Stalking technique or fishing location more important?

Jmt2404 · June 2014

Hey everyone I was hoping to get a discussion going about spearfishing techniques and try and revive this section of the FS forum. I have been diving for just under 2 years here on the southeast section and haven't gotten those quality fish that I constantly see people bringing in online.. I am a beach diver with a paddle board and freediver so I'm limited to the areas I can go to.

So my question is;

Does it take a better stalking/swimming technique to get the good fish (grouper, big snapper and other tasty fishes) or is it completely dependent on the location? Any other thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Trollaltdelete · June 2014

I think it is both. You can stalk all you want, wear light blue camo, move very slowly, have the gun ready, finger on the trigger, ready to pull, but if you are in the swimming pool, you won't be shooting any groupers.:wink

So you need to be where the fish are. When I am looking for groupers, I look for areas where there are lots of grunts or lane snappers. As I am swimming along a reef, I look for the areas where there are lots of little fish. Once I find the little fish, the bigger ones seem to be there also.

I try to lay very quietly on the bottom and usually, more times than not, I will have a hog or snapper swim up to me to see what I am doing there. The little hogs are the most curious, but even the bigger ones will come into range if you stay long enough.

I find that when there are others around, and they are thrashing their flippers or not being very stealthy, I see the bigger groupers haul butt away. It is hard to get the bigger ones, as they are skittish and tend to flee when the sense a diver. That is probably why they are bigger, but if you are very very quiet, and ready to shoot, you can get them.

But back to your question, you need to be where the fish are first. If we hit a reef, and I don't see many fish in a few minutes, then we don't hesitate to move to another one. Someone said that fish have tails and move around, one day, a reef may be very good, then the next week, not a fish to be found.

Jmt2404 · June 2014

Right on, that's sort of what I was thinking as well, but I am always amazed at videos I see on YouTube of guys shooting grouper or snapper as they are just hanging out or sometimes swimming right up to the diver. I'm curious to see if a complete novice diver kicking and flailing around could bag a grouper if presented with an opportunity.

This year I am taking a different approach to scanning for fish and stalking the reef and so far it has been a little more successful. I've seen more grouper this season than all of last year.

When you spot a good fish how do you approach it to get a shot off?

MattD · June 2014

Many if those videos are from VERY deep water. Some of those fish may not have seen a diver in years, if ever. Of you are free diving and see fish try to come at them from an angle that they cant see you. Even if that means surfacing and moving to the other side of structure to approach. Many times a spooked fish will return to the same spot if you leave for a few. They are much faster under water than we are.

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Jmt2404 · June 2014

Ok, so I went diving today and got a chance a nice black grouper that my buddy actually took home after I lost it. We were swimming down the reef 2 kayaks in tow and I spot a grouper moving in the same direction as we are but just a bit faster. So I speed up a little to keep him in view but not looking at him. I looked at something else and I lose him...... We were on the back side of a reef line with sand on one side and no real relief for it to go under or hide behind. So my plan was to follow him until he found a hole then take a shot. But I'm wondering if I should have dove down at first site of him and tried my luck....

What would you have done and what works best you think?

Stalking technique or fishing location more important?

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