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You first need to figure out what you want to hunt for. In the NW it’s Ling Cod. Then you need to find out when the season is open for that critter and what the rules are in regards to spearfishing. You can usually pick up a free guide to your states hunting/fishing at a local sporting goods store. What kind of equipment you use will depend on what you are hunting for.
Go get the guide first...decide what you are after and then visit the dive store.
NAUI offers a Hunter/Collector specialty course that provides good information and experience.
Happy Hunting!
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I would start out in freshwater lakes at first just to get the feel of the environment. You should get some basic gear to start off with…spear gun, stringer, tips, etc… or if you can borrow some or even rent it that would be better. There are a few complications and issues you need to address before going into salt water. A couple being, there are no sharks in freshwater and the freshwater fish don’t fight or bite as bad and some of the depths involved. We dive the rigs in the Gulf of Mexico so there are other hazards involved there too. The BEST thing to do is to find someone to mentor you that has experience. Find someone in your area that you can hook up with that will show you a few things. We got real lucky in that we found a guy with a boat and lots of experience to sort of teach us and we help pay for food and fuel. Here are a couple of cool websites/ clubs to check out… www.helldivers.org and www.aquaaces.net .
You are more than welcome to email me with any questions you have directly or through divebuddy… james.may [ at ] ffmsport.com , I will try to answer any questions I can. By no means am I an expert, but have gotten my gun wet a few times. Lol
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mo - 7/18/2008 2:09 PM 
Hello reef hugger here……………I mean no offence but Please don’t go spearing fishing, it’s not the fish that you hit and kill on the first go that is of concern, it’s the ones that you hit and don’t kill that go wavering off injured which will 1. Die sometime later, not a nice way to go. 2. The fish gets diseased and others get infected and die.
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I respect your opinion Mo but don’t agree with you. There’s nothing like the adrenaline rush one gets from diving to "deep" depths under a huge oil rig in the Gulf where it’s so dark you can’t read you’re computer, you’re dodging the barnacle incrusted legs of the rig, there’s sharks that "appear" out of nowhere, you make it to 150-180’ and shoot a huge Amberjack that’s pulling you to the bottom like you just roped a wild horse and all you can do is fight like hell to get back up to 20’ to re-group or you’re going to be spending some time in the chamber...or worse. Crazy? Hell yea it is, that’s why I do it. It just makes that cold beer taste that much better at the end of the day.
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sk290 - 7/18/2008 5:00 PM
Interesting views...
I would consider spearfishing as harvesting from the ocean, much like commercial outfits do or sport fishing from a boat. Just a different venue.
Are you opposed to that as well?
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Spearfishing as a sport has actually been around for quite a while. There are even international competitions for this sport. However, they do it a little different than you might expect. You see, it’s done without tanks. As in free diving. This makes it a bit more of a challenge. You can find more info if you google it. Try a search for Blue Water Hunters or Open Ocean Hunters.
Although there are some few individuals who are not as careful as they should be, generally speaking, I’ve found spearfishermen and women are a very selective group. They are selective about the fish that they shoot and usually either hit their target or miss it totally. Personally I find this type of harvesting much more acceptable than the thousands of tons of various fish that are killed as a result of “bycatch” from commercial fishing operations.
Too be sure, there are some risks involved and some skills that you need to develop. You should definitely get some training before you go. You should be able to find out more about the available training through your local dive shop.
Have fun, good luck, and safe dives….
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There is a book available from Best Publishing Company that is titled "Spearfishing for Skin and Scuba Divers". the author is Steve Barsky. It’s a pretty good primer to the sport. It should give you a pretty good idea of what you are getting in to with spearfishing.
Should be able to get it at the local dive shop or go on line to their website and order it.
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Greg - 7/18/2008 9:00 PM
Mike at the dive shop at Mamoth Lake in Lake Jackson, TX is known for his spearfishing. He offers an underwater hunting course. I suggest you check him out and tell him Greg from DiveBuddy.com sent you :)
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Eve - 7/18/2008 9:10 PM
From mo: Hello reef hugger here……………I mean no offence but Please don’t go spearing fishing, it’s not the fish that you hit and kill on the first go that is of concern, it’s the ones that you hit and don’t kill that go wavering off injured which will 1. Die sometime later, not a nice way to go. 2. The fish gets diseased and others get infected and die.
Mo I for one am pleased that you are not afraid to voice yout thoughts, and we in life cannot please everyone. We learn by and from others . I am pleased that this site gives divers the chance to voice their opinins as long as they are not offensive and rude.
Thank you
Eve
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mo - 7/19/2008 4:20 AM
I keep forgetting that you guy’s in the states still use feet and inches, when I read Rigdivers response, I had visions of a super-hero at 150 meters on trimix and thinking this guy must be mad, or narked.
We all go in the water for different reasons, mine is to take in the world around me and find new and wonderful things to view.
Whatever a divers reason is for entering the water……I wish that you all safe diving.
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mo - 7/19/2008 5:36 AM
From sk290:
Interesting views...
I would consider spearfishing as harvesting from the ocean, much like commercial outfits do or sport fishing from a boat. Just a different venue.
Are you opposed to that as well?
I am not against fishing, I enjoy the sport myself, it’s just that I have seen divers in the Mediterranean spear fishing and they harmed more fish than they hit and killed out-right.
When they missed the target the spear would hit the reef again this had a damaging affect on the environment. What I don’t know is how much experience they had spear fishing.
It is just my feelings based on what I have seen.
Mo
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sk290 - 7/19/2008 7:30 AM
Thank you all for your input and experiences. I too love and respect the waters and everything that lives in it. In fact, most people I’ve met in this sport have the appreciation for our planet and the desire to preserve it. Diving instills that in you.
I’ll look into all the suggestions and educate myself so I too can be a good, safe and responsible diving citizen.
Besides, I think we need more women involved in the sport. It just makes it that much more fun, right? :)
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Hi there - here are a couple of things to consider: 1) ask your local shops and spearfishermen what the spearfishing ’catch’ is in your area - learn the species and how to POSITIVELY identfy them underwater! 2) read for yourself your state/local fish and game regulations paying special attention to the species you want to hunt: seasons, minimum size, daily limits, special gear restrictions or license issues - the last thing you want is for your game wardens to take everything you used to get the wrong, undersized, or out of season fish! The CA DFG will take your SCUBA gear, boat, etc - anything you used to take the illegal fish. Not sure how aggressive other states are. 3) many shops do offer special classes in spear fishing - they are good because they cover all the need-to-know basics. 4) hook-up with an experienced spearfisherman/diver and ask if you can simple tag along on a couple of dives to see what goes on, 5) treat the speargun as a lethal weapon - because they can be - never point at anyone and never enter/exit the water with the gun (bands) "loaded" - don’t just rely on the safety - the bands should be unloaded on entry and exits - and the safety on at all times unless ready to fire - note that some fish will spook when you click the safety off to fire - but as a beginner that is probably a safe way to go...
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sk290 - 7/22/2008 7:59 PM
Hey Josh
Thanks for all the info (lots of it!). I’m doing my research, wanna know everything to make sure I’m doing it right and don’t hurt myself and others on my way there. :)
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Hello SK290,
Most of us that picked the sport at an early age started as freedivers and the use of the speargun became just an extension of the arms, as we got older, wiser and deeper the use of the scuba became just another tool to get at bigger/better targets and it’s been the same since for the Hard Core group.
If you’re interested in this sport and you’re including scuba to the mix you need to become a "good diver" with lots of open water, reef and wreck dives first then check in your area for local laws for permits, fish size/limits and very important fish ID for the sites you’ll be hunting.
To start you will need a small to mid size gun around 36" to no more than 48" long with two or three slings ( three is better) a rock tip for reef or wreck hunting and a fish bag, wire or hanger to keep your dinner secure after is shot.
It takes time to become a good speardiver or scubadiver but it takes longer to be good at bouth.
Start in the shallows with good vis. no current and as you learn the "tricks of the trade" you may want to get into deeper sites even with time and experience get into some Blue Water stuff but that’s another animal all together.
There are many books on the market and you can also check with your local diving club to see if they have other members who spearfish and IF they’re "spearfing friendly" many are not so check into this first. There are many diving clubs/divers who do not like blood or killing around them! Just a heads-up!
Best of luck to you, if I can be of any help just ask.
Spearo.
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sk290 - 8/18/2008 9:11 PM
Hi there Andy! Thanks for your input on my forum. I’m glad I asked. This is a lot more involved than I expected.
You are right, more diving experience and exposure is very important. Although I already have over 100 dives I’m still learning every time I go down.
I’ll do some research between now and next season and come up with a plan.
Again, thanks for your input and welcome to the site! :)
Sandra
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Shrek - 8/20/2009 11:34 PM
Hey there,
Some friends of mine and myself have been spearfishing for awhile and many people have come to me and said I want to learn how to spear fish or I want to learn to scuba dive so that I can go spear fishing. First off, in my opinion, a recently certified diver has no place being in the water spear fishing. Like an earlier poster stated, you need to have a strong skill set to begin the sport. You will encounter problems that will take a quick head and some good training to keep yourself alive. Let’s see, I’m going to shoot a fish that weighs for example 50+ pounds and he’s in his enviroment and he can breathe forever down there and you can’t. He can drag you all over the ocean, you can’t. He can dive to 200+ feet and back to the surface with minute problems, not so with a human. Oh, and don’t forget the cable or kevlar that acts as a leash to keep your gun and spear as one unit. That nice little thing will end up around you more than once or around whatever the fish decided to swim around and that would be EVERYTHING. That’s were practice comes in and being able to stone(kill) a fish with one shot and staying out of the cable so you don’t have to ride Mr. Toads Wild Ride. Granted, most people don’t stone a fish every time and they don’t shoot large fish everytime either. But if you are like any of the guys I shoot with, if something big and tasty swims by, you can bet the safety is already off and the finger is primed to let one rip.
That being said, the first thing I tell a person new to spear fishing is that they need to go on a trip with some spear fishers first and just watch. There is a whole lot more going on than just pulling the trigger and you’ve got dinner. It’s just not so. We dive in the Gulf and it’s mostly around the oil rigs which introduce a whole new set of challenges in themselves. With having 100 dives under your belt, I would venture to say that you are well on your way to becoming an experienced and well rounded diver, but like I said, find someone in your area that will take you with them as a passive observer first. If you are in the area (MS Gulf Coast), I can set you up with someone here in the area to get your feet wet in the spear fishing realm or you can go with us when we have a trip planned. It really is a fun and addictive sport. I can understand the prior posters sentiments about harming fish that you miss, but like someone else said, when most experienced spearers miss, they really miss. You will get an occasional pull out, but I’ve seen alot of fish wrapped around a rig leg hung on a hook and fishing line. In my opinion, spear fishing has a lot less impact on the fish as you don’t shoot the fish that aren’t legal because you can see them. Where as with fishing, you reel up whatever bites your hook and your bycatch can actually be very high if you get in a school of juvenille fish. I fish myself, but I enjoy spearing way more. I have been on dives though where I had my gun, but never pulled the trigger because I just enjoyed the dive or there wasn’t anything of good size to shoot. I get very selective in my harvest and I have no quams about coming home with an empty ice chest. I enjoy it that much. A deer hunter doesn’t kill a deer every trip does he? But he enjoys his time spent in the wild interacting or just watching the world around him. The same goes for spearers. Once you do it, most people are usually hooked and I hope all your experiences are good ones. Sorry I got long winded, but I really enjoy the sport.
Take care,
Shrek
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