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Old 09-16-2013, 02:45 PM   #1
randkauf
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Thumbs up Diving with Bill McIntyre





I have been a long time lurker on the board and have never taken the opportunity to get to know anyone from the spearfishing community. I feel as though I am at the point to where I can't learn more or progress without the insight of someone more knowledgeable. While wanting to do so for a while, I contacted Bill McIntyre Friday evening and let him know that I missed his spearing posts and that I would love to go out diving sometime. Bill replied to me that evening and asked if I would like to ride along on a rare Saturday trip with an old dive buddy, Jeff Bonisa. I couldn't believe that the opportunity came that quick, but then again I find that I have great timing.



We headed out in the early AM through the fog and arrived at the first spot. The water was a calm, glassy, and perfect. Along the way I couldn't stop staring down through the kelp at the clear blue water. Being my first time diving away from shore, it was new to me and I was completely stoked. It was like a view from the top of an aquarium. I didn't tell Bill or Jeff, but at this point I was pretty excited and I believe the lack of breakfast, excitement, and wetsuit which seems to have "shrunk" a little on me gave me some pretty bad nausea that I battled most of the day. Jeff was in the water and said that he saw a school of about 20 WSB which he was unable to get a shot on. Bill and Jeff swam off to either side of the boat and I went straight out the back. I didn't do any spearing as this was my first time out offshore and have been learning with a pole spear and lobstering. I couldn't believe how blue the water was and was just amazed at the experience in comparison to the shore. Bill and Jeff had told me that I would definitely see black sea bass and on my first or second dive down I saw one of them. At that point, that was the largest fish I had seen in person outside of an aquarium. Continuing my diving, I saw my first Mola which I have always wanted to see. I can't believe how big these are; very cool experience.



The next spot we hit, the bait was on. There were rivers of mackerel, sardines and barracuda. I have never been in kelp so dense and spent some time swimming in the channels watching the bait zip through. With the massive amounts of bait fish, I didn't catch a glimpse of any game fish. Jeff managed to spot one yellowtail.



The third spot was looking just as good. I went on my way as Bill and Jeff continued to hunt. I try to keep an eye on where everyone is from time to time and eventually I spotted Bill and Jeff next to each other and heard some loud talking. I continued to swim over and as I got closer I could make out Bill's float line wrapped around the kelp. I knew he had something. As I got near, I saw the huge WSB. Such an awesome experience seeing all of this first hand and being able to help out a bit. As we got the fish to the boat, Bill asked me how much I think it weighed. Like a newbie with no previous experience, I underestimated at 38lbs. The WSB ended up weighing in at 50lbs. Here is Bill's experience.....



Quote:
I haven't been out in about three weeks because my back has been giving me fits. In the last couple of days, I've felt that it was at least well enough to give it a try. I almost never go on weekends, but one of my best old dive buddies, Jeff Bonisa, finally had enough of a break in his routine starting a new business and he said he could go yesterday. And he promised to bring some of his magic goop, Mud Energy, so that was incentive enough.



And then Friday night I got an email from a guy I didn't know- Randy Kaufmann. He lurks on Spearboard but never posts, and wanted me to know how much he missed my posts since my banning. He is sort of a beginner, but wanted to know if he could ride along some day on my boat just to see how the "experts" did it. I said "how bout tomorrow?" Another guy to share gas is always welcome, especially if he says nice things.



When I got up, my back wasn't as good as the day before, but I took 800 milligrams of Ibuprofen and it seemed to perk up, so I had high hopes. So what if I burn a hole in my stomach?



So we left bright and early. The fog was so thick that we had to spend a lot of time off of a plane, but it finally burned off. At the first stop, the water looked blue as near as we could tell in the poor light. Jeff was the first in, and before he could dive, he saw a school of about 20 white sea bass from the surface. He couldn't quite tell what he was seeing, and thought it might be a few blacks, but he dove on them and didn't quite get a shot. This was sort of encouraging, so I jumped in a cocked the gun. Unfortunately, we never saw them again. By the time I was heading back to the boat, my back muscles started seizing up again, so I took another 800 milligrams.



At the second stop, it looked like paradise. You could hardly see through the schools of green mackerel, Spanish mackerel, sardines, and barracuda. There had to be game fish there, but we never saw them. Jeff did see one yellowtail, but it didn't want to play. But my back was OK.



At the third stop, it looked great again- blue water, mild current, and almost as much bait as the previous place. We anchored up-current from the bed. I was cruising the up-current edge and occasionally going down into the bed. On one dive I was cruising along at about 20 feet and saw a white sea bass off my right shoulder, heading in the same direction that I was. There was some kelp close to me that made it hard to swing the gun, so I went forward a few feet hoping the fish wouldn't turn. When it came into sight again, it had turned away and was at a 45 degree angle to me. I was carrying my 60" Wong Super Magnum so I was pretty sure I had the range, but I was afraid I would miss. But I'm not in a position to be selective, so I pulled the trigger. I was so happy to feel that float line running through my hand. I was not sure of my shot, so I didn't put on a lot of pressure as I normally do, but it seemed to stop fairly soon. Jeff happened to be close by, and I told him I had a fish on. My line was going straight down under some thick kelp, but then I could see it on the other side running horizontally. Jeff swam over there and said he could see the fish. He asked if I wanted him to take a second shot, and I told him it depended on how good my shot looked. He dove down and then came back to say he couldn't see my slip tip on the far side, so I told him to shoot it. I didn't want to lose this fish over some sort of pride. He strung it, so after that it was just a matter of sorting out shafts, shooting lines, and float lines. Randy showed up and got to watch "professionals" at work on a cluster---k. He even got to tow some of the mess back to the boat.



No one saw any more game fish, but Randy got to see a couple of molas and his first few big black sea bass. I hope he didn't pick up any bad habits from us. All in all, it was a delightful day, with calm seas, clear and warm (66°)water, and great company. If he comes again, we'll even let him carry a gun.



It was great to get a late-season fish, and I owe it all to ibuprofen and Mud Energy.




Now what Bill left out of all that was the story of his float line. As we brought the fish and gear back I was untangling the line as Bill told me to let it drift out on the current to untangle itself. So with the gun being clipped to the side of the boat, I let the line float out not realizing that it wasn't secured. I go off on my merry way and come back later to Bill on the boat and I say that I can't believe how big the BSB are. He then proceeds to tell me about the float line that has drifted off to god knows where. My stomach twists into a knot and I can't believe I let that happen. Luckily we were anchored up current from the kelp and it got wrapped up somewhere. So unknown by me, Jeff was swimming around trying to get this float line back while I am off diving around, not doing anything productive. What a douche moment and a lesson that I will not forget.


Jeff gave me some packs of MudEnergy before I left and I can't wait to try this stuff out. That day was such an amazing experience. I was able to get some knowledge from a couple experienced hunters, some really close up video of molas and BSB. I really owe a lot to Bill. He took the chance of taking out a stranger and I really couldn't be more appreciative. What a great day with perfect conditions; I can't wait for more.
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Old 09-16-2013, 02:51 PM   #2
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Re: Diving with Bill McIntyre

I don't think an old man like Bill would be able to hold up a 50-pounder like that. It must have gone 38...

Lol
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Old 09-16-2013, 02:55 PM   #3
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Re: Diving with Bill McIntyre

Saw this post on SFP. Typical Bill Mac. Always slaying big WSB. Thanks for the write up.

Thats quite the opportunity you got. He has more experience than most guys on SB.

D
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Old 09-16-2013, 02:59 PM   #4
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Re: Diving with Bill McIntyre

Very few people are as generous with their knowledge as Bill is. I email him questions all the time. Stoked that you got out on his boat and I really enjoyed your write up.
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Old 09-16-2013, 03:33 PM   #5
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Re: Diving with Bill McIntyre

Nice fish. Thanks for the write up.
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Old 09-16-2013, 03:39 PM   #6
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Re: Diving with Bill McIntyre

Shame that Bill was banned - while the crazy stuff on politics and religion, oh the conspiracies, continue and continue and .... ad infinum.

Bill has helped a lot of folks, me too.

Too bad he can't contribute here.

Nice write up Randy - you brought him luck
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Old 09-16-2013, 03:51 PM   #7
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Talking Re: Diving with Bill McIntyre

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lompoc Local View Post
I don't think an old man like Bill would be able to hold up a 50-pounder like that. It must have gone 38...

Lol
LOL Yes indeed. Bill has a tendency to deceive. He can reply to this comment of yours should he wish to do so because he is not banned.

Like Ethan and mainphrame and a few others have experienced, Bill was put in the moderation queue which means posts have to be approved by a moderator like me or zenspearo. Ethan, mainphrame and others have emerged from that status by simply showing they can behave.

But Bill loves the martyr role and wants you to think he was banned. Funny thing is he can't post personal information about his enemies in most places he goes on the Web.

Fact check over and out. Carry on

Oh nice fish Bill!

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Old 09-16-2013, 03:55 PM   #8
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Re: Diving with Bill McIntyre

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Originally Posted by SpearMax View Post
LOL Yes indeed. Bill has a tendency to deceive. He can reply to this comment of yours should he wish to do so because he is not banned.

Like Ethan and mainphrame and a few others have experienced, Bill was put in the moderation queue which means posts have to be approved by a moderator like me or zenspearo. Ethan, mainphrame and others have emerged from that status by simply showing they can behave.

But Bill loves the martyr role and wants you to think he was banned. Funny thing is he can't post personal information about his enemies in most places he goes on the Web.

Fact check over and out. Carry on

Oh nice fish Bill!

I haven't emerged! I'm still throttled. Its been like 2 years!
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Old 09-16-2013, 04:14 PM   #9
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Re: Diving with Bill McIntyre

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Bill loves the martyr role
Yup.

Quote:
Funny thing is he can't post personal information about his enemies in most places he goes on the Web.
Yes, but if you register there, he will try to draw you into a fight via PM if he can - he just can't let the drama go. He just HAS to have attention, no matter what kind it is.

O and Bill - NICE fish! Congratulations!
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Old 09-16-2013, 04:40 PM   #10
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Re: Diving with Bill McIntyre

For the record, Bill's never led me to believe he has been banned. And I don't think he has implied that he has been banned to others either. I think some use the word banned because the reality (editorial review?) doesn't have the same ring to it.

If you post something to a public forum, then its public information. There are no take backs. So if someone uses that information (pictures, personal info or what ever it is), its your fault and your fault alone for how its used.
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Old 09-16-2013, 04:49 PM   #11
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Re: Diving with Bill McIntyre

I kind of miss his reports and antics. Why doesnt he come back?
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Old 09-16-2013, 06:09 PM   #12
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Thumbs up Re: Diving with Bill McIntyre

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Originally Posted by Big_Berg View Post
I kind of miss his reports and antics. Why doesnt he come back?

He knows exactly what he needs to do to comply with the rules. Heck, he can post right now if he desires.

But, don't hold your breath. Anger against political adversaries can last a long time.

Super nice fish Bill

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Old 09-16-2013, 06:11 PM   #13
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Talking Re: Diving with Bill McIntyre

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Originally Posted by Ethan kills View Post
I haven't emerged! I'm still throttled. Its been like 2 years!
Crikey Ethan, then how are you posting now?
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Old 09-16-2013, 06:14 PM   #14
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Re: Diving with Bill McIntyre

Nice report and great fish Bill. Glad you are out there shooting them
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Old 09-16-2013, 07:24 PM   #15
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Re: Diving with Bill McIntyre

Hey, I know that spot! Haaahaaaaaa

Stay well
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