If you choose the latter option and wish to throw the harpoon at a fish, you must remember the laws of refraction. They range from 6-foot cockpit harpoons for sticking fish boatside to 10-footers that are weighted and used for throwing at fish further away from the boat. There are a variety of sizes of harpoons on the market. Use a basket or box to store the coiled harpoon line and the poly ball. Darts can be rigged on cable (great for fighting the abrasion caused from the fish's skin) or three-strand braided line. When sharpening the dart, only sharpen the top one-third of the tip to insure penetration, but keep the dart from cutting itself loose once it's embedded in the fish. Darts usually come unsharpened so you will need to put an edge on the sides of the dart. You will need to make some adjustments to the dart before go time. This clip can help you retrieve the harpoon quickly if you miss a fish. Some harpoons also feature a clip to the mainline further down the handle. This insures that the dart stays on the end of the harpoon shank and won't fall off when being thrown. Once the dart is placed on the shank of the harpoon, we use electrical tape to secure the dart line to the shaft of the harpoon. Use a bowline knot to attach the dart line to the mainline loop and when attaching the dart itself. We use a four-foot section of 5/16-inch, three-strand line for the dart line, which connects the dart to the main line. The first step is attaching the dart or "lily" line to the main line.įor our harpoon mainline we use 200 feet of 3/8-inch, three strand line with spiced loops on each end - one loop to attach the dart line and the other for attaching an an A-1 Taylor Made poly ball. There are several ways to rig a harpoon and like many things in the world of sportfishing, personal preference places a large role. Here are a few points to remember when it comes to harpoon rigging and execution. Like anything, however, using a harpoon requires skill and know-how. And, the dart causes less damage to the fish's meat than a large flying gaff. This motion does not provide as much power as tossing a harpoon like a javelin, where you can really put your body weight behind the throw.įor these reasons, the harpoon lets the mate reach a fish that would normally be out of gaff range with a more fluid striking motion. In many cases the gaff man has to place the gaff above and beyond the fish and then pull toward himself to sink the gaff. To get a good gaff shot the mate needs to bring the fish closer to the boat. Harpoons are also easily stored and less likely to impale someone climbing up a tuna tower.įlyers, while effective in the hands of an experienced mate, can be dangerous and cumbersome when subduing a large game fish boat side. Harpoons help streamline the end-game process through increased range, accuracy and effectiveness. And if you know what you're doing, you will find that using a harpoon is much easier than a flyer. Unless you are chasing an IGFA world record, which prohibits the use of a harpoon, you really don't need to use a flying gaff to take big fish. From early man to Native Americans to the famed whalers of Nantucket to the multi-million-dollar sportfishing machines of today, variations of a spear or harpoon have been used to take fish from the sea. Fishermen have relied on harpoons for thousands of years.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |