New from Congo/Panamá

[adzhoo]

hi there!
Currently living in Panamá but raised in the Congo where my parents still live. Love big game hunting and big game spearfishing. Using mostly a battered .375 in the Congo for antelopes and forest buffalos, sometimes a bow, on self guided safaris.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Adzhoo, welcome to AH! Looking forward to your participation!

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Welcome to AH adzhoo! Nice to have you join us and looking forward to your contribution.

 

[adzhoo]

Thanks guys!

 

[Hogpatrol]

Nice tuna! What part of the isthmus are you located? There's some good spearfishing on both sides.

 

[Shootist43]

Adzhoo , welcome aboard. "Judging" from your previous activities you are going to fit right in with this crowd.

 

[Mort Hill]

Welcome to the forum. AH great place to share your passions.

 

[adzhoo]

Nice tuna! What part of the isthmus are you located? There's some good spearfishing on both sides.

I live in Panama city, and mostly spearfish on the Pacific side, and am crazy about yellowfin tunas

 

[Nyati]

Welcome to AH !

 

[Wheels]

Welcome to AH.

Please tell us more of your spearfishing for pelagic fish. Beautiful yellowfin. I am always amazed when someone shoots and lands one larger than themselves. Do you chum, hunt seamounts or find them in other ways?

Just for clarification, are you from Republic of Congo or the Democratic Republic of Congo?

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Welcome to AH @adzhoo!

 

[nztimb]

Giday adzhoo and welcome to the A H forums. Excellent intro post so looking forward to further threads.

 

[adzhoo]

Welcome to AH.

Please tell us more of your spearfishing for pelagic fish. Beautiful yellowfin. I am always amazed when someone shoots and lands one larger than themselves. Do you chum, hunt seamounts or find them in other ways?

Just for clarification, are you from Republic of Congo or the Democratic Republic of Congo?

Thank you all!

Am originally from France and my family moved to the Congo Brazzaville when I was 1,5 year old. Grew up here, learned to hunt and to spearfish here also.

Regarding the spearfishing of yellowfin tunas, I mostly hunt them by spotting porpoises and diving in front of them. We tried chumming but it rarely works in Panama, food is plentiful for them and chumming with anything not alive is rarely productive. For the aficionados, I have an IG account: @thepelagicshannibalbank
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwFuFMrDkC_/?igshid=16edh32kt5qi6

There are also videos of some actions there

 

[BRICKBURN]

A fun obsession to have.

Welcome to AH.

 

[Wheels]

Thank you all!

Am originally from France and my family moved to the Congo Brazzaville when I was 1,5 year old. Grew up here, learned to hunt and to spearfish here also.

Regarding the spearfishing of yellowfin tunas, I mostly hunt them by spotting porpoises and diving in front of them. We tried chumming but it rarely works in Panama, food is plentiful for them and chumming with anything not alive is rarely productive. For the aficionados, I have an IG account: @thepelagicshannibalbank
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwFuFMrDkC_/?igshid=16edh32kt5qi6

There are also videos of some actions there.

Thanks for the clarification. It was easier back when DRC went by Zaire.

The photos you have are simply amazing.

As a novice who who has only used pole spears on reefs, at maximum depths of 18m, I am in complete awe of what you do.

Do you make your own guns?

I see it looks like you use air-filled floats, what length of bungees do you normally use?

 

[cagkt3]

Welcome!

 

[adzhoo]

Thanks for the clarification. It was easier back when DRC went by Zaire.

The photos you have are simply amazing.

As a novice who who has only used pole spears on reefs, at maximum depths of 18m, I am in complete awe of what you do.

Do you make your own guns?

I see it looks like you use air-filled floats, what length of bungees do you normally use?

I am “old-school” in my tuna quest. Heavy long shafts (183cm and a diameter of 9mm, or 9,5mm) have my preference, together with high quality sliptips.

My tuna guns are custom-made by Daryl Wong and I am also the proud owner of a Steve Alexander’s.
Daryl made me three 72” hybrid spearguns upon my specifications, it was interesting to develop them and share ideas

The floats I mostly use are hardfloats made of balsa wood and fiberglassed. They have several advantages: they are sturdy, dependable, do not put excess drag on the fish but maintain their lift even when submerged (roughly 27 liters of buoyancy). Never had any issue with them till this season, when one big tuna went so deep, my red float fiberglass imploded under the pressure. Probably reached 300/400 meters depth in an instant. The damaged float did its work though, and brought the tuna to the surface .

This year I started to use some Gannet inflatable floats, they seem well made. They put more lift and therefore pressure on the fish and the rig, so I will use a thicker cable between the shaft and the bungee (1,8mm vs. 1,6mm).

As for bungees, I used short ones, 17m / 50 feet. Safer to operate and faster to retrieve. I have tried to optimize everything.

 

[adzhoo]

A comment between “old school” and so-called “modern” tuna spearfishing.
There is an interesting parallel to be made between Big Game hunting and this kind of spearfishing: I face the exact same issues. A old-school heavy shaft will have more penetration and allow shots at any angle, but it will need a heavy gun to handle the recoil (the recoil on these spearguns is strong: one of my clients broke his wrist this year with a shot made with his hand in a bad positon).

A lighter shaft will be faster, and it may help in some cases.

As well, a heavy thick shaft will over penetrate a small tuna, passing through and leaving the fish in the cable, running high risk to lose the fish as it may rip through the flesh.

As for the environment, you share the water with the locals, not always friendly... conditions offshore can be difficult or great.

Tuna spearfishing is as close as you can get of Big Game hunting, but in the water.

 

[Mort Hill]

Great thread. Love hearing about things I am absolutely clueless about but highly respect none the less. Great information. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Wheels]

Your spearguns are beautiful.

Thankyou for the education on spearfishing.

You are a true bluewater hunter!

I have sent you a PM.