Spearfishing: Sustainable and Fun

Gone are the days when the Captain Ahabs of the world hunted whales to near-extinction. While harpoon fishing isn’t as popular as it once was, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of spearfishing. Done correctly, spearfishing can be a more efficient, humane, and eco-friendly method of catching fish than angling.

What is Spearfishing?

Spearfishing is exactly what it sounds like: fishing with a spear. Modern spearfishing is usually done with a polespear or a speargun, and most spearfishing equipment is meant to be used underwater, not on land.

Spearfishing is a highly versatile sport. You can spearfish while freediving, or decked out in a full-body wetsuit with a 30-pound scuba tank strapped to your back. You can use as little or as much equipment as you'd like.

Polespears

A modern polespear or hand spears consists of three parts: a pole, an elastic loop at the end of the spear, and a spear tip. Most modern polespears are collapsible.

We recommend a two-piece over a three-piece collapsible polespear because are more rigid. You don’t want a polespear that flexes excessively because it will throw off your aim when you spear your target.

The paralyzer or three-prong spear is a very popular spear tip, and it’s commonly used to catch small- to medium-sized fish, such as lionfish.

How to Use a Polespear

The first step is to load the elastic band. Loop the elastic band at the blunt end of the polespear over the four fingers of your dominant hand. The elastic band should rest on the web of your thumb.

Now it's time to grab the spear and load your polespear. Reach up the length of the pole with your dominant hand, stretching the elastic band as you do so.

As you do this, twist the spear one full turn (360 degrees). Wrapping the elastic band slightly around the pole reduces the amount of flex in the pole shaft. This is an especially important step if you have a two- or three-segmented pole. A pole that flexes excessively won’t shoot true.

Grab the spear with your dominant hand. As you pull on the elastic band, the tip of the spear will retract. You are now holding a live weapon.

Do not use a polespear outside of water. Shooting land targets is dangerous and can damage your spear.

Extend your shooting arm completely forward and lock your elbow. Hold the pole with only your shooting hand. Slowly loosen your grip on the pole. The spear tip will shoot out.

Polespears have some kickback, much like a gun. Overloading your spear will produce more kickback.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Polespear Fishing

Polespears are inexpensive, simple, and compact. They’re a very easy and cheap way to explore spearfishing if you don't want to commit to buying a speargun.

The biggest disadvantage of polespear fishing is the range of your weapon. The longest polespear is 10 feet long (3 meters). Anything longer would create too much flex in the pole.

If the range of a polespear sounds too limited, take a look at speargun fishing:

Types of Spearguns

There are two primary types of spearguns: elastic-powered (rubber band-powered) and pneumatic (air-powered) guns.

Elastic spearguns are simple and require very little maintenance.

In an elastic speargun, a cord is usually attached to the end of the spear. When you pull the trigger, an elastic band slings the spear forward, and you reel in the fish with the cord.

A pneumatic speargun has the same result as an elastic speargun, but the spear is propelled by air. Parts are cheaper and easier to replace for an elastic speargun, so we’ll go over the basics of elastic-powered speargun fishing in this article.

A standard elastic-powered speargun consists of these parts:

The Spear

The spear is thinner on elastic-powered guns than for pneumatic guns. Most speartips have a hook or locking mechanism so your prey doesn't slip off your spear.

Reel Line

A striped or brightly-colored reel line is usually connected to the end of the spear, to make recovery of your catch easier.

Rubber Band (with Wishbone)

The rubber band rests on the top of the gun, and the wishbone is a metal or elastic band that connects the two halves of the rubber band together. The wishbone is what will hold your rubber band in its loaded position until you are ready to fire.

Here is how you load an elastic speargun. While underwater, rest the non-business end of the spearguns against the center of your chest. Reach forward, towards the muzzle of the gun, and grab the rubber band with both hands. Very slowly, pull the rubber band towards your chest. Apply even and steady pulling pressure to prevent the speargun from slipping off your chest.

Loop the wishbone of the rubber band over the spear notch at the top of the speargun. Your gun is now loaded, and you're ready to catch some fish!

Trigger

A standard trigger, much like that on a gun or a crossbow. Pull the trigger to shoot the spear.

Environmental Effects of Spearfishing

A traditional hunter leaves bullet shells and toxic waste when they hunt. Firing ranges produce thousands of tons of toxic waste every year. Many of these bullet shell aren’t recycled and rust away in landfills.

Even the most cautious anglers often leave behind hooks, lines, and nets that leave fish in pain.

A cautious spearfisher doesn't leave behind any lines or hooks. Yes, spearfishing can get messy, but that's because many spearfishers hunt to eat or to reduce populations of invasive species, not to capture a photo of them holding an immaculate tuna.

That said, done ethically, traditional line fishing can be just as sustainable as spearfishing. Biodegradable fishing lines and hooks are readily available. No matter your preferred method of fishing, or your reason for fishing, it is an exciting and highly nuanced sport, and FishingVacations.com has resources to guide you every step of the way.

How to Grill Fish Perfectly Every Time

It's a hot Saturday night. You reeled in a juicy fifteen-pound salmon, and the grill is hot and ready.

You place the salmon fillet directly on the grill. Five minutes later, you smell burning flesh.

You grab the fillet and wrestle it off the grill. Flakes of salmon fall into the flames, and chunks of pink meat are glued to the metal.

You don't know what looks worse: your fish or your nine-hundred-dollar Weber.

The salmon is burnt on one side, but completely raw on the inside. You sigh and drop the salmon fillet onto a plate and it lands with a loud PLOP!

"Looks like its sushi for dinner, kids."

Grilled salmon with olive oil and herbs is a simple dish, but it allows the flavor of the fish to come through. Fish is tricky to grill. Unlike steak, fish meat breaks apart easily. Here’s how you can grill your fish perfectly every time:

Ingredients:

1 lemon

½ cup of olive oil

½ cup cilantro

1 onion, peeled and chopped in half

2 fillets of salmon

Step 1: Chop the vegetables.

Chop up the cilantro and cut the lemon in half and set them aside.

Step 2: Brush the oil onto both sides of the fillet.

Be generous with the oil. This is what will keep the fish from sticking on the grill.

Step 3: Turn the heat to high on the grill.

Step 4: Grill the onions.

Cut the onion into thick slices, about half an inch thick. Grill the onions on both sides. If you’re worried about sticking, you can oil the onion slices.

Don’t throw away the raw, unused ends of the onions. You’ll need these later.

Step 5: Remove the grilled onions and set aside.

Step 6: Place the salmon fillets on grill, holding the fillet by the sides with your tongs.

Forget what you know about barbecuing steak. Never grab the fillet by the top or bottom, and use just enough pressure to lift the fillet off the grill.

Fish meat isn’t like chicken or beef. When fish meat heats up, the collagen binding the muscle fibers together soften and turn into gelatin. That’s why fish fillets flake easily, while chicken and beef don’t.

Step 6: When the salmon starts to brown, flip it to the other side.

Remember to grab the fillet by the sides.

Step 6: When your fish is thoroughly cooked, place it on a plate.

Serve with chopped cilantro and a spritz of lemon.

Step 7: Clean the grill

Remember those onion ends that we saved? Turn up the heat on the grill and burn off any excess food.

Once you’ve burned away as much food as possible, skewer the onion end with a grilling fork and rub off any lingering food with the onion.

This works best with an entire half onion, but even a small piece of onion will work.

Kayak Bass Fishing

Bass fishing in a kayak is a unique experience. There is a learning curve to becoming a successful kayak fisher, but if you have the hardest part, fishing, down, learning how to kayak and fish at the same time will be a breeze.

Advantages of Kayak Fishing

Stealth

Bass spook easily, and they have excellent eyesight. A bass can spot a five-inch fish from over a hundred feet away. Boat engines and people are loud. A kayak can take you away from the shoreline, and get you much closer to the fish than a roaring motorboat.

Maneuverability and Size

Kayaks are much smaller than motorboats, and they are easier to maneuver around fallen logs, algae patches, and other structures.

Inexpensive

While a starter kayak starts at $500, kayak rentals run very cheap for two or three hours on the water. Kayak rental shops will often throw in a personal flotation device and advice on the best fishing spots for free.

Simplicity

Since kayaks are propelled by either a single paddle or foot pedals, they’re a much simpler and cheaper alternative to fishing on a rowboat or a motorboat.

Choosing a Fishing Kayak

It is better to choose a short, more maneuverable kayak over a longer, faster kayak. Speed isn't an important aspect of bass fishing. While it is possible for a kayak to tip over, they're much sturdier than they appear. Many anglers are able to cast their lines and reel in fish while standing in their kayaks. The larger the kayak, the harder it is to manuever.

When choosing a kayak, we recommend a sit-on-top kayak. Your legs are visible in these kayaks, and you're sitting on top of the kayak rather than inside it.

If you're a larger person, or if you plan to fish standing up in small ponds or streams, choose a wider, more stable kayak. Choose a narrower kayak if you plan to cover a large area of water. Narrower kayaks are also easier to paddle and more aerodynamic.

Trout Fishing in America

These are the top five trout fishing spots in America, in no particular order:

Gallatin River

The Gallatin is a 120-mile (193 km) stretch of water that runs through Yellowstone National Park and the state of Montana. It is one of the three rivers that join together near Three Forks, Montana to become the Missouri River.

It’s a small river, and the trout are relatively small, but because this area isn’t overfished, the trout don’t put up a large fight, and they aren’t overly wary of fishing lures or anglers.

No matter what season you’re fishing in the Gallatin, the scenery is spectacular. Evergreen and deciduous trees line the banks of the river, and it’s an excellent fly fishing river. In the fall and winter, snow caps the mountains surrounding the Gallatin.

Colorado River

The Colorado is known for some of the best trout fishing in the U.S., and it’s also a great spot for fly fishing.

The Colorado is home to more than twenty freshwater fish species. While the river is known for its striped bass and channel catfish, it’s also home to largemouth bass, rainbow trout, black crappie, and walleye.

The Colorado River has many access points, and shore fly fishing is popular. Frozen or live anchovies or sardines make excellent bait, and early March to late November is the best time to go fishing in the Colorado. The warmth of spring draws crappies to the shallows, and they can be found hiding in the brush near the shore.

Dry fly fishing is ideal for catching a crappie, and in the autumn, walleye can be found in the deeper parts of the river. Live bait or a wet fly are some of you best options for catching a walleye in the colder seasons.

Yellowstone River

No list of the top trout fishing spots in the U.S. would be complete without the Yellowstone River. The Yellowstone is one of the best trout streams in the entire western United States. Cutthroat trout are abundant in the Yellowstone, and as you move further downstream, towards Montana, rainbow trout and brown trout become more abundant.

The water in the Yellowstone River varies in temperature and current speed, making it a great fishing spot for all types of anglers. Dry flies, wet flies, and spinner rods all work great at Yellowstone River.

Bighorn River

The best stretch for fishing in the Bighorn River is the tailwater fishery. The water flow and temperature is regulated in this area, and the trout thrive in abundance here.

The Bighorn is known for its large hatches, which attract trout to the surface. This makes it the perfect spot for fly fishing, though spin anglers have also been successful at catching trout in the Bighorn.

Green River

Fewer fishing spots have a more dramatic backdrop than the red soapstone canyons surrounding the Green River. The Green is one of the best tailwater fisheries in the U.S., and it’s home to brown, cutbow, cutthroat, hybrid, and rainbow trout.

Fishing in the river is limited to artificial lures and flies, and catch-and-release fishing is highly encouraged. Artificial dry and wet flies, fish-shaped lures, and spinnerbaits are highly effective for hooking a trout.

Tips for Fly Fishing for Bass

Fly fishing is a science. The relatively light weight of an artificial fly lure means that fly fishers must use a different form of casting from other types of anglers.

Luckily, like any other science, the secrets to the reeling in more and bigger fish is backed up by years of research and trial-and-error (lots of error) by experience fly fishers.

Having trouble catching fish while fly fishing? Follow these five fly fishing expert tips to boost your number of catches:

1. Wear the Right Gear

While not all of this gear is necessary, it will make your bass fly fishing trip much more enjoyable and comfortable:

1. Shirt: Choose a shirt with sweat-wicking material and UV or UPF sun protection
2. Water-resistant sunscreen
3. Wool Socks: Thick wool socks provide extra cushion and they will keep your feet warm and dry. This is especially important if you’ll be wading through water.
4. Wading Boots
5. Waders: Waterproof overalls for anglers
6. Fishing Vest: Excellent for carrying all your gear
7. Pocket Knife: A small knife for cutting any tangled lines or removing stubborn hooks
8. Sunglasses: We recommend aviator glasses. Aviator frames aren’t just cool and lightweight, they cover your eye from all angles and provide some protection for your cheeks.

2. Tread Softly

While bass don’t have external ear canals like we do, they have internal ears. Bass are sensitive to the vibrations caused by your car engine, your feet, and your voice.

In addition to good hearing, bass have excellent eyesight. In clear water, a bass’s eyes can detect a 5-inch fish from 150 feet away, and they can see plankton that the human eye cannot see.

A bass can easily see you walking on the shoreline. Tread softly and slowly along the shore, and make as little noise as possible. Learn how to wade through the water without making too much noise, especially if you’re wading through stillwater.

3. Select the Right Fly

Bass are intelligent animals and they are attracted to lures that resemble prey they are familiar with.

To catch bass, you have to think and behave like bass. Bass have excellent eyesight and hearing, so open your eyes and ears. What is the most common insect that you see near the water’s surface? Now pick a fly that looks like that insect. By choosing a lure that is attractive to a local bass’s palate, you will get more bites on your hook.

While there are dozens of different fly species imitations to choose from (and some that don't look like flies at all), there are primarily two types of flies: dry flies and wet flies.

Dry flies float on the water's surface, wet flies sink.

Dry Flies (Surface Flies)

Dry flies resemble non-acquatic insects that feed on land on top of the water, like adult dragonflies or water striders, or drowned insects that float to the surface, like wasps.

Dry flies are often coated in oil, or include extra tufts of feathers or hairs to make them float on the water’s surface.

Use a dry fly when fish are feeding at the water’s surface.

Examples of dry fly insects include:

1. Black flying ants
2. Bumblebees
3. Wasps
4. Dragonflies
5. Adult mayflies

Wet Flies (Sub-Surface Flies)

Wet flies imitate aquatic insects and animals that live below the surface of the water in larval or pre-adult form. These include:

1. Caddisfly pupae and larvae
2. Dragonfly larvae
3. Mayfly nymphs

If you’re unsure whether to use a dry fly or a wet fly, use a wet fly. Bass are opportunistic feeders and ambush predators. They like to hide until the perfect moment before they strike. Using a wet fly gives the bass the opportunity to view the fly while underwater and strike.

Bass are able to determine the size of the fly, and they're less likely to bite a fly too large to fit in their mouth, but at the same time, they prefer a juicier fly over a small one. Smaller flies are for smallmouth bass, while larger flies are best for largemouth bass.

3. Look for Signs of Hungry Bass

If you see crayfish walking along the waterbed, or minnows leaping out of the water, chances are, this is where the bass are.

Minnows will leap to evade a chasing bass. Switch your lure to match what the bass are feeding on, and you’ll have a better chance of hooking a fish

Here's a pro tip: make sure that the size of your lure matches the size of the crayfish or minnows that the bass are eating.

4. Fish in the Right Place

Largemouth bass prefer to seek out deeper, weed-filled parts of a body of water. They love to hide near logs, vines, and tree roots, and they prefer a slower current.

Smallmouth bass will often swim in the middle of a stronger current, and they prefer to hide near rocks, boulders, along the waterbank, and right along the vertical walls of underwater rock ledges. These are essentially small cliffs or drop-offs below the surface.

It’s easier to find bass in smaller rivers than larger bodies of water. If you’re fishing in a larger body of water, research the structure of the area and ask a local bait and tackle shop for advice and recommendations. They may even have an underwater map of identifiable structures and the best areas to fish available.

Bass like deep water because it provides them with a sense of safety. Cast your line in the direction of rocky shorelines, tree roots, logs, shoals, fallen trees, weedbeds, piers, lilypads--basically anything that will provide good cover for a bass.

5. Cast Your Line Properly in the Wind

Long, powerful casts aren’t necessary to catch a bass. If you can cast your line out twenty to thirty feet, then you should be fine.

You don’t have to wait for a windless day to go fly fishing. Here are some tips for casting under windy conditions:

Wind Pointing At You

If the wind is flowing directly toward your face, cast lower and closer to the water's surface. Your goal with a low cast is to cast below the wind.

Another method is to make a high-level backcast. Swing your right arm high, and then swing it back down, cutting g through the wind and into the water. Your goal is to cut through the wind, at a 45-degree angle.

When the wind is coming towards you, the last thing you want to do is to fight the wind and cast horizontally straight into it.

Wind Coming from Your Non-Dominant Shoulder

If you are right-handed and the wind is coming in from the left, send the fly a little bit to the left to compensate for the wind direction.

If you do this your fly should move in a straighter pattern.

You can also make a low cast, closer to the water's surface, to get below the wind.

Wind Coming from Your Back

This is one of the more difficult casts in windy conditions. Make a low-angle backcast to get the line below the wind, followed by a higher angle forward cast to propel the lure and hook forward and into the water.

Wind Coming from Your Dominant Shoulder

This is the most difficult cash in windy conditions because it’s possible for the hook to fly backwards. Here's how to avoid giving yourself an unwanted nose piercing:TIf the wind is coming towards the direction of your dominant shoulder, turn your dominant shoulder away from the wind. That's it.

But, if you like a challenge, there are two other techniques for casting when the wind is coming from your dominant shoulder.

If you are right-handed, angle the rod slightly in the direction of your left shoulder. This way, the line goes above you, not over your right shoulder.

Another, more unconventional, technique is to switch your casting arm, and cast with your non-dominant hand.

What is Deep Sea Fishing?

Inshore fishing is fishing within 9 miles (14.5 km) from the shore. Deep sea or offshore fishing everything beyond that 9-mile radius from the shote. At this distance from the land, the water can be anywhere from thirty to hundreds of meters deep.

Why You Should Try Deep Sea Fishing

Deep sea fishing is a incredible and unique experience from inshore fishing. You should definitely give deep sea fishing a shot if you want to:

Learn from the Best Hunters in the Ocean

Deep sea hunters are socially intelligent animals. Even sharks, which rarely seek one another’s company, will swarm in the hundreds to feast on a school of anchovies.

Hunters may have bloodhounds to lead them to their prey, but deep sea anglers have every apex predator in the sea and the sky as their guides.

The next time you go deep sea fishing and feel intimidated by the size of the ocean, pay attention to where the dolphin pods and seagull flocks are moving. These predators have hunted in the oceans for millions of years, and, if you watch them closely, they will lead you right to where the fish are schooling.

Enjoy Greater Freedom and Mobility

Inshore anglers must constantly deal with competition from other anglers. Instead of shuffling around the pier, knocking elbows with tourists and the dozens of other anglers at 7 a.m., you can go fishing anytime you want, anywhere you want.

Catch Bigger and a Greater Variety of Fish

Look at photos of anglers with trophy-sized catches. Unless they are fishing in a river or a lake, chances are, they’re standing on a boat, not on a beach or a pier.

There are two reasons for this: sound and space. Piers are loud and crowded, and fish don’t like vibrations or noise.

While the shoreline is a welcome shelter for tiny sculpins and hermit crabs, larger sea creatures like mahi-mahi, bluefin tuna, and swordfish didn’t grow large by scuttling around a pier. They grew large by feasting on large schools of open ocean fish, and by avoiding getting too close to inshore anglers. By only fishing inshore, you miss the opportunity to catch a bigger and a greater variety of fish.

In order to catch larger fish, you have to hunt where they eat. The Peruvian anchoveta is the second most-caught wild fish species in the world by commercial fishers. Anchovies swarm in the thousands in the open ocean. They need a large expanse of open ocean to maneuver away from predators. Large predatory fish will follow and hunt for anchovies in the open ocean.

Take Mahi-mahi, for example. Mahi-mahi specialize in hunting and catching flying fish. And where do flying fish fly? In the open ocean, away from the shore, where they have lots of room to swim and leap.

Another advantage that you have as an angler in the open ocean is the lack of familiarity open ocean fish have with anglers. Bass fishermen are well aware of this fact. They know that bass in a lake that doesn't have many human visitors will more readily bite than a lake that is popular among anglers.

You have a much better chance of reeling in a unique species that you've never caught before and catching a larger fish in the open ocean than shuffling along the shoreline.

Expanding Your Community

As you explore the world of deep sea fishing, you will get the opportunity to meet kayakers, windsurfers, sailors, scuba divers, marine biologists, and hobbyist and commercial fishermen.

All of these groups of people explore the ocean for different reasons, but all of them can provide you with valuable advice on the technical aspects of fishing and tell you where the best places to catch fish are. Who knows? You may even pick up a new skill or fishing buddy.

Bass Fishing Tips

Drop the Trout, Pick up the Bass

Bass are ambush predators, and they like to hide before they strike. Think about structure (the bottom contour of the waterbed) and cover (things to hide behind). Bass like to be near cover such as lily pads, cattails, trees, and thick clumps of algae, and structures such as creek channels, bridges, flats, humps, and submerged roads.

If your fly isn’t near somewhere the bass can hide, then they won’t bite.

Turn Up the Heat and Turn Down the Lights

Bass are more likely to bite in the early morning and late afternoon, especially in the early spring to summer, when the warm water encourages them into a heightened state of activity. Late afternoon is an ideal time to go fishing for largemouth bass feeding in the shallows. Bass tend to swim closer to the surface during the spring and summer months as well.

Mice, Frogs, and Ducklings

It’s a hot summer night and you haven’t eaten all morning or afternoon. Would you rather eat half a hamburger or an entire hamburger?

Bass are intelligent animals, and they can determine the size of a catch. Small lures may be more successful at catching smaller-mouthed fish, such as trout, but you’re fishing for bass!

Smallmouth bass like to eat crayfish, shad, perch, and minnows, while largemouth bass will gobble anything from frogs to mice to ducklings. Increase the size of your lure and you’ll attract larger fish.

Match Your Bait to the Menu

If you’ve seen frog legs before and you enjoyed them, then perhaps you would. But if you were expecting a medium rare sirloin steak, and you’ve never had frog legs before, you'd probably pass.

Bass are intelligent creatures. They are attracted to lures that resemble the prey that they’ve eaten before.

Open your eyes and ears. Do you hear crickets chirping or frogs croaking? Try baiting with crickets or frog lures. Do you see tiny, downy yellow and black feathers sticking out of the mud, or tiny swatches of dark brown fur? Try a duckling or mouse lure instead.

While it’s true that bass are opportunistic feeders and they can eat just about anything that’s unfortunate enough to fall into the water, they prefer something familiar.
Match your bait to the menu, and you’ll have the bass biting on your hook in no time.

Check Weather and Water Conditions

There are many fishing and weather apps that will provide you with weather and water conditions. Almost all advanced anglers keep detailed logs of their fishing trips. Here are a list of the minimum details you should be noting every time you go fishing:

1. Location and Access Point:
2. Date and Time:
3. Tide Level:
4. Wind Speed:
5. Water Temperature:
6. Water Clarity:
7. Fish Seen:
8. Wildlife and Prey Animals Seen:
9. Fish Caught and Size:
10. Tackle Used:
11. Lessons Learned, Areas for Personal Improvement: