About

While most of our destinations might be able to rent you the necessary spearfishing gear if needed, as a rule of thumb you are expected to bring your own equipment. However, don’t let this put you off as we will look after you. Through our spearfishing gear site Spearfishing.co.uk we are sole UK distributors for Rob Allen, Riffe, Ruku, Picasso, HECS, Reef Runner, Spierre, Jak Boeno and Epsealon; and authorised UK distributors for Pathos, Mares, Paralenz and Nautilus, so we can easily sort out all your blue water needs.

If you need any gear for a holiday then we will supply you at a fat discounted rate as we don’t believe in exploiting our customers. Most of the people we trip with become great lifelong friends, bonded through the shared adventures and experiences of the holiday and like everyone else, we don’t like making money out of our friends! Here at Spearfishing Charters, we dream about spearfishing adventures – not green pieces of paper 🙂

To get an idea of the spearguns, float systems and wetsuits available, click on the banner below to check out our other site dedicated to spearfishing gear for both reef and blue water. If you need anything for one of our trips then all we ask is that you give us plenty of notice.

Which speargun do I need?

Click here to view all of our spearguns, together with a free speargun buyer’s guide (PDF).

People always ask us what the best equipment is for hunting the monsters of the deep and while the answer can vary depending on personal preference we can certainly share our experience with you.

A 130 speargun is a great all-rounder as it can be used on both the reef and for deep blue water. When reef hunting you can drop it down to a single 16mm band and while blue water hunting you can pop on both bands for the extra power and range. However like the saying goes, ‘a jack of all trades is a master of none’. While using it you will probably find it’s a bit too big for reef fishing, and a bit too short for blue water fishing. However if you are on a tight budget or don’t want to splurge out on everything under the sun then then this could well be the speargun for you.

Personally, our arsenal consists of environment specific guns for each situation, big guns for the blue and shorter guns for the reef, with even shorter guns for holes.

We sport Rob Allen 160s for the blue  water hunting and can’t find anything better. It’s a mono mission gun for sure, don’t expect to be able to use it on the reefs back home. But when it comes to packing a punch, it’s like the AK47 for the speargun world. It comes with a 7.5mm spear so you know its heavy with penetration power, anything shot by it knows it been spoken to. We recommend the twin 16mm band version as it seems to deliver a smother delivery of shot than the 20mm single band version and it has the added benefit of being easier to load.

Don’t let loading these monster guns put you off. It’s 100% down to technique, not strength – and we can teach you how to do it – it’s no harder than a reef gun.

As a secondary blue water speargun we will normally take an extra Rob Allen 140, or simply ask our buddy to put in a second shot if we don’t have anything to hand. Never be too proud for a second shot!

Reef guns can vary in size – however, 100 – 120cm is ideal. Combine these with twin bands and you have incredible firepower. We have used a twin setup on a RA90cm gun as a backup and it was punching straight through 125lb sailfish no problem. So in short – don’t underestimate them.

Remember that while slip tips and drop heads are great on most fish like wahoo, dorado etc. They are not suitable for the big yellow fin tuna. We have seen countless prize fish lost on these tips. When we find a slip that’s strong enough for them, we’ll let you know!

If we are targeting big marlin then we go straight to Riffe! While it’s not impossible to shoot and land a big marlin with a RA160, we have sadly seen many shot with very few landings. We have also seen 800lb marlin just shake out a 160 spear as if it was little more than an annoyance. So if we’re specifically targeting the big marlin, then we reach for the closed track, quad banded Riffe cannon, sporting the float wings and a custom made tri-cut slip tip. These are harder to use though – you pilot them more than you move them. Aiming is a bit like firing a mortar shell instead of shooting a rifle if you catch our drift, but once mastered, they are incredible. If you are targeting a Marlin on one of our trips then we can advise you on this equipment but you need a very specific rig, nothing ‘off the shelf’, if you know what we mean.

Why are float systems so important?

Float systems are the next consideration and are critical to landing your fish. It never fails to amaze us how much time and effort goes into gun selection and how little time seems to go into float rig selection. Shooting a fish is only half the story and the correct float system will see your fish on the boat instead of swimming away with a big hole in its side.

The main consideration is being able to fight the fish without the spear ripping out of its side. The idea behind a good float system is that it will do most of the fighting for you, slowly tiring the fish out, and minimising any sudden or violent yanking on the spear.

For the big fish we recommend a couple of systems:

Option 1: A 30m Rob Allen dyneema core bungee that stretches to 3 times its original length (so 90m), connected to a Riffe atmosphere 3 float.

Or

Option 2: A Rob Allen 25m heavy duty float line, connected to a 15m dyneema core bungee, connected to a Rob Allen 11l hard float, connected to a 10m dyneema core bungee, connect to a RA 35l Remora inflatable float.

Option 1 is ultra-elastic and puts a constant but steady amount of strain on the fish. If the fish plummet then the Riffe float will go down deep without imploding. The rig is also nice and simple to setup, tangled line is rarely a problem and it’s generally hassle free. The bungee is also very good for avoiding line wrap when fighting your fish. The down side to this rig is it’s expensive and should the Riffe submerge then you lose sight of it. We have had a monster big eye tuna submerge this rig for over 30 minutes – it’s very rare but possible.

Option 2 is cheaper overall and incredibly effective. The hard float gets dragged underwater and does all the fighting for you without placing too much pressure on the spear. This affect is assisted by the dyneema bungee resulting in an in a hell of a float system. The package is finished off with the 35l inflatable remora which acts as your back stop should the system get maxed out. The down side is tangling on the boat can be a bit of a headache and with so many components, there is quite a bit to keep your eye on when looking at clips and connections i.e. durability. The float line is also easier to get wrapped in when fighting the fish in the final stages.

Both these rigs represent the pinnacle of blue water float systems and we regularly use them interchangeably depending on the mood.

The dangers of line wrap

Just a quick note on the dangers of line wrap when fighting very big fish. When pulling up your fish from the depths you create free, loose line behind you. When that 250lb tuna takes off, there is no stopping it and if you get snagged in that free line, or it wraps around apart of you, then you’re going down into the depths with fish and nothing will stop you.

We can’t stress enough the importance of being aware of your line at all times. The closer that fish, is the more loose line there is to get wrapped in. You are most at risk when you have the fish in its gills and are trying to administer the last rites, as that’s when its likely to thrash and spin you around. If you get wrapped at the point and lose your grip on the gills then its going to be a very bad day.

Our spearo guides can and will help with this through coaching and being there as your back up.

Get in touch to find out more: hello@spearfishing-charters.com