Vol 2.1 A Digital Publication
A D i gi tal Publi cati on 2.1
Team Welcome to Vol 2.1 of the Sea Sniper Digital Magazine. We are proud of the success and response we received from our initial publication, and we look forward to continuing to provide you with the highest quality images, stories and latest information on our team and product lines. It has been a busy few months since our first publication. We have traveled to the 2nd annual Spearo Expo in Dubai, where we were awarded the 2015 Blue Water Speargun of the Year Award! We co-sponsored the 2nd annual Key West Wahoo Shootout with our friends JP Castro, Amadeo Bachar and Jeromy Gamble from Spearing Magazine, where we gave away a ton of gear to some happy and hardworking divers that competed in the event again this year. We just exhibited again at this years Fred Hall Show in Long Beach – a outdoorsman’s dream show with a growing community of spearfishing manufacturers and participants attending each year. As I am typing this, Chris is busy at the shop preparing all the new products that we will be taking with us for The Blue Wild show in Fort Lauderdale April 23rd and 24th. If you are in the area, please come by and say hello – this a show you don’t want to miss! Volume 2.1 features a new line up of hats, t-shirts and sweatshirts recently added to our softgoods line; a look at some of the new colors and patterns that are available in the SSRH models; a dive into the meticulous and methodical mind of a serial WSB killer, Team Sea Sniper’s own Alex Reynaud; as well as a look into diving on the “right” coast with Team Member Roy McDennon. Read, enjoy and share…..and, as always, dive safe!
Chris and Bryan
Sea Sniper 1054 Terminal Way San Carlos, CA 94070 650.610.8773
Editor in chief
Development and design
Team Sea Sniper
Photographers
Chris Chaput Bryan Johnson
Chris Chaput Alex Reynaud Dave Rice Dennis Haussler Dam Nguyen Ken Okutake Roy McDennon Austin Derry Justin Baker
Chris Chaput Bryan Johnson Alex Reynaud Rob Brodman Dam Nguyen Alex Reynaud Dave Rice JP Castro
Shafts Sea Sniper Shafts Build Details: 17-4 Stainless Steel Polished Flopper & Threaded Proprietary Recessed Shark Fin Design American (Square) Notch Sizes & Pricing: 9/32nd (7mm) - Flopper or Threaded $95.00 - Spear Lengths Available (inches): 42 (75cm), 48 (90cm) 56 (110cm), 63 (130cm) & 72 (150cm)
5/16th (8mm) - Threaded $105.00 - Spear Lengths Available (inches): 57, 60 & 65
11/32nd (9mm) - Threaded $105.00 - Spear Lengths Available (inches): 67 & 69
3/8th (10mm) - Threaded $115.00 - Spear Lengths Available (inches): 69 & 72
Shafts
Precision Milled by Sea Sniper - Perfect “On Center” match for straight �light - Single machined “Scale Catch” to reduce drag and weight - Hand tuned ball to ensure “Zero” wobble Sizes 9/32 - $95.00 5/16 - $105.00 11/32 - $105.00 3/8 - $115.00
Anchors Away Snapback Camo $24.95
www.seasniper.com to order online
Hand Built Snapback - Camo $24.95
www.seasniper.com to order online
Hand Built Snapback $24.95
www.seasniper.com to order online
Anchors Away Snapback Trucker - Brown $22.00
www.seasniper.com to order online
Hand Built Snapback Trucker $22.00
www.seasniper.com to order online
Hand Built Snapback Trucker $22.00
www.seasniper.com to order online
5mm Camo Scope - Charcoal $22.00
www.seasniper.com to order online
Anchors Away Tee - Red $22.00
www.seasniper.com to order online
Anchors Away Tee - Brown $22.00
www.seasniper.com to order online
Stripes Tee - Blue $22.00
www.seasniper.com to order online
Stripes Tee - Grey $22.00
www.seasniper.com to order online
Gyotak - Hoo Tee - Black $24.95
www.seasniper.com to order online
Anchors Away Zip Hood - Black $46.00
www.seasniper.com to order online
Stripes Pullover Hood - Grey $46.00
www.seasniper.com to order online
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A White Sea Bass Story
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78 76 74 72 69 68 67 66 65 58 56 51 48 42 35 34 32 31 29 25
T
his story has it all. The spark, the commitment, the drama, the failure, the missed opportunity and an encounter with a 100lb, maybe bigger, White Sea Bass that was followed by weeks of lost sleep.
It was early 2015 and a group of us were enjoying a boys trip out on Santa Cruz Island taking advantage of the warm south swell. This particular trip was all about setting up drifts for Yellow Tail. However, on a late afternoon dive, drifting in perfect buoyancy 20 feet below the mirror like surface, 3 jumpy White Sea Bass came in high and tight. Geared up with a Sea Sniper 60” Custom, I quickly cut the angle and let the steel fly. After a short fight, the rubber ducky came by and I hoisted a beautiful 25lber over the side and onto the floor. Back on the boat with Captain George Scheidt, taking a moment to enjoy the raw beauty and golden, purple colorations at our feet, a deep urge to pursue and learn how to find these fish with more consistently ignited. This was the spark that started the fury . . . this was fish number 1. Unlike many of the people I dive with, no names to be mentioned at this moment, I am a meticulous note taker, specifically catch details. Many of my notes are kept in water proof books I pick up from REI during their blowout sales, with pages torn out that I have scanned, then shredded, and stored safely away in DropBox. And with this notating, comes a huge amount of research and endless pages of screenshots. You name it, I pull it, save it and use it in my own way. I truly enjoy the development of a formula. Like a scientist develops a hypothesis, I try to develop a “fish formula” and then test it over time to see if its any good or if needs to change based on new knowledge. To me, this is just part of the spearfishing journey and an enjoyable way to learn about the species and conditions I enjoy hunting in. And seriously, it can’t be luck all the time! So there it was, fish number 1 on the boat, the spark was lit. That evening, meticulous notes had been written down about the weather, swell direction, water temp, strength of the current, direction of the current, moon cycles, tides, time of the catch, weight, they way the small school acted and of course sunrise and sunset. Back home, I pulled the two week prior water temps and above patterns and then started to follow each of these indicators every day . . . developing a plan to follow these specific condition “pockets” around the CA coast in search of more and larger White Sea Bass.
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Within 3 weeks of WSB number 1, a set of conditions off the Southern CA coast presented a perfect opportunity to test out the. With kayaks on the rack and camper in tow, a trip over the grapevine seemed like an eternity. But the time was filled with the usual banter, gear rigging options, trash talk and watching my dive buddy sleep! But it was all worth it! That next day, kayaks clipped off on the outer edges of the kelp bed, we quietly slipped into the water. For me, it went kind of like this . . . One band on, second band on, third band on, adjust the slip tip, watch a pair of monster White Sea Bass swim under me, quickly take smooth dive, cut the angle on the bigger of the two, pull the trigger . . . then try to figure out how to put a 70 plus pounder in my kayak hatch!
D
id this seriously just happen? Am I really awake? Damn right it just happened and thank
you very much for letting it happen. My life is now complete . . . This fish, number 2, tipped the certified scale at 78 pounds bled and gutted. Besides the weight, this fish was a confirmation of sorts, that offered a glimpse into what was to come. It was a nice test of what I was trying to be accomplished on paper, combined with the comfort that my gear was perfect for the strength and power of the fish. The day ended with 1 more 60 pound fish in my kayak and my partner with a 50 pounder (his first). We slept like babies, with dreams of sushi and poki back home and visuals of schools of WSB slowly moving through the kelp beds. It was perfect! Over the course of the next 7 months, patterns were tracked throughout the CA coast line and everytime they would line up, my kayak was packed and sitting next to either my 60 inch or 67 inch Sea Sniper Custom and it they were itching for action. It didn’t matter if it was a Tuesday and I had meetings scheduled, somehow I had an eye doctor appointment . . . and couldn’t see myself going to work! When it was all said and done, 20 White Sea Bass were landed, 2 were lost (1 to a tear out from a nasty kelp tangle that I couldn’t get to fast enough and the other from a float line failure). It was the most insane and committed White Sea Bass hunting year recorded in the Sea Sniper books. Oh, wait, I bet you want to hear about a White Sea Bass over 100lbs . . . ?
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72lbs
White Sea Bass Head
A
hhh the lessons we learn! The Big Fish Story . . .
At this time, I had already landed some amazing WSB and was letting fish swim by that were not 50lbs or larger. There were a couple moments when I had the chance to swim in the middle of schools of WSB that had 30 or more fish in it, enjoying the peaceful gracefulness of these beauties as they lazily cruised the kelp bed. But deep down, I knew there had to be something bigger and I was committed to holding out. Well, like all great plans, sometimes it just doesn’t work out . . . At the upcurrent side of the kelp bed, I was being engulfed by bait fish. Up and down they would zip, moving in sharp patterns and obviously being hunted. But I couldn’t figure out by what. So I pushed off the kelp bed towards the open ocean . . . and then pushed further . . . and further. I remember looking up and seeing my kayak and it was about the size of my fingernail, so I new I was a good 150 yards off the kelp. However, the bait was still crashing, coming up in my shadow, then pulsing back down as if on repeat. Not really knowing how deep the water was or what was really happening, I decided I would do an exploratory trip to the bottom and see what the deal was. I took a solid breath, knowing that I was going to be putting in some work, and slowly started my decent. As I am in freefall, the bait is going nuts, but the viz is still hazy at maybe 15 feet, so I couldn’t really see much. At 50’, it opened up to 40 feet of viz and I calmly settle on the bottom at 72 feet. Now I see why the bait is freaking out!! A school of at least 100 Bonito are working the murk line and hitting the bait from the bottom up. The school takes interest in me and a big Bonito sets up for a perfect shot. A quick extension of the 67 and the Bonito is threaded and left twitching as I start my slow assent back to fresh air.
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At the surface, I start to casually pull in my prize, listening to the sliptip “ting” against the shaft, thinking to myself, “that is really odd the sliptip is hitting the shaft”.
As the shaft came into view, about 15 to 20 feet below me, I could now see what the deal was. The shaft had been caught and somehow flipped by the cable shooting line, most likely because I let the shaft and line fall to the sand bottom, and it twisted to point upward, causing the slip tip to bang on the shaft. The Bonito, was now 15 feet from me, still twitching and looking like awesome “spicy poki� . . . A dark shadow slowly appeared below it. First thought . . . Great White . . . Second thought . . . that is a seal . . . but what it really was . . . the largest White Sea Bass I have ever seen! This fish absolutely dwarfed everything I had seen or landed before. This fish made Black Sea Bass look small! The WSB, continued its slow rise, completely focused on one thing . . . the slip tip dangling and banging on the shaft. I silently laid on the surface, not pulling in anymore line. The WSB inched closer, then a touch closer . . . gently sucked in the dangling sliptip, held it for a second in its enormous mouth and then spit it out. Its eyes then rotated to me, I could see the silver color around the dark black center, then turned its head and slowly sunk into the murk below. But look at the bright side . . . I stoned that Bonito!
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A Special Thank You to my Dive Partners (aka Witnesses) Dennis Haussler Chris Chaput Sean Martin Anthony Celaya Mike Walker George Scheidt
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California
Unicorns
Dam Nguyen
It was still black when we rolled up to the zone. Already, there were a few boats trolling the area. That's always a good sign. Now comes the hard part. Where in this vast ocean do we find a few lost souls? Maybe they realized they were lost? Are we even sure they haven't left for whence they came? So many questions, so few answers. I suppose for starters, we could try a singular patch of rippled water where the bait seemed to jump for joy. Before my partner could finish shouting "GO!", I was suited and over the railing with gun loaded. The swim over to the bait ball felt like eternity. My heart felt heavy while my stomach fluttered. A ton of doubts riding on a glimmer of hope. In this blue darkness, I wasn't even sure one could make out a whale. And yet, right below me, appearing out of the darkness, I saw 4 or 5 ephemeral lights.
There's no way. . .
California
Unicorns
Dam Nguyen
California
Unicorns
There's just no way . . . The fish took off like a freight train and dunked my hard float past 50ft. A minute later, the float came right back up and my line went slack. Up on the surface, I see a sea lion with my fish! I screamed to my partner for a second gun. In no time at all, he had the gun loaded and in my hands. I took a quick dive, aimed for the throat of the wahoo and fired. The sea lion let go momentarily and gave me enough time to reach out for what was mine. - words by: Dam Nguyen
w e N Re ar H andl e 16 0 2 s n g i s e D
Rear Handle Build Details: Mahogany & Red Balau Blue Tuna 110cm 130cm 150cm 9/32nd Spear 2 - 5/8th Bands
Rear Handle Build Details: Mahogany & Red Balau Pearl White 110cm 130cm 150cm 9/32nd Spear 2 - 5/8th Bands
Rear Handle Build Details: Mahogany & Red Balau Black Mamba 110cm 130cm 150cm 9/32nd Spear 2 - 5/8th Bands
New England Roy McDennon PHOTOS BY JP CASTRO
New England Tautog
Although not as plentiful north of Cape Cod, the Tautog that roam on the north shore of Massachusetts can be real bruisers! The murky water and necessity to take a quick shot makes my Sea Sniper 90cm the perfect match for this diving.
New England Striped Bass
New England’s prized inshore gamefish. The Striped bass can be found in great numbers during the summer season along the East Coast. My 130cm Sea Sniper enclosed track is my go-to speargun when targeting big bass.
Team Roy McDennon Photo by JP Castro
Roy McDennon Photo by JP Castro
New England Scup
Scup may not receive the glory as other larger species in the North East but these fish offer the biggest challenge to the inshore spearfisherman. Long aspetto dives and accurate shots, reaching out to the edge of visibility are often needed to land these smart fish. I owe many delicious Scup dinners to my 110cm enclosed track.
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