You’re new to spearfishing Hawaii. Have you been wondering how to use a fish stringer? A fish stringer allows the diver to hold many fish so they can keep hunting without worrying about their catch. Check out this video by Conor Haligan showing how to use a fish stringer our way.
Reasons to use a Fish Stringer
- Holds your catch for you
- Keeps the fish away from your body (and the sharks)
- Less drag than using a bag
A fish stringer, or ‘kui’ in Hawaiian, is not an essential piece of spearfishing equipment but if you shoot more than one fish you’re going to wish you had one! As a beginner you may not catch much but as soon as your skills improve. The more fish you poke the more storage space you’re going to need. This video features a fish stringer by JBL. The nice thing about this particular model is it has a built in swivel which allows the fish to twist around without twisting up the monofilament line it’s strung on. When rigging a fish stringer it’s important to have a good dive float. This makes it possible to hang the fish stringer off of so you don’t have to attach it to your body. It’s also required by law to have a dive flag and the float provides a nice place for your flag to attach to. When attaching the stringer to your float you’ll want to have a shark clip so you can quickly attach and detach the stringer. You may also want to ad a second shark clip to the other side of the float so the stringer is more streamlined.
If you have a fish stringer or you want to get one to integrate into your setup swing by the shop and we’ll help you get it set up right. We are happy to help show you how to use a fish stringer with your existing setup. Spearfishing Hawaii is a bit different from spearfishing other locations. We have different demands here and so you may benefit from swinging by to learn more about spearfishing Hawaii.
Using a Fish Stringer
When spearfishing you are going to be hyper focused on shooting and landing the fish but don’t forget about what to do with it after you shoot it.
1. Get a good hold on the fish with the barb pointing away from your body.
2. Kill the fish with a pointy knife into the skull cavity right behind the eyes (if it’s not already dead) or use your pointy end of your stringer.
3. Run the stringer through the fish’s gill and out through the mouth
4. Repeat until the stringer is full of fish or you are ready to stop fishing.
It’s important to kill the fish soon after catching it to discourage sharks and eels from commandeering your prey. When predators hear the sound of the fish fighting it’s like ringing a dinner bell. If you’re planning to eat the fish on shore immediately after catching it you may want to gut and scale it right then and there. For pelagics like Ahi, Ono, or Mahi you can cut the bottom where the gills attach to the belly to bleed the fish for better tasting meat.
Some people will use a mesh bag to hold their catch. The mesh bag can get smelly and creates more drag when pulled through the water than the fish stringer. To learn how to use a fish stringer come by the shop and we’ll be happy to show you the recommended way to do it.
What’s it Made Of?
A fish stringer or ‘kui’ is simply a piece of monofilament line with one end that has a loop or clip and another end with a metal spike that it pointy at one end and blunt on the other. A good quality stringer will have heavy duty monofilament, a long stainless steel spike and a swivel at the other end to allow the whole thing to twist as the fish are pulled along underwater. The monofilament can wear and break but it’s easily replaceable and inexpensive to do so. Just bring it by our spearfishing shop and we’ll get it taken care of for you. We can also show you how to use a fish stringer most effectively.
Spearfishing Hawaii is some of the best spearfishing in the Pacific. This is because of the calm clear waters and very little current. This makes Hawaii an ideal spearfishing Mecca. We constantly have Spearfishermen coming into the shop to fins out more about were to go spearfishing on Big Island and which fish to shoot. Check out our spearfishing guides to learn about spearfishing Big Island. The Big Island of Hawaii has some of the best spearfishing in Hawaii because of the conditions and the bountiful reefs close to shore. You won’t have to go far to find good opportunities to hunt here.
Spearfishing Big Island can also be very challenging because there are many skilled spearfishermen here that keep our more desirable fish on their toes. It’s a good idea to have your freediving skills up to par so you can stay down long enough to get your quarry. You can take a freediving course with Kona Freedivers. In the freediving class you will learn how to hold your breath longer and dive deeper. You will also learn about safety so it’s a good idea to bring a buddy along because they will be the ones safetying you while you dive. We offer regular level 1 freediver courses. Many spearfishermen find a large benefit from taking the course in improving their spearfishing abilities. In our spearfishing course we can show you how to use your spearfishing gear the most effective way including how to use a fish stringer. We also go over which fish to shoot and why. We also cover techniques for using your gun and hunting with it.
Our Kona dive shop is the highest rated and most reviewed in Hawaii. We specialize in carrying top quality freediving and spearfishing gear. We offer brands that are not available at other shops. It’s our goal to find the best product for your needs and sometimes that includes no product at all!
