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27/04/2006: "QUEENSLAND SPEARGUN"

In his book Handbook for Skindivers (1963) Ben Cropp gave the plans on making yourself a speargun.

Built along the same lines at the one I’m inspecting here aboard Ben’s boat Freedom III. A piece of silky oak timber, a Sea Hornet trigger mechanism and a pistol grip, etc.

I made only three and still use one forty years later. A large whaler shark swam off with the best gun at Flat Rock, North Stradbroke Island, Queensland within a couple of minutes when I first slid into the water there in 1963.

The 60 feet of ski line and a plastic buoy never even surfaced. Everything vanished into the depths. Vic Ley witnessing the disappearing float as it raced past him.

The ideal sized barramundi (about 6kg) was photographed north of Port Douglas - and was not speared. Divers and fishermen have stopped promoting their exact known fish locations for obvious reasons.