Ideas for DIY home made spear gun.

There is some big fish in the marina, Mullet I think they are, Ive tried a rod and throwing rocks at them but it does'nt work,-- I need a spear gun, nothing too fancy and all parts available in the plumbers store with perhaps a bit of inner tube.

I don't need long distance but fairly accurate to about 20 feet. It will need a piece of string on it because I aint going diving for it.

Any Ideas?

 

Skip the spear gun and go with a bow?



Or just try a spear?

 

spear gun

How about an inexpensive cross bow for accuracy. Easy to aim and mount a reel.

 

The bow is a possabilty, The cross bow is unavailable here along with an inexpensive spear gun, I would'nt get it through customs if I left the country to buy one.

Nope gotta make something.

 

Is a cross bow illegal there? what about building one from plans? just a thought. http://www.elsewhere.org/journal/archives/2007/01/14/pistol-crossbow/

 

Frosty,

We used to do the 'Hawaiian Sling' type of spear gun. It's just a spear with a little notch at the end. The notch grabs a hook that attached to a surgical rubber tube. You place the tube around your elbow, grab the spear then attach the hook to the spear than stretch the rubber tube. When you let go the spear, it flies. It's not terribly safe until practiced, and does requires a real man's grip, but it works quite well. And there's no gun for anyone to confiscate; just a spear and a rubber tube. And a spear is just a rod with a point on the end. The point might even be detachable.

Jimbo

 

Frosty, we use the spear with rubber attached at the end, but simply hook the rubber loop between the thumb and index finger , slide up the shaft to put tension on the spear, it works very well.
Jimbo, never seen the elbow idea, I will try it next time I go out, seems strange though. With the rubber in the hand holding the tension and the spear, it is very directional and accurate

 

I have seen the "elbow-idea" in PNG where some medical rubber was purloined from a tourniquet kit and a hook was made by attaching a loop of wire to one end with nylon suture thread or some such and the spear was some galv-iron wire about one-eighth of an inch thick of a bit more and about 3 ft long - even worked underwater at close range... some used a loop of surgical rubber and a gun-stock shape so the loop was held loosely in place with some string (tear off rubber and hand over wooden bit if caught (honest - we was only playing cops & cowboys) and keep the rubber and recover the wire spear/fish by resuming the swimming around.... after wood part is confiscated and thrown into a nearby bin in disgust by the authorities....??? Oh what a story one can weave - **** Frosty - use your imagination....

 

Sheezzzz you guys. Frosty you can catch mullet on a hook. You have to use the right bait for them though. If you want I can find out what they feed on you can put on the hook. Can just as well have fun catching the buggers. Mullets aren't big fish though... Are you hungry again

 

The thing your talking about is explained on a web site blog. He has got it down to real simple stuff. I am going to need about 20feet accuracy.

It looked to me to be very inaccurate but if you guys say you use it then I should try it.

The thing is that the way your wrist is attached to your arm it would be ok to use it to fire into the air for catching /killing birds or the like but to aim down wards looks ---iffy.

Thats the beauty of the bow as you can look down the length of the arrow and the rubber or string can in no way come off and get you in the eye.

No im not hungry fanie I just feel like killing something. But your right fanie,---sod it ille go buy some frozen fish fingers at the supermarket.

 

flour & water on very small hooks and gently float down to where they swim - bloody bony....

 

If you can fish at night with lights they will come to the light source which makes them catch-able in many ways, If you serenade them they come faster. Stan

 

Bony!!! oh sod it then. But there are other stuff to kill like those long things that are almost translucent--about 18inches and very thin,--look a bit like a Pike or a Barracuda but smaller.

Ive got a fishing rod and some lures. Ive spent hours slinging the lure out to where some splashing was. Some look at it and follow it in but don't go for it. The ones I have bought are as useless as the ones I have made.

At the shop I was looking at a whole wall full of lures, I said to the guy "are these to catch fish"? , he said " no not really ,they are to catch fishermen".

 

"Long Toms" (gar-fish?) also very bony but tasty - good as live bait to catch bigger fish when trolling at around 4 to 8 knots... or as a base for fish stock... to start your fish curry when you catch a big one... Have you tried a casting net? - - circular with a strong "string" tied to the centre for net/fish retrieval and lead weights all around the circumference...

 

Casting net ,---oh don't start me laughing. My mate got one of those and everytime he tried to throw it he threw himself in as well. It took me 2 weeks to stop laughing,--I can feel it coming now,-- ha ha ha.