Sognsvann (or Sognsvannet ) is a 3.3 km circumference lake just north of Oslo , Norway .
73-511: Lying just within the greenbelt around Oslo, the lake is a popular recreational area, used as a camping, picnicking and bathing destination for the residents of Oslo during the summer, as well as a cross-country skiing, skating and ice fishing destination in the winter. The trail around it is used for walking or jogging all year. Every year in August, swimming and running take part in Sognsvann as part of
146-462: A handheld GPS receiver to aim them to those spots, usually with accuracy of less than 20 feet. Ice anglers then drill holes with whichever auger they have, checking the ice thickness for safety as they go. Most ice fishers advise checking that the ice is at least 4 inches thick. Using sonar, the angler can determine the depth of the water, bottom content, weed and structure cover, and even see if there are fish there. Also, by using sonar, they can place
219-449: A slingshot , while pneumatic powered spearguns are also used, but are less powerful. Polespears or hand spears consist of a long shaft with point at one end and an elastic loop at the other for propulsion. They also come in a wide variety, from aluminum or titanium metal, to fiberglass or carbon fiber . Often they are screwed together from smaller pieces or able to be folded down for ease of transport. In 1951 Charlie Sturgill beat
292-1027: A boat is necessary to access a location that is close to shore, but inaccessible by land. Methods and gear used for boat diving are similar to shore diving or blue water hunting, depending on the target prey. Boat diving is a worldwide activity. Hot spots include Mozambique , the Three Kings islands of New Zealand ( yellowtail ), Gulf of Mexico oil rigs ( cobia , grouper ) and the Great Barrier Reef ( wahoo , dogtooth tuna ). The deepwater fishing grounds off Cape Point, (Cape Town, South Africa) have become popular with trophy hunting , freediving spearfishers in search of Yellowfin Tuna. Blue water hunting involves diving in open ocean waters for pelagic species. It involves accessing usually very deep and clear water and chumming for large pelagic fish species such as marlin , tuna , wahoo , or giant trevally . Blue water hunting
365-801: A circumstance occurred in Lake Erie in February 2009, with 100 fishers having to be rescued by helicopters, local authorities, and the Coast Guard. One man who had fallen into the water died on the rescue flight. On March 28, 2013, as many as 220 ice anglers were trapped on break-away sea ice floes in the Gulf of Riga ( Latvia ), necessitating a full-scale rescue operation which employed helicopters and hovercraft . Many similar operations—although typically much smaller in scale—are required each year due to reckless and/or inexperienced anglers. Late-winter warm spells can destroy
438-461: A dark house. The angler then peers into the water while holding a large spear which has four or five points. A line can be attached to the points. The fisher waits for fish to appear, then plunges the spear into the water. This method is often used for lake sturgeon fishing. In the United States many states allow only rough fish to be taken while spear fishing. Becoming increasingly popular
511-598: A diver with underwater breathing equipment can dive for much longer periods. In the 1920s, sport spearfishing using only watertight swimming goggles became popular on the Mediterranean coast of France and Italy . This led to development of the modern diving mask , fins and snorkel . The world's first English- and French-language modern spearfishing books, Guy Gilpatric's The Compleat Goggler and Raymond Pulvénis's La Chasse aux Poissons , appeared in 1938 and 1940 respectively. Modern scuba diving had its genesis in
584-418: A door as the only way out. The permanent shelters are made of wood or metal and usually have wheels for easy transport. They can be as basic as a bunk heater and holes or have satellite television, bathrooms, stoves, full-size beds and may appear to be more like a mobile home than a fishing house. In North America , ice fishing is often a social activity. Some resorts have fish houses that are rented out by
657-453: A fish is biting. There are also many lightweight and highly mobile portable shelters that mount on plastic sleds and collapse for transportation. These can vary from small, one-person shelters (commonly called "Fish Traps") to large and complex shelters able to fit up to 20 people at once. There are many variables which dictate whether or not ice is safe to walk on, however there are some widely accepted parameters. For example, newly frozen ice
730-404: A fishing hole open. Three main types of fishing occur. The first is using a small, light fishing rod with small, brightly coloured lures or jigs with bait such as wax worms, fat heads or crappie or shiner minnows . The angler sits at the hole in the ice and lifts the pole every now and then, producing the jig effect. The second is using tip-ups , which are made of wood or plastic, and have
803-413: A knife, a sharpened metal spike can be used to kill the fish quickly and humanely upon capture. Ikejime is a Japanese term for kill-spiking a fish, a method traditionally used by Japanese fishermen. Killing the fish quickly is believed to improve the flavor of the flesh by limiting the buildup of lactic acid in the fish's muscles. It also reduces chance of attracting opportunistic sharks by stopping
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#1732855061634876-431: A large stainless steel pin/spike at the other. The pin is typically 15–30 cm long, 4-8mm diameter, with a sharp point at one end, and with the cable threaded through a hole, usually in the middle, so the spike functions as a toggle once threaded. The pin can optionally be used as an iki jime spike, to dispatch speared fish. It can alternatively be a large, shaped loop of stainless steel. The stringer may be attached to
949-415: A single day. When the fish stop biting where they are, anglers can move to the next hole, checking it with their sonar first to look for activity, and if there are no fish they will keep moving until fish are found. In addition, schools of fish tend to move around; so a hole may be productive for 10 minutes and then slow down to nothing for an hour before a school returns to that location. This "fish where
1022-400: A spool of line attached, with a thin piece of metal that goes from the spool to the flag. Black line is put on the spool and a swivel is placed at the end of the black line. Then a piece of fishing line with a hook is attached to the swivel. Worms, power bait, grub worms or small minnows are placed on the hook. The hook with bait is placed into the water under the ice. The depth that the bait
1095-691: A string to pull themselves out of the water and onto the ice. Many cars, trucks, SUVs, snowmobiles, and fish houses fall through the ice each year. Current environmental regulations require the speedy recovery of the vehicle or structure in this situation. Divers must be hired, and when the trouble occurs far from shore, helicopters may be employed for hoisting. Other risks associated with ice fishing include carbon monoxide poisoning from fish house heaters and frostbite due to prolonged exposure to wind and low temperatures, although most new houses are fitted with air exchange systems that allow air flow, preventing poisoning. Although fatalities are somewhat rare, in
1168-436: Is fishing using handheld elongated, sharp-pointed tools such as a spear , gig , or harpoon , to impale the fish in the body. It was one of the earliest fishing techniques used by mankind , and has been deployed in artisanal fishing throughout the world for millennia. Early civilizations were familiar with the custom of spearing fish from rivers and streams using sharpened sticks. Modern spearfishing usually involves
1241-490: Is 4 inches (10 cm), 5-6 inches (13–15 cm) for sleds (snow machines, snowmobiles) and most ATVs, 7-12 inches (18–30 cm) for light cars, and large ATVs and a minimum of 14 inches (36–41 cm) for full-sized trucks. Thinner ice in areas with swift surface currents are a significant hazard, as is ice that is directly over underwater spring . Offshore winds can break off pans of ice which are miles wide, stranding large numbers of fishers. Just such
1314-533: Is 8 inches (20 cm). Power augers are sometimes used. If these tools are not available, an axe may be used to chop the hole. A skimmer, a large metal spoon with holes in it, is used to remove new ice as it forms and to clear slush left from making the hole. During colder periods most ice anglers choose to carry a heater of some type. The heater is not only for warmth but also for keeping an angler's fishing hole from freezing. When temperatures fall to -20 °F (-29 °C) or colder it becomes very hard to keep
1387-459: Is a warning flag floating on the water to indicate to other boats , personal watercrafts and aircraft that there is a diver below. When in use, it signals to other boats to keep clear, watch for divers in the water, and approach at a slow speed. Spearfishing is intensively managed throughout the world. The use of SCUBA equipment for spearfishing is now illegal in many parts of the world, although it remains legal and popular within many parts of
1460-498: Is always safer than older ice. "Good ice" is ice which has frozen without the interruption of large temperature fluctuations, rain, or snow and is clear and free of large lumps and cracks. Additionally, the safest ice is that which sits upon a lake without moving water. Ice on the surface of rivers can be extremely unpredictable. Many anglers will go out with as little as 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) of "good ice" for walking on. The recommended thickness of ice to support an average person
1533-403: Is often conducted in drifts; the boat driver drops divers and allow them to drift in the current for up to several kilometres before collecting them. Blue water hunters can go for hours without seeing any fish, and without any ocean structure or a visible bottom the divers can experience sensory deprivation and have difficulty determining the size of a solitary fish. One technique to overcome this
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#17328550616341606-524: Is one of three nudist beaches in Oslo, lies a few hundred meters to the east of Sognsvann. Nedre Blanksjø ("The lower shining lake") is an even smaller lake a few hundred meters to the north of Svartkulp. A pyramid marking the geographical center of Oslo municipality and county is installed on the east side of it, alongside Ankerveien . This Oslo location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ice fishing Ice fishing
1679-411: Is placed goes according to several theories. One theory is the bait is placed one meter under the ice. The second is that the bait is placed two to three metres under the ice. The third is that the bait is suspended one foot (30 cm) above the bottom of the lake. When the fish strikes the bait the flag is lifted which notifies the angler that a fish is on the hook. The angler pulls the line in and
1752-473: Is relative to the fish, and jig accordingly to entice a bite. Ice fishing can be done at any time of day, and is typically most active around dusk and dawn. Different fish are active at different times of day, so anglers need to fish for them accordingly. There are fish houses large enough and comfortable enough to spend many days in a row out on the lake, fishing the entire time. One can even fish in one's sleep, by using audible alarms on one's lines to tell when
1825-654: Is sometimes known as Canada's ice fishing capital, and every year it is host to a very large and well-organized contest. In Hwacheon , South Korea , a large ice fishing festival is held every January. The Ice Festival draws nearly a million visitors every year, and thousands of people have taken part in a contest to catch fish in a frozen Hwacheoncheon (a tributary of the Han River ). In North America, common mudpuppies ( Necturus maculosus ) are frequently caught accidentally while ice fishing. Mudpuppies are large (10–17 in) fully aquatic salamanders that are active during
1898-399: Is sometimes used. These are dragged or towed onto the lake using a vehicle such as a snowmobile , ATV or truck . The two most commonly used types are portable and permanent. The portable houses are often made of a heavy material that is usually watertight. The two most common types of portable houses are those with a shelter that flips behind the user when not needed, or pop up shelters with
1971-470: Is temporary paralyzed, which gives the fisher time to cut a hole in the ice to collect the fish. Ice fishing methods have changed drastically over the past 20 years. The name of the game is mobility for today's modern ice anglers. The days of drilling hole, waiting and hoping that a fish will swim by, are starting to fade. With light gear, battery-operated sonar units, and fast and powerful augers, an angler can conceivably drill and check hundreds of holes in
2044-500: Is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water . Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities. Longer fishing expeditions can be mounted with simple structures. Larger, heated structures can make multiple day fishing trips possible. A structure with various local names, but often called an ice shanty , ice shack, fish house, shack, icehouse, bobhouse, or ice hut,
2117-406: Is the use of a flasher, similar to its summer cousin the fishfinder . This is a sonar system that provides depth information, as well as indicating the presence of fish or other objects. These flashers, unlike most typical fishfinders, display the movement of fish and other objects almost instantaneously. The bait being used can often be seen as a mark on the flasher, enabling the angler to position
2190-599: Is to note the size of the fish's eye in relation to its body. Large specimens have a proportionally smaller eye. The creation of the Australian Bluewater Freediving Classic in 1995 in northern New South Wales was a way of creating interest and promotion of this format of underwater hunting, and contributed to the formation of the International Bluewater Spearfishing Records Committee . The IBSRC formed in 1996,
2263-607: The Atlantic goliath grouper on the Caribbean island of Bonaire , the Nassau grouper in the barrier reef off the coast of Belize and the giant black sea bass in California , which have all been listed as endangered. Modern spearfishing has shifted focus onto catching only what one needs and targeting sustainable fisheries. As gear evolved in the 1960s and 1970s spearfishers typically viewed
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2336-459: The Halieulica or Halieutika , composed between 177 and 180. This is the earliest such work to have survived intact. Oppian describes various means of fishing including the use of spears and tridents. In a parody of fishing, a type of gladiator called retiarius carried a trident and a casting-net . He fought the murmillo , who carried a short sword and a helmet with the image of a fish on
2409-514: The International Underwater Spearfishing Association (IUSA) and the International Bluewater Spearfishing Records Committee (IBSRC), list world record catches by species according to rules to ensure fair competition. Spearfishing is illegal in many bodies of water, and some locations only allow spearfishing during certain seasons. Spearfishing has been implicated in local disappearances of some species, including
2482-620: The South Pacific (dogtooth tuna). Many US states allow spearfishing in lakes and rivers, but most of them restrict divers to shooting only rough fish such as carp , gar , bullheads , suckers, etc. Some US states do allow the taking of certain gamefish such as sunfish , crappies , striped bass , catfish and walleyes . Freshwater hunters typically have to deal with widely varying seasonal changes in water clarity due to flooding, algae blooms and lake turnover. Some especially hardy midwestern and north central scuba divers go spearfishing under
2555-501: The trident . A small trident-type spear with a long handle is used in the American South and Midwest for gigging bullfrogs with a bright light at night, or for gigging carp and other fish in the shallows. Traditional spear fishing is restricted to shallow waters, but the development of the speargun , diving mask and swimfins allows fishing in deeper waters. Some freedivers are able to hold their breath for more than five minutes,
2628-619: The Australian Bluewater Freediving Classic became the first spearfishing tournament to be accredited and was awarded 4 out of 5 stars based on environmental, social, safety and economic indicators. Shore diving is perhaps the most common form of spearfishing and simply involves entering and exiting the sea from beaches or headlands and hunting around ocean structures, usually reef , but also rocks, kelp or sand. Usually shore divers hunt at depths of 5–25 metres (16–82 ft), depending on location. In some locations, divers can experience drop-offs from 5 to 40 metres (16 to 131 ft) close to
2701-514: The Oslo Triathlon. Cycling on the footpath around the lake is prohibited; however there is a dedicated cycling trail. Disabled access is good to and around the lake. Part of the lake's popularity stems from its easy access from Oslo; Sognsvann station , located on the south end of the lake, is the final stop on line 5 on the Oslo Metro . Svartkulp ("The black pool"), a small forest lake which
2774-591: The United States. Within the EU, the use of SCUBA for spearfishing is now illegal, in addition to a ban on spearfishing at night. European countries that are not within EU law do not have this regulation. The use of SCUBA is banned from CMAS Spearfishing Competition events. Australia allows only recreational spearfishing and generally only breath-hold free diving. State & territory governments impose numerous restrictions, demarcating Marine Protected Areas, Closed Areas, Protected Species, size/bag limits and equipment. Most of
2847-483: The aftermath of World War II, as the supply of the necessary raw materials improved and peacetime encouraged the development of public leisure pursuits and international tourism, the pioneers of modern spearfishing began serial production of underwater hunting equipment. Featured at length in Gilpatric's The Compleat Goggler , expatriate Russian Alec Kramarenko and American Charles Wilen founded their United Service Agency in
2920-423: The bait according to where they think the fish are. If they are using "tip-ups" they can carpet the area at different depths and with different presentations (the number allowed being determined by local laws) and see what is the most productive. Modern ice anglers can also use modern reels mounted on shorter (18"-36"/45–90 cm long) fishing rods to actively fish by watching, by using their sonar, where their lure
2993-413: The bait right in front of the fish. Underwater cameras are also now available which allow the user to view the fish and observe their reaction to the lure presentation. Clubbing is an old method seldom used today, mainly used on burbot , the fisher walks on clear ice in shallow water and sees a large fish through the ice and with a large club which they slam into the ice, the shockwave hits the fish and it
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3066-649: The biggest fish. Currently, the world's largest contest, the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza, is held on Gull Lake , north of Brainerd, Minnesota , in January of each year. The contest has over 15,000 anglers and drills over 20,000 holes for the contest. $ 152,232 in charity was raised in the 2016 contest, and donated to 41 local charities. Lake Simcoe in Canada has abundant cold water fish such as lake trout , herring and whitefish . It
3139-467: The competition (who were all using spearguns) with his own pole spear design. Hawaiian slings consist of an elastic band attached to a tube, through which a spear is launched. Wetsuits designed specifically for spearfishing are often two-piece (jacket and high waisted pants or 'long-john' style pants with shoulder straps) and are black or are fully or partially camouflage. Weight belt and vest are used to compensate for wetsuit buoyancy and help
3212-411: The day; often, shuttle service by Snow Track or other vehicles modified to drive on ice is provided. In North America, portable houses appear to create a city at locations where fishing is done. Ice fishing gear is highly specialized. An ice saw , ice auger or chisel is used to cut a circular or rectangular hole in the ice. The size of the hole depends on the type of fish sought, generally suggested
3285-510: The descriptions do not go into detail. An early example from the Bible is in Job 41:7 : Canst thou fill his [Leviathan] skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears? . The Greek historian Polybius ( ca 203 BC–120 BC), in his Histories , describes hunting for swordfish by using a harpoon with a barbed and detachable head. Greek author Oppian of Corycus wrote a major treatise on sea fishing,
3358-405: The dive float, especially in areas of high shark activity, although some divers will use a clip to attach their stringer to their weight belt, or the base of their speargun. Spearfishing snorkels and diving masks are similar to those used for scuba diving , although spearfishing masks usually have two eye lenses and a lower internal volume. The "Diver Down" flag (also called a "dive flag")
3431-492: The diver descend to depth. Rubber belts which can be quickly released in an emergency have proven to be particularly popular for spearfishing worldwide. This is because the rubber stretches when fitted and retracts as the body and wetsuit compress underwater, keeping them in place more effectively than non-stretch webbing belts, which tend to slide around more underwater as they loosen with depth. Most spearfishing equipment manufacturers now offer rubber weight belts. Longfins are
3504-710: The fish and thus precludes catch and release . Spearfishing may be done using free-diving , snorkelling , or scuba diving techniques, but spearfishing while using scuba equipment is illegal in some countries. The use of mechanically powered spearguns is also outlawed in some countries and jurisdictions such as New Zealand . Spearfishing with barbed poles ( harpoons ) was widespread in palaeolithic times. Cosquer Cave in Southern France contains cave art over 16,000 years old, including drawings of seals which appear to have been harpooned. There are references to fishing with spears in ancient literature; though, in most cases,
3577-409: The fish are" technique and ease of mobility increases the catch rate of any angler, because it minimizes the wait between bites, similar to "trolling" in the summer months. Anglers can now use many available maps and surveys to help pinpoint lakes and areas within those lakes that make sense to try for specific fish, noting those locations in latitude and longitude coordinates. They are then able to use
3650-404: The fish fights. The angler will allow the line to slip through their hands during the struggle. Finally, when the angler can get the fish's head into the hole in the ice, the fish is quickly lifted onto the ice. This allows for less-intensive fishing. The third method is spear fishing. A large hole is cut in the ice and fish decoys may be deployed. The angler sits in a dark ice shanty called
3723-489: The fish thrashing. A buoy is usually tethered to the spearfisher's speargun or directly to the spear. A buoy helps to subdue large fish. It can also assist in storing fish. But is more importantly used as a safety device to warn boat drivers there is diver in the area - usually by being large, brightly colored and flying a dive flag (the red flag with white diagonal stripe in the USA or the blue & white "alpha" flag elsewhere in
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#17328550616343796-529: The front. Copper harpoons were known to the seafaring Harappans well into antiquity. Early hunters in India include the Mincopie people, aboriginal inhabitants of India 's Andaman and Nicobar islands, who have used harpoons with long cords for fishing since early times. Spear fishing is an ancient method of fishing and may be conducted with an ordinary spear or a specialised variant such as an eel spear or
3869-400: The hands when retrieving fish from coral or rock crevices, when loading the bands on rubber powered spearguns and from the teeth and spines of struggling fish. They are also used for thermal protection in colder water. Fish stringers are used to store speared fish while diving. Usually a length of cable, cord, string or monofilament terminated by a loop (and sometimes a swivel) at one end and
3942-526: The ice in the winter when water clarity is at its best. In the summer the majority of freshwater spearfishers use snorkelling gear rather than scuba since many of the fish they pursue are in relatively shallow water. Carp shot by freshwater spearfishers typically end up being used as fertilizer, bait for trappers, or are occasionally donated to zoos. Spearfishing with a hand-held spear from land, shallow water or boat has been undertaken for thousands of years. The fisher must account for optical refraction at
4015-617: The industry is vastly dominated by men. Only in recent years have more companies offered foot pockets that fit women and youth divers. The industry also offers more variety in fin blades that vary in thickness to offer different levels of kicking resistance for divers. Properly fitting foot pockets and appropriately matched fin blades are essential for freediving form. The types of fins used by SCUBA divers are generally shorter, bulky, and not favored for freediving. SCUBA diving fins usually feature an open heel design with buckles and straps. The fin blades often have bright colors and may be split down
4088-477: The largest number of fish caught within a limited time period. There are many ice fishing contests consisting of friends and neighbors with a modest number of contestants and small prizes. Conversely, throughout North America—especially in the northern parts of the Midwest and throughout Canada—many large and well-organized contests take place yearly. Most of these larger contests offer big prizes for contestants who catch
4161-423: The middle. Bodysurfing fins have also been used successfully by many spearfishermen. A utility knife or side cutter (typically made of saltwater corrosion-resistant material such as stainless steel or titanium alloy ) is carried as a safety precaution in case the diver becomes tangled in a spearline or floatline. It can also be used to deliver a coup de grâce and kill the fish quickly. In lieu of
4234-534: The most common type of fins used by modern freedivers and spearfishermen. The length of the freediving longfin blade provides energy and oxygen consumption benefits during all phases of the dive. Longfin blades are constructed with a variety of materials, including plastic, fiberglass, and carbon fiber. Many hunters chose longfins with camouflage color patters. The foot pocket is closed and not adjustable. For many decades, women divers faced significant difficulty finding proper fitting foot pockets for freediving longfins, as
4307-807: The need to repeatedly dive through the waves until the surf line is crossed. Divers may enter from a relatively exposed headland, for convenience, then swim to a more protected part of the shore for their exit from the water. Shore dives produce mainly reef fish, but oceangoing pelagic fish are also caught from shore dives in some places, and can be specifically targeted. Shore diving can be done with trigger-less spears such as pole spears or Hawaiian slings , but more commonly triggered devices such as spearguns. Speargun setups to catch and store fish include speed rigs and fish stringers. Boats, ships, kayaks, or even jetski can be used to access offshore reefs or ocean structure. Man-made structures such as oil rigs and Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) are also fished. Sometimes
4380-564: The ocean as an unlimited resource and often sold their catch. This practice is now heavily frowned upon in prominent spearfishing nations for promoting unsustainable methods and encouraging taking more fish than is needed. In countries such as Australia and South Africa where the activity is regulated by state fisheries, spearfishing has been found to be the most environmentally friendly form of fishing due to being highly selective, having no by-catch, causing no habitat damage, nor creating pollution or harm to protected endangered species. In 2007,
4453-435: The shore line. Sharks and reef fish can be abundant in these locations. In subtropical areas, sharks may be less common, but other challenges face the shore diver, such as managing entry and exit in the presence of big waves. Headlands are favoured for entry because of their proximity to deeper water, but timing is important so the diver does not get pushed onto rocks by waves. Beach entry can be safer, but more difficult due to
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#17328550616344526-428: The southern French city of Nice to manufacture a wide range of spearfishing gear, including diving masks with built-in snorkels enabling swimmers to breathe face down on the surface of the water for long periods while stalking their prey unencumbered by the constant oral presence of a mouthpiece. During the 1960s, attempts to have spearfishing recognised as an Olympic sport were unsuccessful. Instead, two organisations,
4599-470: The spearo loads it himself in the water. Blue water hunting is conducted worldwide, but notable hot spots include Baja Mexico ( yellowfin tuna , wahoo ), Southern California ( bluefin tuna ), Tanzania ( dogtooth tuna , wahoo and yellowfin tuna ), Mozambique ( dogtooth tuna , wahoo and giant turrum ), South Africa ( Yellowfin tuna , Spanish Mackerel , wahoo, marlin and giant turrum), Australia (dogtooth tuna, wahoo and Spanish Mackerel) and
4672-453: The spring. Spearfishing in this manner has some similarities to bowfishing . This is a list of equipment commonly used in spearfishing. Not all of it is necessary and spearfishing is often undertaken with minimal gear. A speargun is an underwater fishing tool designed to launch a tethered short spear at a fish or other marine animal (e.g. a lobster ). The most popular spearguns are elastically powered by natural latex rubber bands like
4745-596: The systematic use of rebreathers by Italian sport spearfishers during the 1930s. This practice came to the attention of the Italian Navy , which developed its frogman unit , which affected World War II . By 1940 small groups of people in California, USA had been spearfishing for less than 10 years. Most used imported gear from Europe, while innovators Charlie Sturgill, Jack Prodanovich, and Wally Potts invented and built innovative equipment for California's divers. In
4818-431: The target species. The diving is dynamic and challenging with depths that vary from 15 ft to over 100 ft. Notably, some blue water hunters use large multi-band wooden guns and make use of breakaway rigs to catch and subdue their prey. If the prey is large and still has fight left after being subdued, a second gun can provide a kill shot at a safe distance. This is acceptable to IBSRC and IUSA regulations as long as
4891-404: The texture of the ice, which, while still of the required thickness, will not adequately support weight. It is called "rotten ice" or soft ice and is exceedingly dangerous. Some ice anglers will continue to fish, since even with the bad ice normally 8 inches (20 cm) is more than enough. Ice anglers may carry a self-rescue device called an ″ice pick″ made of two spiked handles connected by
4964-422: The use of underwater swimming gear and slingshot -like elastic spearguns or compressed gas powered pneumatic spearguns, which launch a tethered dart -like projectile to strike the target fish. Specialised techniques and equipment have been developed for various types of aquatic environments and target fish. Spearfishing uses no bait and is highly selective, with no by-catch , but inflicts lethal injury to
5037-405: The water's surface, which makes fish appear higher in their line of sight than they are. By experience, the fisher learns to aim lower. Calm and shallow waters are favored for spearing fish from above the surface, as water clarity is of utmost importance. Many people who grew up on farms in the midwest U.S. in the 1940s-'60s recall going spearing for carp with pitchforks when their fields flooded in
5110-447: The winter. They breathe using feathery gills that they retain from their larval stage . They forage for aquatic invertebrates and small fish. There is a myth that mudpuppies left out on the ice will survive the winter and return to the water when it thaws. However, as mudpuppies cannot survive freezing and require water to breath, it is likely that this practice has led to the death of many mudpuppies. Spearfishing Spearfishing
5183-567: The world). A typical spearo dive float will be torpedo-shaped, orange or red in colour with a volume of between 7 and 36 litres and display a dive flag on a short mast. However, other designs, such as inflatable mini-dinghy, planche (box), Tommy Botha (big game) and body-boards are also used. A floatline connects the buoy to the speargun or to the weight-belt. Often made from braided polyester , they are also frequently made from mono-filament encased in an airtight plastic tube, or made from stretchable bungee cord . Cut-resistant gloves protect
5256-418: The year of 2017, 56 people died while out on the ice in USA and Canada. Fatalities almost always occur from drowning after one has fallen into the ice, although a small number of victims died from blunt-force trauma ( e.g.: hitting one's head on the ice whilst falling in the water). Anywhere there is fishing, there are contests, and ice fishing is no exception. Ice fishing contests generally offer prizes for
5329-566: Was the first dedicated organization worldwide, created by recognized world leaders in blue-water hunting, to record the capture of pelagic species by blue-water hunters. The Blue Water World Cup in La Ventana, BCS, Mexico has also brought a large amount of notoriety to the sport. Started in 2006 by Dennis Haussler. Elite spearfishers from all over the world compete in a 4 day format that involves very selective spearing of pelagic species, with Wahoo, AmberJack, Dorado, Roosterfish, Marlin and Tuna being
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