I NEED A HARPOON

[MANATEE MANGLER]

Looking for a christmas harpoon. Anybody know were to get one in the pompano beach area ? And who has the best one? THANKS

[wino]

Get in touch with Swordslasher...He makes a nice poon.

[2ndChance]

I second that request. Swordslasher Harpoon are great.

[GENERALturtle.]

3rd that
SWORDSLASHER

[Nick C]

4th that!

[Flatsfish B]

5th that! His dart is awesome!! Just keep it lubed if you want to adjust it and it's good to go!!

[Shortfin]

Originally Posted by wino

Get in touch with Swordslasher...He makes a nice poon.

Gentleman please do not get confused .
The POON is manufactured by G&G Marine,our Harpoon is the most weight forward corrossion resistant unit on the market currently.

www.poonharpoons.com

Check out the dealer page for a shop near you.

Thanks
Chris

[robalo]

ops: Unless I am badly mistaken, a harpoon has always been considered a tool of the commercial fishing industry. I myself being a former commercial fisherman am not opposed to the use of anything for taking fish caught by hook and line. I am of the opinion that if you plan to take a fish it is best to use the most efficient means at hand. I would urge anyone using a harpoon on a sportfishing boat to check with regulations before carrying one aboard. Were I responsible for deciding the legality of harpoons, I would probably outlaw their use for sportfishing. Personally, I feel that too many free swimming fish would get stuck: the temptation would be too great. The same way it was for me back when I carried a large gig to stick Snook when they were off the bite.

[Captain Dean Panos]

I haven't used Swordslashers harpoon, I'm sure it is good. I do use the Poon Harpoon www.poonharpoons.com . It's a great harpoon that has a lot of weight forward in the head were you need it. Bobby's shop (RJ Boyle's Studios) is close to you and he has them. Give him a call (954) 420-5001

[Flatsfish B]

Originally Posted by robalo

ops: Unless I am badly mistaken, a harpoon has always been considered a tool of the commercial fishing industry. I myself being a former commercial fisherman am not opposed to the use of anything for taking fish caught by hook and line. I am of the opinion that if you plan to take a fish it is best to use the most efficient means at hand. I would urge anyone using a harpoon on a sportfishing boat to check with regulations before carrying one aboard. Were I responsible for deciding the legality of harpoons, I would probably outlaw their use for sportfishing. Personally, I feel that too many free swimming fish would get stuck: the temptation would be too great. The same way it was for me back when I carried a large gig to stick Snook when they were off the bite.

Are you thinking of a shooting harpoon? I think what we are talking about is also called a dart, its no different then a flying gaff except you push not pull...just curious

[Anonymous]

MY harpoon has a lot of weight foward to help drive the dart through the water and fish. It is also extremely well balanced and has 5 different positions that it can be extended or collapsed to. That feature alone makes it extremely user friendly on any vessle and for any situation that may occur during the final minutes of the fight when the fish is coming to the boat.

You can stick a fish 15' from the boat, or 8' with the push of a button. Not only that but it was developed after watching long 2 piece harpoon bang into outriggers, radio antennas and fishing rods that were stored up in the rocket launcher during the end of the fight with a large fish. The rope attached to the dart on the end of the 12' harpoon shaft got tangled up in some of those things and the fish were lost or the fish sounded and the fight lasted longer, because of that.

There are pros and cons to both types of harpoons, I can tell you that I don't think yours are any better then mine. My Swordslayer harpoon is a well thought out product and made from top quality materials, it works and has subdued many fish. If you take care of it properly like you should take care of your fishing gear it will last forever.

Bobby Boyle, Tommy Greene, LMR, Boyds and Rays are some of the shops that carry my harpoon, call any of them. They should have them in stock. Happy Holidays and which ever one you buy, I hope you catch some big fish.

[robalo]

A harpoon is a long shaft with a detachable dart which can be thrown at a fish/whale for the purpose of taking them. I looked at the website showing the Poon in action. I could not tell how it was deployed, but from other comments made here, I must assume that at least some of the harpoons being used are directed at fish 15` below the surface, or out of reasonable gaff range. That`s a harpoon. Because of its wooden handle, my gig was not that effective. Way back fishing was a big part of many Floridians lives and leaned heavily on the subsistance part of the sport. Those days are long gone as we all are painfully aware of. I am also aware that Swordfish are prized table fare that makes it very hard to release a keeper. Since the IGFA defines what sportfishing is by qualifying record catches, perhaps we should look to them for guidance in this matter. Trust me, a harpoon is not a gaff. In the hands of an experienced man, it is a killing machine that is a blast to use but far from sporting. See IGFA rules limiting gaff length.

[FinalPoint]

I love the slasher harpoon.
robalo, i'm sick of this topic, it has been beaten to death. first of all, to throw a harpoon at a free-swimmer and get it is near impossible (though it has been done) and illegal. there is nothing about a harpoon that makes it unsporting. many fish have been lost boatside even with the aid of a harpoon. it is not like fish just swim up to the boat and hang around looking at you waiting for the dart.

[RiskTaker]

It seems to be all grey area to me. We seem to accept that gaffing a fish is fine to assist in getting the fish in the boat, (I do). We also extend that rational to the harpoon when our primary means of catching a fish is by hook and line, (I agree with that too). We may have heard of the rare oddity of an angler harpooning a swordfish, "as a free swimmer", hook not attached yet. But we are there with hook and line as our primary objective to catch the fish. But we recognize that the art of giving pursuit to a swordfish swimming at the surface and then throwing a harpoon at it " as the primary means " of landing the fish is reserved for commercial anglers with the appropriate licensing.

Technically, if you look at the Florida Statutes, and I believe the Federal rules are somewhat reciprocating. they prohibit the capture of billfishes by spearing. Spearing is define as a puncture hole other that made from a hook. So if you really want to get sticky, without better guideance on the definition, spearing, gaffing and harpooning all puncture the fish.

We seem to intuitively know that we are not supposed to hop in the water with our spearguns to shoot billfish (or launch them from above water even). But you get a bunch of lawyers and/or lawamaker and/or polititians: the next thing you know everyone is reading the fine print in order to say " I told you so".

To me it is fine and I suggest it should be worded in non-technical terms that it is OK to assist landing of all regulated fish, when initially caught by hook on a line (by spearing), by using puncturing devices (spear, gaff, and even harpoons).

Until you actually see it on the books there will be the continued back and forth. You can do it, can not, can too, can not , can too ... can too, can not, etc.

IMO - Harpoons should be CLEARLY allowed on recreatinal boats, where hook and line the the primary objective to capture the billfish, swordfish in this case.

[CaptKen]

Robalo
I want to say first that I am aslo a Florida native that got to fish,hunt and dive the good ole days starting back 40 years ago.
As for the harpoon, The ones We use are not wooden but alluminum,You might be mistaken those long ones used in Calf.
We dont have them up on the surface sunning themselves When thier spotter plane directs them to come along and stick them.
We on the other hand use them to subdue one that has been caught sportingly on a rod and reel.All that you are really doing is ending the battle 5 mins earlier. We have a glow of light around the boat in about a 100' circle, If one does swim through it happens so fast that 99.9 times out of a 100 your crew is a sleep and if you able to grab it and get it into position is too late!! He has already swam by. Its not like they hang out and say here I am go ahead and stick me. Im not saying that it has not happened,but We the swordfish community has let the individual spoke of know that its not the right hting to do.
As for the IGFA rules if We happen to catch a potential 700 lb record We will just have to remember not to use the poon and break out the flyer.
As for LAW it seems you have to be an attorney to figure out all the Grey areas. They way I interpet it as long as you are not throwing it at a free swimmer it is leagal.
If it becomes ILLeagal I will be putting a 15' handle on my flyer !
Ken

[bullfighter]

Ahh, the harpoon debate...a true classic

[CaptKen]

look at the times of the last 4 posts .lol
A 800 yard long poon wouldnt have stopped that one that nigh on my boat huh bullfighter. remember that? dumped a 50 wide sraight down.
Ken

[quack quack]

well said capt ken .

[bullfighter]

Yeah I remeber, that fish was like a freight train. I think it was the same fish that swam through the edge of the light thirty seconds before, then went striaght down and hit that three hundred line and never stopped on his dive.

[Anonymous]

Originally Posted by CaptKen

look at the times of the last 4 posts .lol
A 800 yard long poon wouldnt have stopped that one that nigh on my boat huh bullfighter. remember that? dumped a 50 wide sraight down.
Ken

I remember that night as well, I also remember that right before the 50w started to scream there was a huge fish that came through the edge of our light. There was no way in he!! we could have ever been able to stick that free swimmer. It cam through the light so fast and then our 300' line was hit.

In my opinion the way we use a harpoon to dart a fish is the same way a flying gaff is used. Both the gaff or dart head are attached to a rope that is attached to a cleat and then they are placed onto or into a mechanism on a pole. Once the fish is stuck with either of them the dart/gaff then breaks free of the pole the fish is now able to be subdued and boated.

So, basically they are being used for the same funtion. Both techinically could be use to stick free swimmer (with the flying gaff it is more difficult) it is almost impossible for us rod and reel fisherman to do, since we are out there fishing, and not scouting with spotter planes or high towers with crows nests for free swimmers like the commercial boats do up north, and on the west coast of America. So please don't confuse the difference between recreational and commercial swordfishing use of how they use a harpoon.