.

.

no reloading with the spear.

farther range with the gun

Speargun is easier if you are free diving. Pole spear if you are on tanks IMO.

Pole spear- primal and manly, harder, miss more fish.

Speargun- lazy and easier.


I use a spear gun now probably go back and forth. 

Pole spear- primal and manly, harder, miss more fish.

Speargun- lazy and easier.


I use a spear gun now probably go back and forth.

LOL!

I'm lazy. 

Check out some of the fish IceColdChuck has taken with a pole spear...some monsters for sure! http://doty.norcalkayakanglers.com/leaderboard/list_by_angler/33

 

Sincerely,

Jim

I use a pole spear. I have smaller homemade ones that are fun for perch or fish up to around 5lbs , and longer, sturdier ones that I would be comfortable taking any size lingcod with. I'm not a great diver and am limited to about 15' +\- in the ocean. The guns are awesome for long range,  but being sneaky and getting close enough to pole spear them is super fun. And the fast "reload" for the pole spear comes in handy when you are chasing a school of perch around. Guns blow a good sized hole in smaller fish too. 

Pro's- fast reload, dependable, less moving parts. great on scuba, makes you feel manly.

Con's- trying to swim through kelp is hard since it's so long, massive amount of tension on your hand if you load topside and swim down which starts to hurt my hand after an hour. otherwise you load it when you get down which always screwed up my breath hold and can scare off the fish quickly, limited range.

they're a lot of fun but i always just grab a gun instead

I feel pretty manly with my gun...just sayin.

Don't need to swing around no 4 foot spear...that's what eels (and big lings) are for!

 

Just kiddin...kinda. 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

I never loaded topside which caused me to miss many fish. By the time I could load that long would be gone. Never liked diving loaded. To me that's like carrying a gun loaded with no safety and your finger in the trigger.  One slip because you've lost dexterity or something and off it goes. Hope your buddy wasn't around in bad viz.

Seems like the pros and cons are fairly well covered. To be extra clear though, when you miss a fish underwater with the polespear you often have enough time to reload it underwater and take a second or third shot depending on how well you've managed to bungle things.

Also I like to think using a polespear requires divers to really work at getting close to fish, something that only makes you more dangerous should you switch to a gun later.

dude, this is the funniest pic ever, too bad you cant tell high up in the air you are, and the look on your neighbors face.

I vote speargun, I found it much easier when starting, and still do But I dont have the skill set Jim, Icecoldchuck, bloodbath and others do, its an art. If you like to pull triggers, its fun. No matter how crappy of a diver I may be, its always fun pulling a trigger underwater.

dude, this is the funniest pic ever, too bad you cant tell high up in the air you are, and the look on your neighbors face.

I vote speargun, I found it much easier when starting, and still do But I dont have the skill set Jim, Icecoldchuck, bloodbath and others do, its an art. If you like to pull triggers, its fun. No matter how crappy of a diver I may be, its always fun pulling a trigger underwater.

He's been using the Tomsula pump 

dude, this is the funniest pic ever, too bad you cant tell high up in the air you are, and the look on your neighbors face.

I vote speargun, I found it much easier when starting, and still do But I dont have the skill set Jim, Icecoldchuck, bloodbath and others do, its an art. If you like to pull triggers, its fun. No matter how crappy of a diver I may be, its always fun pulling a trigger underwater.

He's been using the Tomsula pump 

or this one...

That's the one Vic!!

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Speargun...... We don't need no stinkn' speargun  .  Jim, have you and Charlie compared??