SPEARFISHING IN PUGLIA - BARI SOUTH EAST OF ITALY
As you can easily understand, spearfishing in Northern Atlantic is far different from spearfishing in the mediterranean sea. It’s not only about tides, weather and fish species but also about different spearfishing techniques related to different fish habits.
In the wintertime the most profitable technique is crawling in shallow waters in search of sea basses while in the summer / fall time you should use the waiting technique for red snappers and gilthead breams. In the summertime it is very important to know the area you spearfish in because of the presence of a distinct thermocline at about 13/16mts. This implies very often two things: visibility above the thermocline is dramatically different from the one below (it might be worse or better according to the currents) and fishes tend to group in warmer water so diving in deeper waters might be useless. A 7mm tailored made wetsuit is a good option for the wintertime while in August / September a 3mm one is mandatory! During all the rest of the year you can use a 5mm wetsuit. In regards to the spearguns in the wintertime a 80cm railgun is the most versatile one for the kind of fishing you can do, in the summertime instead, a 110cm double roller railgun or a 110cm double band speargun is mandatory for great catches.
SPEARFISHING IN FRANCE WITH THE EMERALD WATER TEAM IN NORMANDY
The coast of the Upper Normandy, also called Alabaster Coast, takes its name from the color of the white chalk cliffs that overlook the Havre up to Tréport for about 130 km.
Spearfishing in Normandy is usually associated to the debarquement wreck spearfishing but that is rarely done in this area so fascinating and yet so interesting that offers breathtaking landscapes. Far from being docile, this coast must be tamed, here wind, strong currents, tides and capricious weather rule the land. We are far from the idyllic vision of spearfishing despite this it is still one of the richest fishing regions of France for those who know how to fish.
Before suggesting anything, it is good to know that water visibility is usually about 3 meters and sometimes, very rarely, it goes beyond 6 meters. Forget about your long spearguns as here your best companion will be a good 75cm or 90cm, and do not underestimate the water temperature. Early in the season, and until June the water temperature is about ten degrees, so a good 7 mm suit is mandatory even if I personally use a 5mm pant which gives me a better comfort. Then up to October, when the sunny days are still frequent and the water temperature is around 15-20°C a 5mm wetsuit will be ideal.
If you need it, in Le Havre you can find support in my friend Eric’s shop Nemo-Bigship (3 quai Casimir Delavigne. 76600 Le Havre), that offers a wide range of equipment for spearfishing.
As previously mentioned, the area is very exposed to tidal currents, and it is essential to know this factor, in first place for your own safety but also because it determines the presence of fish. The tide gives birth to a more or less violent current in relation to coefficients and times. One thing is certain, you never have to swim against the current, you risk to get easily tired and involved into an incident. The tidal movements are parallel to the coast:
Rising tide: the current goes from west to east Falling tide: the current goes from east to west
As you may have guessed here we fish in the current. Never dive without a proper knowledge of the tide times. Expect to fish on spots that allow you to get into the water easily and come out with equal ease. The best times for fishing are generally two hours before high tide fall and two hours before the end of low tide. For your safety, I recommend the use of a buoy that makes you perfectly visible to boats drivers and allow you to rest when you are tired. In this area, the queen is clearly the bass, but the fauna is rich and varied: marvizzi, mullet, black seabream, dogfish, flatfish Pollack, cod, conger, and a lot of crustaceans such as lobsters, crabs with which you can use different types of fishing and that ensure a delicious meal! The techniques used are varied, although I like to go fishing for bass with the waiting technique, you can also fish in holes. However the ambush is often a successful technique especially when visibility is reduced.
The best time is the summer when the water is warmer and often clearer. It is right in this period that you go for the biggest basses. The season begins in April and ends in early December. To find fishes several options are available depending on the tide times that you choose. With a rising or a high tide fishes will be in search of food and this would obviously increase the chance of sighting in shallow water, often at the foot of rock falls, in sand or pebbles stripes, or in sea grass areas. Mussels instead attract black sea breams when the tide is high. When the tide goes down fishes leave the coast and you can find them in holes or under slabs well exposed to the current. Of course, the waiting technique will always be a fruitful option in deeper areas exposed to currents.
THE ETIGUES ZONE Path 4 h00 Difficulty: medium Max Depth: 15 m Coefficient recommended: 40-60 Area exposed to the stream Buoy: mandatory
With easy access from Etretat, the cove of Etigues offers a "wild" alternative. Once you are there you will find a good parking but I advise you not to leave anything in sight especially valuables. Another important detail is that you will find yourself at the bottom of a cove where there is no mobile signal, think about it! At Etigues you have two options according to the tides. I will describe my favorite one with which you can really take advantage of the area: the falling tide. You'll have to dive along the way of the current, and then return when it falls pushing in the opposite direction. You can choose to enter the water at the second hour of fall and once on the pebble beach you'll have to get about 400/500 meters from the coast, looking for a bottom made of stones and sand at a depth of 12 meters. You can orient yourself considering the fishermen traps (from which you'll have to keep at a minimum distance of 100 meters). Here you will encounter marvizzi and some of them will be very big. You will also find basses in the crevices between the rocks and sandbanks. You can encounter schools of pollack but they are not very large and rarely exceed the kilo. The technique that I prefer is a mix of ambush and waiting that allows me to shoot very large preys! Be vigilant and do not forget to take a look under the rocks where you will find very numerous lobsters. Remember that you cannot shoot them and the minimum size of capture is 8.7 cm.
The first part of the path takes place then off the coast where you have to be vigilant because there are many boats. Don’t be farther ten 10 metres from your buoy. When you are in the current I recommend you not to anchor the buoy because you risk to be not able to reach it once you get back to surface. You’d best keep it tied with a 30 metres long line so that it is always easy to retrieve.
Always check out the big isolated rocks, there you can find big basses, especially if they are exposed to currents. Once you get at the end of the path you will be in front of an old cove (Curé cove) and usually you will be there when the current falls. That's the right time to move closer to the coast and begin the returning.
When the current remount fishes tend to get back hunting and to draw closer to the coast. That’s the moment when you have to check rocky shallow bottoms with both the waiting and the ambush technique.
A little story about this area: The weather conditions this August are the best ones, it's hot, there's been no wind for two days and the visibility is very good. I widen at the beginning of the descent in search of big isolated stones and basses.
Positioned in front of the current at the base of a slope, I see a very stealthy bass coming, I move a few meters with the ambush technique and stop again a few seconds to look. It’s then that I see two huge basses approaching, I let the first go and align the speargun toward the second. The shot is perfect and I surface with a beautiful 6.5 kg specimen!
Do not forget that the area is really difficult to dive in, so never go alone but be accompanied by someone local. If you want any kind of information do not hesitate to contact me on my Facebook page Emerald Water
Franck Julien
SPEARFISHING IN INDONESIA BY DINOSAURE PRODUCTION
It’s in the north-west of France, near the nasty and cold waters of Normandy that the project of this trip was born. Didier knows Indonesia. He has been sailing there for many years. He organized this cruise and he was already there one month before the arrival of the rest of the group. A short domestic flight leaves us on the island of Flores, where a boat is waiting for us to head south ... to Sumba! Sumba is not just another Indonesian island, no ... it is mostly another world. A world divided between voracious modernity and fierce tradition. A universe that cannot be visited as in a nice safari, but that you must live as a privileged experience. Sumba is hostile! Most of its coastline is topped by cliffs. In water, the steep falls show the sign of a tormented geological history ... what will make our later happiness. The eastern part of the island is particularly dry. The western part is much more rainy and this is also the place where you find the most beautiful traditional villages. A forgotten island, wild, mysterious ... all that we like. The smell of adventure will accompany us throughout our cruise on the Cahaya Mandiri (solitary light), a 26 meters long traditional schooner that will melt history with our passion... and what better place than Timor to do it!
Located between the Philippines, Australia and Papua, the Timor region is in the centre of the coral triangle, and involves the greatest biodiversity on the planet. Experts agree that, after the Ice Age much of the marine life survived only in this part of the world, and from here it subsequently re-spread in the world. Timor, Rote, Savu and Sumba are so central to this cradle of life and provide us with an ideal playground for some good spearfishing.
We sailed all night on this beautiful and comfortably furnished boat. The crew consists of 6 people at our service and the cook has successfully to awaken our taste buds. We left the cabin to sleep on deck under the stars. The sun rises, we arrive at the first spot, north of Sumba. In front of us, an infinite and beautiful white beach. No homes, no roads, only dolphins around the boat. The hunting fishes attract our attention, the water boils. Julien, our guide, began a briefing on safety. Fishing will only take place in couples, a speargun for two fishermen. A second smaller speargun will be given to the fisherman on the surface only for safety reasons or to double the prey. According to the type of sea bottom our spearguns will be equipped with reels, or with the brake away system with floating line, bungee and buoy. We are ready and we start fishing inshore at 10m depth with excellent visibility, corals and live colours!
Once in the water we see that the current is strong but the fish is there and do not know where to look at. As it usually happens during the first dive our hands tremble and we're nervous. We want a fight so we agreed to shoot only large fishes. We decided to limit the number of preys per species. Once we catch a type of fish we pass to another ... so we let a lot of fish go. All reef fishes seem to be there, parrot fish, schools of barracuda, grouper, wahoo, and for the pleasure of the eyes some turtles, rays of different species including the Queen Manta. There is so much feed-fishes but nothing big except parrot fishes who make fun of us. They are in schools, from 5 to 10 specimens, but very suspicious and the very tough hide and seek game is clearly in their favour. We met some medium-sized wahoo and Phil met the only dolphinfish of the holiday. No shots yet, it does not matter, we prepare our dives for the big preys still to come. These first dives have been an excellent warm up. We take our coordinates and get ready to meet the big ones. We return to the boat and have a bite and then a nap before the second round of the day. Mid-afternoon, second spot, we split in three couples with mathias as cameraman. The water is clear and we find ourselves on the edge of an underwater cliff. We need to be careful as the surf tends to throw us on the rocks. The conditions are not optimal and are we get buffeted by a strong current. There is a first passage located 10 meters along the cliff, followed by a second one ending on a deep drop. It's scary, it is deep blue and make us feel almost dizzy as in fact it ranges from 20 to 300meters ... We know that the monsters can come out of these depths at all times. We try to be discreet and not get noticed by the fishes. We are motivated. Along the drop there are large schools of surgeonfish, and they are nervous ... the same we are. It is 17:00, the light is low, we are even more focused because we know that this is the best time of the day. These are the last dives. Seb is waiting laid on the edge of the passage, with his gaze to the blue and finally sees his first dogtooth tuna. He shoots and the tuna reacts violently. He can’t manage to hold the line as the swims fast. He calls the boatman for help but he is already heading to Gerald. He schouts something we do not understand. At the same time Didier fights right beside him. He shot a large grouper of about 20kg (the first shaft is torn for him). Seb manages to retrieve its prey and joins the rest of the group. He finds Gerald with a big smile and a 20 kilos GT and Phil with a 10kilos caranx. In 5 minutes 4 preys: A tuna, an ignobilis, a caranx and a grouper! What a nice end of the day!
We are already satisfied by this spearfishing day so the rest can only be an extra. After two fruitful days we decide to head south east of the island. The route is not quiet, the waves are big, strong winds and a storm sends everybody in the cabins. We head to an offshore shoal we do not know much of, but it sounds promising. 15 meters depth and the bottom is full of coral. Water is turquoise and the strength of the current leads us to anticipate the descents to be able to land on the coral heads. This is the kingdom of red snappers, Aprion, barracuda and other jacks. Phil will catch two beautiful red snappers and much of the catch will be given to local fishermen. The next day will be devoted to a terrestrial excursion aimed to discover the famous villages of Sumba. So we get a Biskayu, a local truck for the transportation of passengers, and we start exploring the island. The people are friendly and the children are curious, the old men chew Betel that smashes their gums. The betel according to local belief gives them strength and protection from diseases. It is an exciting drug providing a satiety feeling.
The villages are amazing and seem to come directly from another age. They are magnificent with their huts topped with a very high roof made of leaves. Anywhere the big tombstones occupy the ground. The wealthiest people have stones so heavy that 200 people are required to be lifted. The vegetation is lush, incredible humidity and rice fields give a touch of colour to this tropical landscape. It is time to get back on board and head to the south of the island. Some small islands off the coast make us discover new sea bottoms. We are on the crest of a wave frequented by surfers, we dive in an impressive maze of canyons where the fish are abundant. The fishing day will end up with inshore lobsters catching. The days pass by and the end of the holiday approaches. We go up north and we stop two days at the first anchor spot. Some nice fishes caught but not THE fish .....
Didier starts waiting at 15 meters on the edge of the reef. Suddenly his attention is drawn to the left. A huge dark mass moves towards him. It's a huge dogtooth tuna. It slows down before him and starts to turn back taking a final look at him. He shoots and gets it in full spine. It tries to swim away but the shot was too strong. It gets back to the surface, it's huge! The team starts to party. After being hoisted on board, its weight will be 77kilos by 174cm in length. The dream fish will be given to local fishermen. This fantastic cruise comes to an end. The sea of Savu was amazing. The beauty of the landscapes, the richness of the seabed, the kindness of the locals will make us come back, for sure! This adventure was organized by SeaQuest Adventure.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://www.seaquest-adventure.com/fr
written by Didier Rives
SPEARFISHING IN IRELAND IN THE REGION OF KERRY WITH NIK & RAFAL
Location We are located in the South West of Ireland in the County Of Kerry. Our spearfishing spots are located in the Iveragh and Dingle Peninsula. I (Nik) started about 8 years ago by bringing all my spearfishing gear from Greece to Ireland. First we were diving around the estuaries for flatfish and later we tried deeper spots around the coastline.
Popularity The sport is getting popular again but at a very slow pace. There has been an increase in the number of people that are practicing spearfishing on a regular basis. I would say that the acceptance of Spearfishing was nearly inexistent a few years ago, mainly due to the lack of information. We are trying to promote the sustainability of spearfishing and the response we get is very good. We hope to make people more aware in the following years.
Equipment Stores Unfortunately all our equipment has to be order from mainland Europe. Websites in the UK, Spain, Italy or Greece.
Sea bed characteristics Starting from long sandy straights to rocky reefs and kelp areas. The coastline can be also very rocky and you can find deep slopes ending to sand or fallen boulders.
Visibility Visibility can vary a lot. Depending on many factors it can fluctuate from 2 to 10 meters. Every spot can be different and you have to take into consideration many parameters before you set out on a trip, for example: wind, tides, rain, currents etc.
Temperature Temperature ranges between 5-8 degrees in the winter and 15-17 degrees in the summer.
Currents As we live on an island located in the Atlantic Ocean you can expect some currents. You should be very careful around estuaries where the tide can move in and out. Big swells are predominant in the west of Ireland and have tremendous power.
Weather & Seasons As you can imagine the weather is fast changing and you can expect a lot of rain. We normally start in April and finish by the end of October.
Species The most common fish is the Pollock. Schools of sea basses strive here as this kind of fish is not targeted by commercial fishermen. Other species include flatfish, triggerfish and occasionally the “elusive” gilthead bream.
Local Laws Please bear in mind that you are allowed only 2 sea bass per person in 24 hours. From the 15th of May until the 15th of June is a closed season for sea bass and you are not allowed to shoot any. You are not allowed to spearfish Salmon or Sea trout either.
Techniques Depending on the fish that you are aiming at: The sea bass: can be found in very shallow water especially during the summer. I prefer the ambush technique for them. The pollock: the ambush technique is also suitable. The big ones will come at the end of your dive so you should be careful with your diving time... Approaching the fish slowly as you are going down can be also very productive
Personal Experience
Finally Rafal picked me up in the dinghy and after a few minutes we saw a few more fins on the surface. We realised that it was a shoal of Baskin Sharks feeding with plankton. We managed to approach them but unfortunately we had no underwater camera that time. It was a fabulous moment that we will never forget.
For any further news please do not hesitate to get in touch with us via our website.
Nik Nomikos and Rafal Napierala SPEARFISHING IN DENMARK IN THE WATERS OF SEALAND
Where do you spearfish? I primarily spearfish around the island of Sealand in eastern Denmark. The special condition here is represented by the water salinity which is very different from one side to the other. The best fishing generally takes place where the highest salinity or the stronger currents are. My favorite spots are in the straits of Øresund and Storebælt where you can usually catch flounders, turbots, cods, mullets and trouts. What kind of seabed characterizes the stretches of sea you spearfish in? Danish seabed is generally sand, sand and sand but occasionally you can find it covered in mussels or small stones. In some areas you can find rocky reefs (good for Cods) but generally it is all sand and a few big stones. Is the visibility often low or not? The visibility is often 2-3 meters and very much depending on the weather and waves. It is very rare to get more than 10m of visibility. In Denmark you need to spearfish in poor visibility otherwise you will have very few fishing days each season. What is the average temperature during the year? The water temperature is about 2-3 Celsius during the wintertime and only a few spearos are brave enough to dive at that time. In the summertime we reach 20-22 degrees. The best season is from April to November and the temperature ranges from 6 to 22 degrees in that period. Are there currents or any other things that might limit the practice of this sport, if so which ones? In general the Danish waters are calm and easy to spearfish in, except for the northern sea that can be really rough. You can spearfish in North Sea about 20-30 days per year as on the others days there are too many waves, too poor visibility and too much current.
All kinds of flatfish, especially flounders, are very common then cods, mullets, trouts, basses and perches are also numerous depending on the location. Spearfishing can be mainly practiced from 0 to 25mt but I can ensure that 90% of all your fishes can be caught from 0-5mt. Are your fishing spots characterized by anything in particular, like wrecks, natural barriers, etc? The best spots in Denmark are nearly always characterized by big stones or structures, which is why most spearfishing are done near harbors, bridges and wrecks. However, I personally prefer to dive on more natural reefs and rocky structures if possible. The wrecks I dive are located in shallow waters between 12 and 25mt. Due to the water conditions I described above I set 25mt as my limit for spearfishing on wrecks. Luckily some of the best wrecks for cod can be found at 12-16mt.
There is a growing spearfishing and freediving culture in Denmark and it is getting more and more popular. We do have some clubs now and people are getting more organized. That is a good sign – and I hope it keeps going like that. The more organized we are, the more we will avoid misunderstandings. The organization in Denmark has this webpage http://sportsdykning.dk Are there any spearfishing equipment stores? In Copenhagen there are no spearfishing stores but www.kingfish.dk sells some stuff. Furthermore there is http://sportsbutikken.dk, an online spearfishing web shop with a physical location, but not really a store. Are there any local laws about spearfishing? In Denmark you can buy the fishing license at the post office. It costs 15 euro and it lasts 1 year. Beware of river mouth areas and mouths of small streams which are restricted. All freshwater spearfishing is illegal. All fish species have a minimum size, but if you go for +35cm for flatfish and +45cm for pelagic species you should (in almost all cases) be safe.
Denmark is not very good for spearfishing compared to Norway, France and the Mediterranean, but there are some very good spots if you are lucky with the weather. Get in touch with some locals and give it a try. Should you be more interested or need to ask some info just visit http://undervandsitetet.dk where you can find some videos of good catches and spearfishing stories. Well the questions are over, would you like to share one of your fishing experiences you like the most? On a local wreck outside Copenhagen at 15m depth I was spearfishing in the early season last year. The wreck is usually a shelter for codfishes and we had seen a few that day. Surprisingly there was no current and almost 10m of visibility so diving was easier. I went down and with my torch I could see a tail of a big fish inside the wreck. The angle was difficult so hesitated until I was sure I could get this fish. The shot a bit too low but alright, I released the reel and went up to the surface where I passed the gun to my buddy who kept the line tight while I was preparing to dive again. When I went down the second time I followed the line to the wreck and started to retrieve my spear which came out (with some struggle) with two (2!) cods on it. The latter one shot directly in the head. The cods were very big and weighted together more than 15kg, the biggest one weighted 9.5kg. It was later honored with victory in the national “Fish of the year” competition. That was a very lucky shot and I know it was a once in a lifetime experience. Morten Villadsen Photo: Astrid Rosenvold, Matti Pykko and Knud Iversen
|
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
Made by EmmeAlfa - ©2012