Off topic: Hawaiian Slings

So I got my tax return back and i was looking to invest in a speargun or a hawaiian sling. My friend told me about those and said they were a lot easier to use than spear guns. Anyways, I was wondering if anyone in here could shed some light on the sling and maybe provide some recommendations on what to look for when purchasing one.

Many thanks

-Alex

i used one when i was down in the bahamas. the one we used had three prongs and a rubber band at the end. it worked really well and you could shoot it pretty far with good acuracy. i cant imagine that they would be that expensive, or hard to make if you wanted to build it.

We call them Gidgees here in Oz.

Very easy to use and a lot safer than a gun. You can shoot up to 20’ away with a light cord attached to the rubber end, the head screws off and is easily replacable.

Cheaper than a gun, practice firing at an old log.

Thats it a three pronged spear, I think its about $30-$40 depends on the material its made of, fiberglass or aluminum and size. I used to use it when diving here on Oahu. I suck though, but there are alot of people who are really good. Its not all that hard to use, just streatch the band with your hand till about the head of the spear, grab on to the shaft, aim and let go.

slings are good fun they come in many sizes and materials in hawaii they vary in price 35 dollars to 80 again depending on size and materials . you can even get one that screws apart for travel. if you dedicate some time for practice and with a little luck you can bag some good size fish.i always keep a small one in my truck just in case. if you come to kauai for swaynami you can pick one up .aloha kimo

I like to spear a lot and use both a sling and a gun. honestly unless you are poking squid, shooting small reef fish, poaching parrot fish at night(i don’t think you have any of these three since you are in NC), or using a scuba tank (bad karma & bad sportsmanship in my opinion) you are wasting your time with a sling.

Do you have a boat for offshore diving? do you freedive? What are you trying to shoot?

JBL makes some decent entry level guns that are not too expensive by spear standards. check ebay, there are a lot of guns on sale usually.

Spearing is one of the most fun ways to stay surf fit during summer or flat spells. frustrating at first but it is very rewarding in the end

Malama Aina please do not shoot any fish you do not want to eat unless you are baiting the water

Sorry, I disagree…

Had US Divers band up to 3, spearguns, catch waaay more fish with a simple 7’ sling. Second shot is MAJOR, no chance with guns.

Biggest fish I shot was a 37 lbs black bass, took both of us 4 surfaces to bring her home.

You can change tips to anthing your prefer, I don’t use 3 prongs, as that’s really only good for small fish.

I hate cleaning fish, so if I gotta shoot, it’s a preplanned, swim in front of action on stuff over 3 lbs., or I just observe.

Pros and cons:

A good speargun costs much more than a good sling.

Need more hand strength/stamina with a sling.

A sling can be used both in and out of water (e.g, you can spear fish with it while wading in the shallows). You should never fire a speargun out of the water!

You can generally bag bigger fish with a speargun (speargun has longer range, more power).

Speargun is sexier!

P.S. Spear fishing while using scuba gear is definitely an environmentally unsound practice. The reefs in American Samoa were basically cleaned out of fish a few years back by unscrupulous spearfisherman using scuba gear at nighttime (fish are sleeping and totally helpless). Finally, the local legislature finally wised up and put a stop to it. The use of scuba gear while spearfishing has long been banned in Fiji (recreational diving is a big tourism draw in Fiji and no fish means no diving tourists).

I have a sling with a stainless shaft. the extra weight is great on crayfish .

Where can you buy a sling? I have friend who would probably kill for one - birthday is coming up.

EJ

There’s plenty of info out there… just google “spearfishing” “speargun” “speargun plans” etc etc… I’ve bought tips and bands off of ebay and just a few diving sites by googling spearfishing supplies. I’ll be scaring the tourist on LI and in NJ this summer so watch out:) he-he jk!! Please be safe and extra cautious… spearfishing laws seem to be either strict or non-existant and I imagine that it only takes 1 mistake for it to banned pretty quickly… so be smart!

let me suggest a few

http://www.scubastore.com/eng/index.asp

http://www.deepsixintl.com/store/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=59&cat=SPEARFISHING - the wood AB Billers ( very similar are made and sold in Australia as Sea Hornets ) are my favorites. I should note that in my experience anything over a 36" spear gun will be kinda awkward for low visibility or reef fishing and the pneumatic spear guns are something of a nightmare.

hope that’s of use

doc…

my main prey would be the flounder, drum, and other nearshore fish that are living around our jetties, water depth around 15 ft or so. From what i have read on some other forums, it sounds like a Hawaiian Sling will work out alright for the fish i have in mind.

Play it again sports is a good store to get slings. The location near my house has several tips to choose from as well. I prefer the single barb to the 3 prong. Also, wearing a 5 lb weight helps.

Quote:

Speargun is sexier!


hahahahahaha thats like in the 90’s when everyone wanted to walk down the beach with the smallest surfboard possible under their arm to pick up chicks.

“whats up baby, I got a back up spear in my van to show you”

more seriously, has anyone speared in freshwater?

Sounds like you are just getting into spearfishing. Hawaiian slings are a great way to get started. You can take a lot of shots, they’re cheap, good for getting used to the sport and taking smaller fish. You can put a butterfly tip on them for bigger bottom dwellers like halibut or dumb free swimmers. If you are serious about spear fishing you definitely want a gun. Big fish are smart enough to keep their distance and a big gun has way longer range. Also, the gun is always ready to fire, so if a fish pops up unexpectedly you just point and shoot. Reloading is a major pain in the rear though, frustrating for beginners, and too much hassle unless you are being selective about hunting out bigger fish. Personally I’d never go back to a sling.

Thanks for the help folks. My fishy friend may be spearing spearing… just for the halibut.

apologies.

EJ

get the poel spear. the jbl travel one is like $80 but thats with the three proged tip and the single barb. i got the slip tip for mine for fish over 14" and my buddy got a double barbed one thats pretty cool. if your going after halibut use the single barb or bigger double barbed for bigger ones, dont want one of those suckers swimming around on a slip tip. its a load of fun, youll be hooked after your first fish.

Dr.,

You might want to check out the “Deeper Blue” site. The forums have a ton of information about spear and sling fishing.

This reference from the site might be particularily interesting to bodysurfers or more accurately underwater surfers http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?t=53588&page=1&pp=15

Patrick