"Getting Started" By Yours Truly

Welcome to the adventure. The excitement that only comes to a predator who lies in wait and strikes true. Welcome top a sport that requires very little or no expense to begin with and all the excitement of a tiger hunt. The last true vestige of a pristine frontier, The water holds the prize.

1. Getting Started:
It doesn't take much to get started in this glorious sport. In many cases a pole with a sharp point and some surgical tube will do. In many cases the pole spear is the easiest way to get started and a good way to start to investigate and learn about the environments you are diving and ultimately hunting in. Likewise a pole spear is also one of the safest means of spearing fish and crustaceans. A pole spear can be made from any thin heavy non-buoyant pole and some surgical tube. Typically they can be purchased for about $30.
The pole spear forces the user to concentrate on tactics and really being watchful. Most people will tell you that a pole spear limits you however for inshore fishing a good hunter can be very successful. I will start at the beginning for those folks who are not only new to spearfishing but also to the undersea environment. Let's also of course assume you are breath diving. (Note: if you are new to scuba a pole spear is great because it is one less piece of new equipment you have to worry about. I reccomend you start here rather than stick yourself or a dive buddy on the end of a powerful Spear. The shallow tidal pools of Long Island offer many varieties of faunas that present sport and a tasty meal to boot. When beginning to dive you must relax. If you descend very slowly and relaxed you will see a lot more fish. If you charge down and kick like mad the fish will feel you and the big commotion you've created and split. It's simple' just tip over stick your legs up and relax. In most cases gravity will do the work. If you have to kick use as little energy as possible. I say this for two reasons. First, If you are breath diving you will get a lot more bottom time if you can relax and not burn your air. Second, a heavy or hard kick will frighten fish. It's not the splash it's actually the vibrations that will spook them. Anyone who has surprised a large striper can attest to the powerful vibration the first flick of his or her tails gives off.
Now that you've reached your destination look around. Move slowly. Use your pole spear to touch things and test textures. This will help you build confidence. Before long you will be moving and grabbing things you would never have imagined. And here is the big rule. Wear gloves. Neoprene gloves are cheap and are very effective. All of those smooth sleek fish can turn into the sharpest things you've ever seen when you handle them. I promise your prune fingers are no match for dorsal spines, claws and teeth.
Some of the first fish you'll want to go after is the flatfish (flounder and fluke) and also eels. On Long Island their habitats overlap and there are plenty of them. You are going to have to pay attention to fishing regulations as they still apply even to the under water hunter. Remember that fish look 20% larger under water. I know what you are thinking. "How am I supposed to tell how big a fish is underwater". I agree this also perplexed me. It didn't make much sense to spear a fish; find out it was a little short and throw it back with a hole in it. This is how I solved the problem. I always carry a tape measure with me. In my pocket or bag. I measured rocks. Rocks that I thought looked like good size flounder and stripers. It's a lot of fun to see how wrong you are. Soon enough though you'll have a good idea and you won't make mistakes. Also you may want to mark legal size measurements on your pole spear. Never the less, soon you'll be fairly accurate in your estimates.
Fluke and flounder are most often found lying half buried on sandy bottoms. Your not going to be looking for fish really but sand that is fish shaped with an eye or two sticking out of it. Most often a fluke or flounder will find a good hunting or ambush spot in some sand next to a little structure. The structure may consist of rocks or logs or pillions. The Flatties will usually bury themselves half way in the sand along side these patches of structure and wait for little fish and shrimp to happen buy. You are going to be looking for the outline of the fish, as their camouflage is excellent. Once you've found the first one of the day it becomes very easy to spot them as their patterns will be very similar within a given area. These fish don't need deep water so they're very accessible to free divers. In fact, the largest fluke I ever took weighed 15 pounds and was in six feet of water 20 feet off of the beach. As you look for or scan the bottom for flatties you are going to want to move very slowly. If you take it easy you can stay right above them without spooking them. As long as they don't think they've been seen they'll stay there confident in their camouflage.
When you spear a flatty you should stick your spear in the fish right in the center of the body directly behind the gills. What you are attempting to do is hit the spine or pass right through it. If you hit the spine you have captured the fish and they aren't going anywhere. In addition, if you hit the kill spot you are going to keep the meat from being damaged or bruised. Once you have speared the fish you will want to keep downward pressure on your spear shaft or pole spear. Just because the fish is in the sand does not mean that it is all sand underneath of it. The point may hit a rock that is underneath the fish and keep it from penetrating completely. Because of this all flatties should be retrieved in the following manner.First, Keep pressure on the spear in order to keep the fish from flipping around and getting loose. Then slide your free hand underneath the fish towards your spear point. If it has penetrated grab it and lift. If the fish flips around it will now only be able to move farther up the shaft. If the tip has not penetrated completely lift the fish a little and push the spear through. Then follow the same steps. You can now either string them on a line or put them in your fish basket. Follow these steps until your limit is full.
If you recall I also wanted to discuss eels in this chapter. The American eel can be found in fresh, brackish and salt water. Harbor, tidal flows and marsh areas are great areas to find them. Most often you will find them in the structure that the flatties like to be on the outskirts of. Rocks and logs are the real lairs they just can't turn down. Now eels are tricky. They spook easy, stay out of site and are really slippery. When I was a young and fearless I had developed a method of sticking my hands under and into rock structures and feel for eels. Well, this worked pretty good until the day I stuck my hand into the mouth of a really angry toadfish, The toadfish is a fairly harmless fish that digs a den under rocks and waits, mouth open for little fish to swim buy. Their teeth are not very sharp but their jaws are powerful. I can only imagine the looks I gut when I was standing in a shallow tidal pool in a bit of a panic as I tried to pry the damming thing of my fingers which were by now a crimson color. So let that be a lesson to you. I was stupid so you don't have to b e. There are also lots of other sharp, pointy biting clawing things under rocks so its more than obvious not to stick your hands into holes or under rocks. I know it makes perfect sense but it eluded me until the toadfish incident. However, you will want to use your spear to move plants and seaweed aside or move rocks slightly to spot Mr. Eel.
When you spot one in the rocks take your time. You will want to hit the middle of the body right in the middle of the fish. This is the best tactic for a single or gig style speartip. The eel can survive decapitation long enough to get away. If you hit the head they'll use all their strength to twist off even if it means tearing themselves apart. Once they are off they are gone. I have had eels twist off and found them days later still alive with the head hanging on by a thread. If you hit the middle of the body you can follow the same steps that you'll us e for flatties. However you may want to push your fish bag down over the eel rather than lift them into it. Cutting down the amount of steps you use to secure your catch will guarantee more fish. There is one more thing. Eels bite. The American eel has a boned ridge for teeth and it can scratch its way through the skin. The conger eel however can take flesh and fingers. The dive knife can help here. However, The first rule is not to harm any thing that you don't think will wind up in your bag and eventually on the table. Remember you are putting a hole in something so make sure you really want it.

Happy hunting