BUOYS (FLOATS), FLOATLINES AND RIGGING

The buoy (float), float line and speed needle are essential pieces of equipment for any serious spearo. A float is used for quite a few reasons and the most important being that it is connected to your gun via the float line. If you release your gun after shooting a big fish the float aids in playing out the fish as well as being a marker to where your gun located. The use of a speed needle on the end of your float line where it is attached to your gun via shark clip will enable you to feed (through the gills and out the mouth) your speared fish easily onto the float line quickly and allow you to keep on spearing. As you move forward the fish will side up the float line to eventually end up at the end of the float line that is clipped to the front of your buoy, which will then support your catch. The Pelaj buoys come standard with the ability to mount a small diver’s flag which will help you be seen by others while in the water. They also feature integrated keel weight. The type of floats available are high density self healing UV stabilized EVA foam or inflatable make from ultra high strength 1000 denier rip stop Cordura which come in various sizes up to seventy litre. A good all round size is seven litre and they are made in the shape of a bullet or torpedo which allows them to move through the water without very much resistance.   As a general guide the float line should be at least twenty percent longer than the deepest dive you intend to make. When you are snapper snooping a float line can create some problems and could get caught while trying to sneak around rocks etc. To overcome this you could use a small drop weight attached to the end of the float line and leave your float behind. The drop weight will keep your float in its place until you come back to retrieve it. One other accessory that can be added to a float line when shooting large fish is a bungee which will absorb some of the power some of these fish have when they run reducing the risk of your shaft pulling out of the fish. Other alternatives are the mega float line which is designed with 50% stretch ratio making these the ultimate big game float line. All buoys have a stainless clip on the rear end to allow the user to add accessories like crayfish snares, drink bottle and mesh catch bags. Just remember whatever you add to the back of your float make sure it doesn’t place to much extra drag on you making it hard to tow around.