Hey there, spearos. This is The Stone Shot, your weekly dose of spear content (and maybe some fishing, but we’ll try to keep it below the water line)

Here’s what we have for you today:

• Spearfishing Clubs: Why join one?

• Weird fish of the week: The Red-Lipped Batfish

• Spear-cation Destination: The Arctic Circle of Norway

• Video: Shark attacks boat engine

The Question

Should You Join A Spearfishing Club?

Holding your breath under water and trying to kill a fish with a spear is a ridiculous concept. Tell someone from middle America about it and they’ll question your sanity. Hell, most people in your coastal town will think it’s crazy.

That’s where spearfishing clubs come in.

There are three main benefits of joining a spearfishing club…

1. Community: Find like minded individuals

2. Safety: Find dive buddies

3. Knowledge: Become a better spearo

Although that sounds like the YMCA’s mission statement for summer camp, it’s all true.

Finding Others Who Are Crazy Like You

The barrier to entry for spearfishing isn’t that high. At a minimum you need a cheap pole spear and dive mask. Yet, take a look at our above water counterparts, rod and reel fisherman, and you’ll see how comparatively un-popular our sport is.

That’s because it take a special type of person to get interested in spearfishing. The best place to find these crazies? Spearfishing clubs.

A lot of us have a group of close friends that we dive with, but sometimes our close friends can’t go. Then what? We don’t want to break rule #1 of spearfishing…

Rule #1 - Dive With A Buddy

You’ve heard it a thousand times before. ALWAYS dive with a buddy.

We’re not going to lecture you on the importance of this because hopefully we all know it.

If you don’t have anyone to dive with or your normal dive buddies are out of town on that crystal clear summer day. A spearfishing club can be a great resource for dive buddies.

Know Your Shit

This is an underrated aspect about spearfishing clubs. The good clubs offer educational classes on everything from filleting a fish to building your own speargun.

On top of that - your local spearfishing club most likely has some of the best local spearfisherman in your area. It’s a great place to learn from them.

Resource - If you’re looking to find a club in your area, Noob Spearo put together a great spearfishing club directory.

Weird Fish Of The Week: The Red-Lipped Batfish

I don’t know what the weirdest part of this fish is.

• It’s cherry red lips that are always frowning?

• The fact that it has legs?

• It’s horn for a nose?

• Or maybe the blotchy white beard it has?

Either way, that’s one UGLY fish.

Spear-cation Destination

The Arctic Circle of Norway

Frozen water surfaces. Breathtaking landscapes. Unpredictable weather patterns. GIANT halibut. These are only some of the things that make spearfishing in the Arctic so special.

Always Be Ready

More so than in the tropics, safety is paramount here. The freezing waters and sometimes lower viz makes diving here brutal. It’s cold, it’s dark and it’s windy. You can’t just jump in anywhere because currents are serious here.

You need to respect nature and always come prepared. One moment it might be calm and sunny and the next you could get caught in a hail storm. Tack on divers in the water and the captain has his hands full.

For The Thrill Seekers

Look, this type of spearfishing isn’t for everyone. You’re in 8mm smooth skin dry suits. Gloves, socks, hood…the whole shebang. The craziest part? You’ll be colder on the boat than you are in the water! So on top of all that dive rubber, you’ll want a whole lot of wool.

But if you’re one of the psycho few who would enjoy this…call me cause I’m down. Or call the folks at Arctic Spearfishing. We’ve done some research and they seem like a solid crew up there.

Lastly - How could we talk about arctic spearfishing in Norway without linking some of Daniel Mann’s epic halibut videos. We’re a big fan of him here at The Stone Shot.

Video

Check out this shark attacking a boat. The attack happens after the fisherman catches the cobia that was swimming with the shark.

A lot of the comments are saying it’s because the shark and cobia were friends. Maybe. Or maybe the orca’s put him up to it…

That’s it for us! We’ll see you back here next week.

PS - How are we doing? This is only the second edition of The Stone Shot. We’d love to hear your feedback! Reply to this email with topics you want us to cover.