b"SPEARFISHINGA fter winter you mayover regularly including the wishbones,and oil the tip regularly and then tune the need a spring cleanload assists, rubbers, and the crucialflopper if needed. There's nothing worse and a few days ofgun bungee. If there are any nicks cutsthan watching your spear go through a preparation for theor damage to your rubber, cut and retiefish and then come straight out again coming season. them or replace them with a new one. because the flopper did not engage.There's nothing worse than loading your SPEAR GUN gun only for it to go off seconds laterSHOOTING LINEMAINTENANCE without pulling the trigger, not only canI like to replace my shooting line at least The worst of winter isthis give you a fright it is also dangerousonce per season, big fish will find any over, and the fish are on their way backand will ruin your day spearing. Checkweakness in your gear and any kinks or in, the last thing you want to do is losethem regularly and keep them out of thecuts in your shooting line will be exposed. your first big fish to gear failure. The firstsun most importantly rinse your wholeThere are many types of shooting lines; thing I do is give my speargun a bit ofgun with freshwater after each use andwire, dyneema and mono are the most love. Bungees, mono, dyneema, knots,spray a bit of Inox on any moving parts. popular due to their strength, abrasion crimps, and shafts should all be replacedresistance and cost efficiency. and maintained regularly and the perfectSHARPEN SPEAR TIPtime to do this is just before summer. It's likely you have smoked a few big rocks Start by checking your gun barrel,over the winter, and this combined with wooden guns should be sanded backhitting fish bone, scales, or gill plates can and oiled to keep them watertight, alloycertainly take its toll on your shaft. You and carbon guns are hard wearing anddon't want to lose the fish of a lifetime don't need much maintenance but it'sbecause your spear is too blunt, and it always good to check them over for anybounces off the scales. Carefully sharpen cracks or damage.They are under a lot of stress and a crack or damage to the barrel will end up breaking at the most inopportune time.Once you are happy with your barrel it's time to check your rubbers, whether you have a roller gun or a banded gun, it's important to ensure your rubbers are in good nick, this means checking them Dan with Tom (on right) scored good kingies at the Mercs last summer.58FISHING IN GODZONE SEP/OCT 2022"