#65
hntr2k - 7/07/2008 10:30 AM
All righty then...


We went to Conchas and I was extremely excited to see about this spearfishing thing. We arrived early Friday Afternoon (June 20th) and set up camp. We hung around as others in the fairly large group filtered in over the next few hours. Lake Conchas has a nice little bar at the marina, so...


Anyway, next morning we had breakfast and headed out. Our advisers said to look for spots where you would likely line-and-reel fish, then drop in and see how it goes. We found a likely spot, suited up, dropped in and cocked the spearguns. Visibility ranged from a measely 5-8 feet, down to 1-3 feet depending on the bottom composition. at first we acclimated our eyes to guaging distance in those conditions, then we swam about for five minutes or so, on the hunt. My Buddy got his first shot off at a keeper sized smallmouth bass, but missed that one. I shot at a carp and missed (I actually missed my first ten or more shots) Then Success! My Buddy got his spear into about a five-pound carp and hung on. I helped him stringer it so we could get a picture later.


Our next dive we moved to another location and I found a fairly large accumulation of Bluegill in only about 7 feet. I made my first successful shot and added eight of the tastly little critters to my stringer before surfacing. We had fresh Bluegill and fried potatoes for dinner that Saturday...then...you guessed it, back to the bar for Karaoke.


On Sunday I dove once more in the morning and found several more Bluegill, though I refrained from shooting because I didn’t want to hassle with the little fellas that day. I saw several smallmouth bass, but none that were of take-able size.


All in all I considered the weekend a success. I learned a great deal about spearfishing, such as - it is better to find a good bit of cover and sit still, allowing the fish to come in to you, than to swin around trying to "stalk" them. I learned that lakes have a great lot more fishing line tangled up in them than I imagined. I had to cut myself free several times. (Always take your dive knife with you) And I learned that being quieter under water is a matter of good breath regulation and long-long slow exhales. I practiced optimum breathing whilst laying-in-wait and found that I reduced my air consumption quite noticably. (Not using those swimming muscles much helps)


I look forward to trying again for bigger game and I REALLY look forward to trying the saltwater spearfishing I’ve seen so much of here on DiveBuddy.com.


I don’t have photos downloaded out of my camera yet, but I only have a couple worth sharing here anyway. When I get them off the camera, I will post them.


Safe Diving!


Kevin