Evan Gatehouse wrote:
[snip]
We've used the following:

- spearfishing in Mexico and the Caribbean
- dragging a "meat line" - 200# test monofilament with a wire leader +
tuna feather when offshore
- crabbing in B.C.
- lots of donations from commercial fisherman
- trading/buying from local fisherman
- harvesting mussels/oysters in B.C.

- going for prawns in BC is a bit more work because they like waters
400' deep

We eat well

Evan Gatehouse

thanks everyone for the book and magazine suggestions, i'll check into
it.

evan, how successful are you when you drag the line, i'm curious about
it. i mean, do you get a fish a week doing that, one a day, one an
hour, how does it work out most of the time ? can you dependably catch
something to eat ? what size/type of a fish do you typically catch on
a drag line like this ?

i'd like to try spearfishing. i have some material i read about it but
i've never done it. i have all the gear though, except for the actual
speargun. i am not a very good free diver because i haven't really
worked out the whole ear equalization thing yet, but i've gone to the
pool a few times with my mask and snorkle and things and tried to get
past it. i recently got a weight belt too and have been learning to
use it. i only recently learned to "pre-equalize" by pushing air into
my ears before i dive and that has helped me a lot. i don't know why i
have so much trouble with it, but i do, it's embarrassing really! i
have trouble getting past about 10 feet, but even 10 foot depths are
better than before. before i learned what little equalization i can do
now i couldn't get past about 6 feet without my eardrums feeling like
they were going to explode. anyway, my little equalization trouble
aside, once i get past that i'd really like to do some freediving and
spearfishing. i understand that some people even do this in the deep
blue water fishing for things like yellowfin tuna, giant monster sized
fishes, but even if i was able i don't know that i'd ever try that ..
it's the monster sized white sharks that go along with them that worry
me! but i'd definitely spearfish along a reef.

i've never harvested oysters/mussels before. it sounds like you just
wait until low tide, walk out to where they are, and pry them off the
rocks. is that how you do it, or do you have some other method for
collecting them ? are they hard to find ?