Hi People ! I happened to stumble across this art

[Jonah]

Hi People !

I happened to stumble across this article published in the Life & Style magazine by

Mark Griffith.

Thought I'd share this with you guys ....

" I was diving with Andrew and Peter Clarkson (Peter's first time spear fishing) off salt rock tidal pool, in about 15m of water. I was about 10m deep waiting for Couta (king mackerel) to come through when I saw this big shape cruise past. I recognised it as a marlin and gave chase, swimming after it as hard as I could, just keeping sight of the big tail in the 6-8m visibility. The fish turned abruptly, swam straight at me before veering off at the last second, giving me perfect broadside. I remember thinking to myself "shoot it properly," aimed and pulled the trigger. The only indication of the spear hitting was a slight increase in the pace as the fish headed out to sea. I reached the surface and held on tight to the bouy line, while shouting for Andrew to get a second shot in. Eventually, after some hard swimming on both our parts, Andrew managed to catch up and we clipped his float to mine. What followed as an epic ride as the big fish pulled us around in big circles. After what seemed hours, but was probably 30 to 45 minutes, I managed to shoot the fish a second and then a third time, while Andrew and Pete held the fish off the bottom. Properly secured, we swam the great fish back to the beach. Fortunately, the spectacle attracted a crowd of onlookers, who were roped into help us carry the marlin up the beach to the waiting bakkie. After a frantic tour of the region, we finally managed to find a big enough scale at the salt rock hotel, with the fish tipping the scales at 158,5kg. The day was capped off perfectly with a fish braai as we celebrated Andrew's 30th birthday."

Article was taken from the Life & Style (free weekly magazine) issue 8 volume 4

Picture can be viewed at http://www.ballitolife.co.za

Kind Regards,

Jonah

 

 

[MantaRay]

A tragic end to a beautiful specimen  , very very sad.

Hopefully all spero's are not like this.

 

[big_roar]

How often do spearos actually shoot big fish like this?Not often!! 3 black marlin since the beginning of the year off the Natal coast (158.5kgs, 125kgs and 98kgs).

Spearos always get the bad name and I am sick to death of it.How many fishermen clean up and come home with hatches full or even better all the 'big game fishermen' that come home with a big shark head just for the jaws! What makes them okay?

Sorry to rant but spearos get to take a very small total fish quota out the sea compared to the fishermen.

I enjoy both sports but do have a problem when people start pointing fingers.

 

[Eddie]

Hey Guys, not pointing any rods but I have one question, wotz the population of say elf as compared to the black marlin ???

Eddie.

 

[Durran]

That is an awesome achivement and I dont think spearos can actively hunt marlin..mainly by flook (im assuming) so they take there chance when they get it. Spearfishing is the toughest sport around and the fairest.

 

But please dont confuse the "good-ol-days" of slaughtering fish with now days. Every single competitive angler now practises catch and release and will keep maybe one fish for a saturday afternoon braai.

 

We are now trying to educate the social anglers out there of the impact of nature conservation laws and everyone needs to work together to ensure we can all enjoy the ocean.

 

Can u post these picture please...cant view them at the URL provided

 

[Alec]

 

[Durran]

WOW, thats an amazing fish!

How far out were you...was it on limestone reef (i think its called) off salt rock tidal pool?

 

[Alec]

sorry dude, i didnt catch it , i wish i did, but i would have released it. This was the pic form the article above

 

cheers::

 

[MantaRay]

 Still a sad sad event.

Does not matter who ( big game , spearos , undersized or out of season rock and surf) they all fit the same glove.

 

[texas-john-slaughter]

hi guys

i think its SUPER to be able to spear such a beautiful fish, i am not a spearo i fish from my boat, but i must admire such a super luck shot.

sorry to differ but if he was sitting 'spread eagle' on 5 or 6 such fish i would also condemn it , but that is one of the rarest things to happen for somebody to spear and take it out of the sea. congrats!

but don't do it again or else we won't be able to hold off the guys from 'green-peace'

regards

texas

 

[Patrick]

Sorry, I'm with Manta Ray on this. Thats just a trophy for a big ego! One man and his family couldnt possible "need" a fish that size for food anyway. So its just to say "I did it". And there lies a beautiful specimen lifeless. That its a spearo is not the point, couldve been an agler too. Either way i feel it deserved more respect.

Just my opinion on it. Oh, and Texas, if it wasnt for "greenpeace" minded people there wouldnt be any fish left for you to catch, Perhaps pay a visit to the forums on conservation on this site to meet some of those working towards a better ocean for all.

 

 

[texas-john-slaughter]

sorry, i am definitely not with you on this. you sound like an old maid with a wet pants.....hallo... one man and his family can eat a fish like that..!!!!....hallo..... if you woke up one day you would realise with a shock that man invented ......a new thing called a deepfreeze!!!!! ....hallo

oh, and.... sorry patrick ....but even a lowly grunter or a small little shad is also " a lovely " species, and if it is the first grunter that you have caught, i will not label it ( like somebody just did ) as only just a trophy. it is the stuff that keeps fishing alive.

oh, that is just my stupid opinion 

 

[Patrick]

Correction there Faan, the deepfreeze is actually not a new thing..Well at least in my part of the world it isnt (maybe in Polokwane it is, probably). But you've completely missed the depth of the topic so i wont try to debate it further with you.

As you said, its your stupid opinion....

 

 

[Raveen]

To all u guys that have bad feelings about this Spear'o, taking, the life of this beutiful fish. Asking, Please redirect u're messages to all those trawlers that do long-line Bill fishing.

No, Im not a Spear'O. I would judge myself first before judging others. Look at it this way no ones perfect, we anglers "not fishermen" always target the best trophy possible, especially when targeting those big frt. train(big sharks) with maybe 3 to 4hrs of grip-failing fights & landing your fish. There is only a 50% or maybe less chance on its survival rate, being too fatigued to swim they drown or they become meals for their own brothers & sisters  . On the other hand inserting ones gaff on a fish that still have alot omph to go on after release may boil down to the same thing if any vital organs damaged by the gaff. What about guys getting stripped, imagine that fish swimming around with 2 10/0 hooks & a meter + 200pnd cable, sometime with 600m + fishing line. 

Guys getting "cross" about a spear on a fish, is just as good as a hook on a fish.

My opion/fact, if "this fish" was hooked by an angler & some how he beached this fish, it would have been a good talk 90%, with the survival rate of the fish 0%.

Yeh, some of u have the write to get cross, but as I mentioned |"look at yourselves first(anglers, not fishermen) b4 complaing about others."

just my 2cent bit.

Tag & release team 

Raveen 

 

[Riymos]

Howzit Guy's

Just want to add my 2 cents worth for what ever it's wort that is.

Look it was a sad thing to have such a beautiful specimen killed but we have to take into account all the pro's and con's before we pass judgement on anyone.I have been part of two debates recently on the forum and the one thing i have learnt is don't be quick to judge.

We as anglers have to realise that everyone is human and humans do make mistakes.This marlon was an achievment of a life time for any spearo and even any ski angler not many people in the world can say they have done this.So having said this we must realise that a spear fisher does not have the luxuary of releasing what he hunts and catches,that is just the way it is.If this was his first marlon which im sure it was then yes in my humble opinion let him have his day of glory why not,at the end of the day every type of angler has a goal and this goal of his was achhieved so leave him be.

If you take for example the post about the dejawing of a shark by a club angler,at the end of the day we were guilty of judging these guy's and what we then found out is that these guy's had a ligit reason for why they had done that The Shark was dead when they landed it.So in this manner Boat anglers also keep a big fish if had been tail rapped and died.So what chance does a spearo have to release a fish well i say none and that is why they have to be selective in what they take hopefully this will be the last marlon that he spears and we can then move forward in spreading the news of conservation.

I think we all need to stop judging and insulting and handing down death sentences to eachother,but rather we should encourage and motivate eachother to conserve and in doing so we end up educating these guy's who do destroy for fun and maybe get them to think twice before they do it again.Lets all work together with one common goal not against eachother chasing individulal expectations and getting no where.

Cheers Riymos

 

 

[jace]

Hi Guys

Just by reading the different post s on the many controversial issues raised on this forum it is obvious that , as in every diverse community there are different views. If you analyse the posts there are guys that are sportmen who look at fishing/angling as just another sport...there are those that feel that we abuse the marine enviroment ..and there are those who fall in between

In keeping with the spirit of this site we must give everyone the oppurnity to air their views and enjoy a sport that is one of the largest in the world.

Every comment need not be taken with intrepedation,..this is not a court of law but a forum that encorages discussion . At the start of this journey many of us very ignorant of many things and as the posts evolve and discussion takes place..these lead to knowledge and learning.

So guys/girls keep the controversial topics going but remember to allow for freedom of speech and most of all observe the other members dignity.

Just my 3 cents worth

Jace

 

[texas-john-slaughter]

hi guys

i just had a "super-extra-large-ginormous" laugh ...!!!!

i am so glad for the jace's..the riymos's and the raveen's of this world...thanx you guys for proving that there is still a lot of intelligence left in the angling comunity, i totally agree with what you guys say, and that was exactly what i was trying to tell another 'doom' prophet who should spend less time trying to fish, and go back to school and try learning the art of reading what one is saying.

halloooooooooo.......!!!!!! patrick need glasses??? i am Texas and not......Faan and by the way the story is not about where deepfreezes come from but about hte fact that one can deepfreeze such a fish for one family..... and by the way...ha..!!! ha..!!!, no hard feelings........the deepfreeze was invented in polokwane!!!! .... and thats not 'stupid'  .....halloooo it's a joke

cheers,

oh and p.s patrick i am gonna sell my boat and all my fishing tackle and buy me a speargun!!!!

to take a shot at greenpeace.....just joking

just my hundred bucks

catch u later (or spear ....you decide)

regards

TEXAS-JOHN-SLAUGHTER  (non-alias...faan....ha ha)