NorCal Kayak Anglers
Dive Zone => Kayak Diving and Spearfishing => Topic started by: Get The Net on December 10, 2017, 12:53:07 PM
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So I am asking for a speargun for christmas, And I don't really know whats best. So I was wondering if you guys had any recommendations? Thanks!
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Rob Allen open muzzle Tuna 700 rail gun :smt023
2nd choice would be a Pathos, Laser 75 open pro.
Merry Xmas :smt114
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I recomend the pathos a lot over the RA, but its mostly personal preference , go to a dive shop and see what you like more in person
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
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I have an RA snapper 80cm I’m selling for $160. Brand new shaft never used, new bands.
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I use a hammerhead evolution (gen 1)75cm and it's deadly accurate.i am a bad shot and I've got head shots on greenling
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I have guns ranging from 55 to 120. Like a lot of people, I thought the old RA 90 was a good all round gun for most everything. But for northern CA, I have been going smaller and smaller, now my little 55 is the gun of choice, hands down.
The shorter the gun, the easier your shooting is into holes and under structure. But you have to be aware, the shorter it is the more carefully you have to aim. If you're, for instance, in Santa Cruz mostly going to be trying to shoot the biggest blue in a free swimming school, a longer gun will definitely be more accurate and a 90 isn't too long.
And on make, I have two Pathos guns and they are just so much better than the old RA, I can't believe it. It's like comparing a car made by Honda or Toyota in the last 20 years to an old Ford Mustang. The Mustang was cool, but so low tech and inefficient. You won't go back to a RA after a Pathos. But they are a little different, for instance, the line release is on left (it can be moved), the pins are smaller and easier to miss in rough or kelpy situtions. Once you get used to it they're great and much easier to aim accurately. Also, I got introduced to pneumatic guns a few years ago, again a different feel, but really nice and efficient for N Cal hole hunting. One hard shove of the shaft into the gun and you're loaded, compared to the sometimes finicky insertion of shaft end into the mech of a band gun (I can't count how many times my RA hasn't actually "caught" in the mech, only to come out when I try loading the first band), careful wrapping of the shooting line to retain the shaft, and then two separate band loads (yes, you can reduce that to one band). But still with a band gun you have at least four steps a couple of which have to be done pretty carefully, compared to only two for a pneumatic.
Good luck and dive safe!
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I own an AB biller 24 and 32. Both are excellent choices for me. It really depends on what your going for and where you want to dive. My AB biller spearguns have been really good to me though. Many fish over the course of hat last several years with them
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My Mako 60cm with a single band has served me well. Probably the best value on the market.
Here's a few reasons why I'm considering an "upgrade" to pathos 75 laser open pro with dual bands:
-It's what everyone else uses
-The reverse trigger mech packages 75cm worth of power into the same overall length as my Mako 60
-The finish on the barrel is nice and scratch resistant
-The stainless steel spear shafts don't oxidize. The carbon steel shafts on my Mako are marginally stronger, but hitting the shaft with abrasive and WD40 after each dive can get annoying
FWIW Pneumatics are loud and they will scare your dive buddies so stick with bands :smt044
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I think I am going to go with the pathos laser open pro 60 cm!!!!!
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You won't go wrong with that. I was looking at that exact gun online to get for my daughter (which means I get to use it when she's not diving!). If I didn't have any guns or pole spears, knowing what I know now, I'd go with that exact gun.
Great choice for northern CA hunting. You'll see a fair number of guys just reduce to one band, but if it comes with two try both ways for a while and see what you like. Good luck, hope you have some solid stringers!
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I think I am going to go with the pathos laser open pro 60 cm!!!!!
Can't wait to see you put it to use on those poor unsuspecting fishys :smt001
Make sure you get a float line too unless you already have one. Don't want to lose it to Neptune.......because the ocean giveth :smt007 and taketh away :smt013
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Cabeza has good advice adding a floatline. I've been through everything from rope to poly braid to gannet. But for up here, the guys at Red Triangle have this one called dark waters SKINNY. It's the bomb! Thin, much smaller and easier to pack, doesn't kink like some of the regular thicker float lines. It's also really stretchy. Be sure to get it in white tubing- if you leave your gun or (hopefully one of these years leave your ab iron) on the bottom on a dark day to mark something, the white is the only color that is easy to follow all the way down. The clear ones, regardless of what the color the cord inside is aren't nearly as easy to see.
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Cabeza has good advice adding a floatline. I've been through everything from rope to poly braid to gannet. But for up here, the guys at Red Triangle have this one called dark waters SKINNY. It's the bomb! Thin, much smaller and easier to pack, doesn't kink like some of the regular thicker float lines. It's also really stretchy. Be sure to get it in white tubing- if you leave your gun or (hopefully one of these years leave your ab iron) on the bottom on a dark day to mark something, the white is the only color that is easy to follow all the way down. The clear ones, regardless of what the color the cord inside is aren't nearly as easy to see.
I have never thought of using a float line, And I dont quite understand how it works. Is it attached to a bouy? does it float your gun? Also I feel like having all that line, and then if you go into shallower water then you have a lot of extra line that just tangles. Could you explain to me how it works? Thanks so much!
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A floatline is a great tool
Attach one end to your gun, or ab iron, or marker weight and the other to a bouy
It allows you to retrieve your gun if you drop it, mark spots to come back to after you breath up, or retrieve a fish that is stuck in a hole
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I just let the loose end of my floatline trail free...that way it won't get hung up in kelp...
It can be a PITA sometimes but you will love it if you shoot a fish in a cave and can't get it out right away...just leave gun and go up and rest and then follow line back down to get it out once you are rested...
The pathos 60 is a great gun, but be aware that it isn't heavy enough to use as a marker for holes...if you drop it next to a hole it will most likely float/drift a little bit away.
I suggest at least a 50 foot floatline even for shallow diving...and if you start diving 40+ I would get a 75 footer...
75 seems like a lot, but it is nice to have extra laying on surface to help you find gun if you drop it...
Good luck dude!!
:smt006
Sincerely,
Jim
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This is a little vid of my first time using the 60...super fun gun and has plenty of power to take down nice fish as well...
https://youtu.be/jGjXIdWXKjo
:smt006
Sincerely,
Jim
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The pathos 60 is a great gun, but be aware that it isn't heavy enough to use as a marker for holes...if you drop it next to a hole it will most likely float/drift a little bit away.
This is the main reason I like the RA more than the Pathos. It really sucks when it decides to walk from your marked spot in low vis or even in good vis it doesn't take much current/swell to move it either.
The RA makes a good anchor :smt001
I need to figure out how to weigh it down without making it a snag nuisance. Maybe attach a stainless steel rod somehow.
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The pathos 60 is a great gun, but be aware that it isn't heavy enough to use as a marker for holes...if you drop it next to a hole it will most likely float/drift a little bit away.
This is the main reason I like the RA more than the Pathos. It really sucks when it decides to walk from your marked spot in low vis or even in good vis it doesn't take much current/swell to move it either.
The RA makes a good anchor :smt001
I need to figure out how to weigh it down without making it a snag nuisance. Maybe attach a stainless steel rod somehow.
Just switch to a reel and then you won't be worrying about leaving your gun on the bottom. :smt002 :smt008
When I've used a floatline up in Shelter Cove I have put a torpedo fishing weight (the one with the metal loop on each end) threaded on the loop at the end of the floatline where I clip it onto the gun....loop through each end of weight so stays in line...
FWIW, when I'm hunting with my reel gun I still often use a floatline/marker weight set up...I'll drop marker weight, work around it for a few dives...move a bit, drop weight, work around it....
If there's kelp you can use the stalks as reference but if no kelp I find having the weight/line helps keep me oriented and allows me to systematically cover ground...
:smt006
Sincerely,
Jim
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Hey just start simple. Get the gun, shoot some fish, learn and adapt from there. Reels, floatlines, floats, etc all are useful, but just grow into them as you get comfortable. See what works for guys/gals you dive with and borrow and try their setups to see what you like. Good luck, dive safe, hope to see ya out in the briny deep!
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Just got my new pathos 60 and it does not have a safety and my parents don't like it so they want to return it and get a new one. Do u guys notice anything different about the no safety?
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IMO the best safety is your finger and your mind....
Don’t point the loaded gun at something you aren’t willing to shoot...
Just my 2 cents.
:smt006
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IMO the best safety is your finger and your mind....
Don’t point the loaded gun at something you aren’t willing to shoot...
Just my 2 cents.
:smt006
+1
I think a safety can be a false sense of security, and what if you forget to activate it? I haven't used the safety switch on my Rob Allen once. Keep track of where you are pointed at all times, and keep your finger off the trigger like BigJim said.
Pathos Open 60 is an awesome gun for NorCal...I had a hard time walking out of Red Triangle without buying one.
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IMO the best safety is your finger and your mind....
Don’t point the loaded gun at something you aren’t willing to shoot...
Just my 2 cents.
:smt006
Agreed. I have seen several safety mechs fail including one of my guns so don’t care for them.