06-08-2014, 03:19 PM   #1
NW Spearo
Tom M
 
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Shot this Lingcod in Puget Sound

Fellow Spearos,

Shot this 5.5 pound Lingcod Saturday morning while free diving at an Alki Beach location.

I broiled half of it last night for dinner. Delicious. As you know, when cooked the flesh turns a brilliant white and has a nice firm texture. I'm deep frying the other half for tonight's dinner in a beer-batter.

Last week I shot a 3-footer that was very fat and strong. After a 15 minute fight he broke free. It was actually a bit scary. Immediately after shooting him he flops around like crazy. I'm hanging on to the gun but he's jerking me around hard and I was worried that he'd tangle my long fins in the line. I swim as hard as I can back to shore but he starts towing me backwards. He finally hides under a rock and is wedged in tight with the spear caught against the rock. I was 70 yards off shore and cold and tired. After struggling for five minutes trying to pull him out of hiding I considered giving up. I would have to cut the line. Some concerned people on shore were shouting "Are you okay? Do you need help?" I yelled back "I'm fine--big fish!" I rested for a few minutes by holding onto the float. I regained my courage and swam around the fish at different angles until I was able to pull him out from his hiding spot. Then the same thing happens all over again. He flops around like crazy and jerks the line so hard that I can hardly swim back to shore. I swim half way back with him in tow until he finds another rock to wedge himself under. I rested again, then swam around until I had the right angle to pull him out. I make it to shore and I'm so tired that I crawl onto the beach. As I pull the fish in close in shallow water he is able to bounce the spear against the rocks and tear free. No regrets. It was a good fight.
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Old 06-08-2014, 09:38 PM   #2
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Re: Shot this Lingcod in Puget Sound

Wow. Sounds like an epic fight. Couldn't you put a knife in his head or rip out his gills? Nice ling in the photo!
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Old 06-08-2014, 11:55 PM   #3
steepNdeep
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Re: Shot this Lingcod in Puget Sound

Nice fish! You shoulda pulled him off shore a bit & let him think he was winnin' & tow you back to the beach. (or you could just turn his lights out...)
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Old 06-09-2014, 09:38 AM   #4
NW Spearo
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Re: Shot this Lingcod in Puget Sound

Yes, I tried to get close enough to grab the spear. I had knife in hand ready to scramble his brains. But I realized I had hit him mid section and he still had the ability to flop around hard. I was about 10 feet down when I pulled him out of his hole. He was several feet below me. When he came out he was looking right at me, then started thrashing wildly. I was worried about getting whipped or stuck by the spear and worried about getting my fins tangled in the line. I may have been overly cautious, but I was afraid I might drown fighting this fish. My mistake was trying to drag him on to shore. I should have stopped in shallow water and put the knife in there and then.

There's only one week left in this season for Spearfishing Lingcod in Puget Sound. Hopefully I can try a again a couple more times. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the tips and support, guys. Take care.
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Old 06-09-2014, 10:18 AM   #5
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Re: Shot this Lingcod in Puget Sound

No regrets, a good fight, hmmmm......Not really the conclusion I'd reach were it me.

Its always possible to lose a fish and no fish is worth drowning over, it true. That said, if you dont have the ability to subdue this size fish maybe you should stick to shooting smaller fish until you have that ability. I dont know how long you have been spearing, but this sounds like the type of thing that is pretty typical of larger fish that are not hit in the brain or spine. Additionally if being drowned in these circumstances is a real possibility for you, perhaps your fitness level needs to be improved. Perhaps a float line (if you are using a reel with its longer line and easier entanglement risk ) would be a better piece of kit for you to use.

Once you have wounded the game you seek its your responsibility to finish it off and land it. If you cant get the brains or the gills then you can at least slash the gut cavity and disembowel it and then put it out of its misery.

Sliding your hand down the shaft and pinning the fish between your closed fist on the shaft and the flopper, usually will give you the control you need to silence the fish. Getting smacked or whipped by the spear shaft can hurt, but should be a manageable risk in a fish that size. You are out in the water killing things, getting a boo-boo or contusion sort of goes with the territory

Better luck next time,

Jeremy
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Old 06-09-2014, 10:34 AM   #6
NW Spearo
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Re: Shot this Lingcod in Puget Sound

It was a thrilling experience. I've certainly learned a lot and gained experience. And I'm reminded that it is a dangerous sport. Thanks.
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Old 06-09-2014, 03:25 PM   #7
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Re: Shot this Lingcod in Puget Sound

Nice Ling!

Bummer you didn't get the bigger one though!!

Like Namor said...glad you are OK, but hopefully in the future you can figure out a method to get the fish and kill him!!

Bear hug that SOB and rip some gills or stab him in the head ASAP!

Here is an old video of mine showing me make a horrible shot with a gun that was way too small on a 40+ inch Ling....

After I shot him I just tackled him underwater and wrapped my legs around him, got my hand in his gills and wrestled him into submission...the shaft totally came free in the struggle.

The big Ling is at about the 1:05 mark:


Anyway, congrats again on the nice eating size one and hope that you get the biggun next time!

Sincerely,

Jim
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Old 06-09-2014, 03:37 PM   #8
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Re: Shot this Lingcod in Puget Sound

Sweet vid BJ! THAT is how it is done. cool double vantage point also! I want one of those when I am up there!
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Old 06-10-2014, 10:37 AM   #9
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Re: Shot this Lingcod in Puget Sound

So yesterday one of the neighbors always talked about going diving again, is brother was up we're talking and call him and he had time on Monday to dive. when he shows up had this old dive gear works. he tells me has not dove 12 years, yet went and got a battery for citizens dive watch, well they were doing that he went bought a go Pro.

So first spear fishing dive, the gun I let him borrow, he shot like a 32 inch ling, I told him as soon as he shoots he needs to start kicking to it not try and pull it. Luckily it was good vis and I seen it. He just sat and watch the fish, I was swimming for it and was going to shoot it but he was close by so obviously I did not want to shoot him. and as the ling got close and buy me a got off and went past me to where I couldn't get a shot off.

Like always you can have a few problems we got up to the boat he dropped 10 pound weights fell to the bottom, the stringers I give him and the gun and then it and he lost the stringer, was before I surfaced. So I gave him my steel tank, and the weights and fishing Lurers that I found, and I used his aluminum tank. we went back down and I was with him close bye as I shot my fish on earlier dive, and this time you got a pretty good close kill shot, I immediately went to it and then Stringer it so he knows how to react. Hopefully it all comes up good on his go pro but it was a chest go Pro Mount. I found the stringer but not the weight.

N W Spearo free diving I'm sure is very challenging for you at this point, but whether you miss or not as soon as you pull that trigger start kick into it, get that reaction time on key.
What I've noticed is when it takes off if it doesn't feel that it's pulling from you it slows down, but if it's tight it just keeps going crazy.
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