Spearfishing For Beginners: Pole Spear Basics
Beginner spearos often start with a pole spear. When used correctly, a pole spear can become a very powerful tool.Using a good quality pole spear to spearfish is a rewarding experience that teaches discipline and patience. In this blog, we’ll have a look at the different parts of a pole spear and how to use it.
When to use a pole spear?
Pole spears are easy to maneuver and can make your hunting fun especially in cases where:
- The water is shallow,
- You need a quick reload, or
- You need a backup in case your speargun breaks.
What are the basic parts of a pole spear?
Band - The rubber band is the power source of your pole spear, when stretched and loaded it provides the force behind your spear.
Tip -The pranger is located at the tip of your pole spear. This is where the four prongs are located. Be careful on this part of your pole spear as these prongs are extremely sharp. Some spears even have sophisticated tips designed to catch big fish.
Shaft - The shaft is the body of your spear. It is usually between 4-10ft long and made from fiberglass, carbon fiber, aluminum, graphite, or wood.
Here’s adetailed overview of the different types of pole spears you can find in the market.
How to use a pole spear?
One of the best tips in using a pole spear is to target the caves. The reason for this is that the fish often feels quite safe in a cave. Once the fish see the diver come down it will swim away and go into a cave.The way to work a fish out of a cave is first, find the cave you're going to target. Swim down to it, and as you approach load the polespear. Then put your head and spear in line with the cave at the same time. Once you’re in sight of the fish they will flee quickly, so it’s important that as you come into range of vision that you aim and shoot swiftly.
When it comes to setting up ambushes, when you see a fish go down behind a reef, you can set up an ambush and every now and then you're going to pull that ambush off. But swimming up to a fish in the open water, letting you get too close is nearly impossible.
Aiming a pole spear usually takes a few attempts to get right. However, you can still practice even when you’re in a pool. All you have to do is find a neutrally buoyant object or build one and then test it out in the water. Practice aiming and shooting at your target, this will make you more effective when it’s the real deal.
Now that brings us to safety. Pole spears are fairly safe in that you have to pull the rubber back manually before they develop power. However, as the tip of the spear is very sharp, you have to be very careful. Always make sure your tip is capped when not in use.
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