2011 Fall Blow Out

While the end of the year is always depressing it does have some upside. With a new year approaching many of our distributors are starting to push the 2012 line of gear. To make room for some new toys I am going to place, for the next few days only, some of our over stocked items on sale at prices you will not find anywhere else. While I can not post these prices on our actual web-site this was the best way I could come up with to get these deals out to our best clients. Below is the list of gear currently available. They are on a first come basis and we will not hold items or order more. We only have one of each so act quick. The sale ends on Sun Oct 30th or when the gear is gone. E-mail us or call to check availability. Thank you all again for your support!!

2011 NFC End Of Year Blow Out Sale

****New Gear****

Wet Suits

Beuchat 5mm Mundial Green Camo (top and bottom) Sz 5 –XL reg. $391 Blow Out $300

Beuchat 5mm Marlin Prestige (top and bottom) sz 4 –L reg. $400 Blow Out $300

Mares 5.5mm Extreme Black (top and bottom) sz 4 – L reg. $330 Blow Out $230

Mares 5.5 Instinct Camo (top and bottom) Sz 5 – XL reg. $320 Blow Out $220

Spear Guns

MARES 75cm Phantom FV w/50m Spyro Reel & line reg. $300 Blow Out $265
*115cm x 6.7mm flopper shaft & Single 18mm Pwr Band

Freediver 90cm Aluminum w/7mm flopper and dbl 5/8” bands reg. $300 Blow Out $225

Freediver 100cm Carbon w/6.7mm flopper and dbl 5/8” bands reg. $400 Blow Out $325

Beuchat 85cm Marlin Carbon Elite w/Marlin Pacific 50m Reel and Q-Pwr Line reg. $525 Blow Out $415
*6.5x130cm notched flopper and 18mm pwr band

Beuchat 95cm Marlin Elite w/Mundial 50m Reel & line reg. $450 Blow Out $320
*6.7mm x 130cm notched flopper shaft & 18mm pwr band

Other

Beuchat Mundial Competition Fins sz9-10 reg. $145 Blow Out $115

Beuchat 6.7mm x 120cm notched w/ 2” flopper shaft reg. $40 Blow Out $25

**Used Gear**

All used items are in excellent working condition

Spetton 3mm Brown HexSkin Suit (top and bottom) w/Gold Temeric Lining New $400 Used $180

Beuchat Guardian Float New $380 Used $250

Salvimar 75cm Voodoo Open w/50m Salvimar reel & line New$360 Used $250
*6.7mm pinned flopper shaft & (2) bands

Immersion Prowler Dive Computer New $400 Used $200

NFC Gun Specials

NFC Gun Deals
Most of the guns we get form our distributors need a little tweaking to make them ideal for New England hunting so to make things easier for our clients we have taken a few of our more poplular models and rigged them NFC style. (example: many euro guns are coming though with less than ideal shafts and single bands) Here are a few guns available in the shop right now that are ready to go. Selling these guns completely rigged allows me to offer them at a very good price.

Beuchat 85cm Cabon Elite NFC Edition $530 (+ tax when applicable)
*Tapered carbon fiber barrel (light weight high strength carbon that is easy to move through the water)
*Marlin Handle (thumb operated safety with stainless steel side mounted line release)
*AutoLock Muzzle System (holds the shaft to the muzzle for easier loading – the only muzzle on the market with this feature)
*7mm Salvimar flopper shaft with 3 loading tabs and large flopper (upgraded from 6.5mm Beuchat notch shaft)
*(1) 5/8” Gansett Power Band and (1) 9/16” Gansett Power Band (upgraded from single 18mm mega band)
* Beuchat Marlin Pacific 50m Reel (Stainless Steel mechanism – adjustable locking drag – extendable handle)
*130’ Q-Power 600# yelow reel line with 500# s/s snap swivel
* rigged with 300# mono and butt loop

Beuchat 95cm Marline Elite NFC Edition $420 (+tax where applicable)
*Aluminum barrel coated with molded polyurethane foam (sound damping)
*Marlin Handle (thumb operated safety with stainless steel side mounted line release)
*AutoLock Muzzle System (holds the shaft to the muzzle for easier loading – the only muzzle on the market with this feature)
*6.7mm Beuchat flopper shaft with hydrodynamic nose cone, 3 loading pins and large flopper (upgraded from 6.5mm Beuchat notch shaft)
*(1) 5/8” Gansett Power Band and (1) 9/16” Gansett Power Band (upgraded from single 18mm mega band)
*Marlin Reel (vertical mounted reel with adjustable drag)
*130’ Kevlar Core Nylon line
*rigged with 300# mono and butt loop

MARES 75cm Phantom FV NFC Edition $350 (+tax where applicable)
*cuttlebone barrel with integrated shaft rail (fiberglass injected nylon)
*6.7mm Beuchat flopper shaft with hydrodynamic nose cone, 3 loading pins and large flopper (upgraded from 6.5mm Becuhat notch shaft)
*(1) 5/8” Gansett Power Band and (1) 9/16” Gansett Power Band (upgraded from single 18mm mega band)
*MARES Spyro reel (Horizontal mounted reel with adjustable drag)
*130’ Kevlar Core Nylon Line and snap swivel
*rigged with 250# mono and butt loop

Salvimar VooDoo Carbon Open 85cm $485 (+tax where applicable)
*Hand Layed Carbon Fiber barrel with integrated rail
*VooDoo trigger (adjustable trigger sensitivity and s/s line release)
*7mm Salvimar Torsion shaft with 3 loading pins
*(2) 5/8” Gansett Powerbands (spectra wishbones)
*VooDoo reel (horizontal reel with adjustable drag)
*130’ Clyneema Line (with snap swivel)
*rigged with 250# Mono and butt loop

Salvimar VooDoo Rail Open 75cm $370 (+tax where applicable)
*Aeronautical anodized Aluminum barrel with integrated rail
*VooDoo trigger (adjustable trigger sensitivity and s/s line release)
*6.7mm Salvimar Flopper Shaft with 3 loading pins
*(1) 5/8” Power Bands and (1) 9/16″ Power Band with spectra wishbones
*VooDoo Reel (Horizontal reel with adjustable drag)
*130’ Climax 300# line with snap swivel (low diameter orange reel line)
*rigged with 250# mono and butt loop

Hopefully we can find a home for these guns and get them out there shooting fish rather than collecting dust here in the shop. Give me a call if you have any questions or interest 401-662-5618

I will be running some more specials in the next few weeks so check back.

New Gear to NFC

Note from previous post: I wanted to make a comment about my last post regarding the FreeDiver spear guns. In that post I talked about customizing the gun a little when mounting a reel to it, specifically having to saw off a piece of the muzzle in order to attach a functional line guide. When ordering these guns with the reel right from FreeDivers they come with a pre-mounted line guide that works without having to customize the muzzle. I don’t want to give the impression that you have to do a lot of work to the gun to make it operate well as this is not the case.

Web-Store Update: I have not yet posted new items on the site and I am not sure when I will so if you are interested in seeing anything please give us a call. I have also disabled the online ordering options after a series of credit card fraud attempts. While we still accept credit cards I am now doing business solely in person or over the phone. Our number is 401-662-5618

Aug 1, 2011
As I have said a few times I am always looking for new gear to bring in that is appropriate for our area. Recently I was able to hook up with Hatch Enterprises who represent a few different lines of gear.
Here is a little overview of some of the new products available at Newport Free Dive Company :

Salvimar
Salvimar was founded in 1962 and represents the best of Italy….at least that’s what it says in their catalog.
The Italians always seem to make nice stuff and this is surly the case with their freediving gear. Offering guns, suits, masks etc. this growing company is fully invested in the sport.

After playing around with their products I have to say they are very well designed and innovative. We have a good representation of Salvimar gear in the shop right now including the Pixelcamu wetsuit with intergrarted weigh-vest, low volume spear fishing masks, Voodoo open muzzle spearguns (carbon and aluminum) and high end spear shafts featuring the Torsion flopper system.

VooDoo series Spear Guns
The Spearguns have a really nice molded handle and the safety switch is in an ideal location for easy operation. A stainless steel line release is located back near the shaft mechanism and there is also an adjustable tension screw to allow for sensitivity adjustments in the trigger.

The aluminum gun has a full length low profile rail while the carbon gun has a rail that covers approx ¾ of the barrel.

The Carbon gun comes stock with a reel (no line) and both guns come with either a 6.5 or 7mm shaft. The Carbon gun is rigged with two power bands while the aluminum features a single (metal wishbones).

VooDoo Reel
The Voodoo reel is fairly basic but I like the way it mounts to the handle. There is a stainless bracket that slides under the handle adaptor to which the reel screws into. This gives the reel a sold mount to the handle.

Reel Line
Salvimar offers some high-end reel lines and they are not cheap. Their “Clynema” line feels and acts like it is an excellent choice but I really need to play with it in the water to be sure. It spools very well on the reel and holds a solid knot. The diameter of the line is about 1.6mm for the 250kg weight and has no memory or stretch.

Shafts
The Torsion shafts are very cool and a great choice for free swimming fish. The flopper is machined to fit flush with the shaft so there is no drag during the shot. This also allows for a small hole when penetrating the fish. Once the flopper is engaged it is allowed to rotate 360 degrease around the shaft decreasing a lot of the leverage from a fighting fish. I have been told these shafts are not so good for hunting in the rocks because if the shaft becomes lodged in or under something the rotating flopper makes it extremely difficult to remove. Another feature of the Torsion shaft is the ability to replace the entire tip.

Salvimar also offers basic flopper type shafts for all applications which come in both notched, pinned and finned styles.

Hatch Custom Spear Guns
Hatch Custom Spear Guns are handmade wooden guns that come in both mid and rear handle styles. Mike Hatcher has been building guns for several years and his craftsmanship is really top-notch. The guns are all made from high end teak and come rigged with stainless steel components and a lifetime warrantee. Most guns are rigged with a 9/32” flopper shaft and two 5/8” bands along with an enclosed track.

The rear handle models come in sizes from 95cm – 125cm while the mid-handles start at 45” and go up through a 72” blue-water gun.

Hatch Carbon by Carbonio GFT
Hatch Carbon by Carbonio GFT manufacture carbon fin blades for different applications.

From the GFT description:
“GFT blades are on the cutting edge of fin development and bring the most sophisticated process of carbon fiber production in existence. Hatch carbon utilizes carbon fiber that is pre-impregnated to exact specifications and is cured with heat and pressure resulting in a product that is strong as steel with a much better strength to weight ratio. At depths or on the surface you will encounter a raw feeling of strength with more lightness, more thrust and more reaction. The addition of a 22 degree angle and side water rails lead to maximum thrust and efficiency. You will be able to swim further and deeper with less effort saving your air and energy for when you need it most.”

GFT makes blades for SCUBA as well as Pure Freediving and Spearfishing.

These fins come with the Salvimar Delta One foot pockets. “Delta-One pockets utilize an innovative system that combines layers of thermo rubber and textile material in a special footpocket structure. The end result is an exceptional product that is both powerful in the water and very comfortable to use.“

Innerloc H20
Innerloc H2O makes detachable spear tips that are unique in design and proficient in performance. I know that the majority of people in New England do not use slip-tips but for those of you venturing offshore Innerloc is something to look at. Their SP3 tip has three retractable barbs. During the shot the barbs are drawn back into the tip and upon impact they extend for tremendous holding power. I can’t imagine that many fish will shake free.

Give us a call if you want to come by and see the gear for yoruself.

FreeDivers Speargun Review

FreeDivers Spear Guns
Last week I was contacted by 2006 US National Spear Fishing champion Mike Hickey who asked if I would be interested in checking out a line of guns he has been using for the last several years. The guns, made in South Africa from a company called FreeDivers, are well known in places like Australia and South Africa but have had very little exposure here in the US. This opportunity was a no brainer as I am always looking for something new and exciting to bring to our area!! Mike arranged to have a 90cm and 100cm shipped up and after spending a little time with them this week here is my review.

First Impression
My first impression was this is a simple gun, nothing fancy just a straight forward euro stick. The handle is very slim with no loading pad (similar to rob allen), the barrel seemed a little odd to me as I couldn’t tell if it was aluminum or plastic and the muzzle is your basic closed style. Out of the box features also included a single band (5/8” on the 90 and 3/4′” on the 100) powering a 7mm notched flopper shaft. The 90 had gray accents on the handle and trigger while blue panels adorned the 100.

A Second Take
I am the kind of person who needs to look at something, let it sit, and then revisit the situation. The next day (after speaking directly with Mike- who explained some of the features) I sat down with the guns again and began to really appreciate their simplicity. When it comes to spearguns, or anything else that is exposed to the effects of salt water, simple is often times better and while this gun is basic, there are some key features that really captured my attention:
#1
FreeDiver guns are built and tested in South Africa and from what I am told the diving there is extremely harsh. Conditions are often times very rough and your gear must hold up to the constant beating it is exposed to. One of the major problems that South African equipment faces is the amount of sand and silt in the water. This is something that can’t be appreciated fully unless you have experienced it firsthand. Mike has told me stories of taking his wetsuit off to shake out the sand which built up just from the water flow. I can only imagine the amount of grit that must get into the trigger mechanism of your gun. A lot of guns on the market are machined so precise that if the mechanism is not kept spotless you can run into issues with misfiring or not releasing at all. Knowing that with this gun you do not have to worry about rusty shafts or sand in the trigger causing issues is a good feeling.
#2
The Barrel of the gun is somewhat of a hybrid. They start with an aluminum stock (round on the bottom and flat on the top) to which they add a full length plastic sleeve encompassing the top half of the barrel. This sleeve slides onto the barrel and is married to it by grooves on each side. It is fully attached when the muzzle and handle are mounted to the gun. The sleeve features a very deep track for the shaft to sit on. This is one of the best shaft guides I have seen (outside of a fully enclosed track).
#3
The shaft, while not stainless, is made from a hardened spring steel which goes through an additional plating process to help avoid rusting. They come with a large flopper that is tuned to engage upon impact. A lot of shafts on the market don’t lock in well and require some adjustment to properly work, but these seem to pop perfectly.

Customization
While this gun would work very well just as it is, I made a few preliminary changes to the 90 before taking it out.

First I added a second 5/8” Gansett powerband. For hunting bass, a single 5/8” band may be slightly underpowered (esp with a 7mm shaft). The original 5/8” band measured about 24” and the one I added was about 26”.

Next I installed a 50m reel. Freedivers left plenty of room on the handle end of the barrel to screw in a reel bracket before getting to the plug. I wish other manufactures would take that into consideration.

The bungee anchor on the muzzle did not have a guide to accommodate the reel line so I sawed it off flush with the barrel and sanded the ruff ends. I then added a stainless steel line guide utilizing the same screw hole used to secure the muzzle to the barrel.

Finally I removed the heavy tuna clip on the handle and replaced it with a mono loop to cut down on unwanted metallic noise.

The whole process took about 5 minutes.

Field Test
I took the gun out Saturday morning to a spot in Newport where I have been seeing some nice fish. It only took one dive to realize I was having equalizing issues which relegated me to diving very shallow (less than 12’). This was a bit disappointed because I really wanted to test the gun out and it was looking like it might not happen. As I kicked around in the shallow water a nice bass came underneath me. Most experienced spero’s will tell you that vertical shots are very difficult and with this fish swimming away any shot would have to be near perfect. When I pulled the trigger she was approximately 8’ away with just her tail visible. The trigger pull was seamless and the shaft exploded down towards the fish. While I didn’t see the impact I heard it and watched as my shooting line circled slowly behind me. The shaft had gone straight through the top of her head and out the bottom of her jaw. This was very encouraging both from an accuracy and power standpoint. I strung the fish and continued my hunt.

Drifting around on the surface I could barely make out a yellow lobster trap on the bottom. Not having enough weight to stay down on my own in such shallow water the pot made a great anchor. About 20 seconds in and a decent Striper appeared just inside the haze, presenting a target practice shot. Test number two ended with the same result as the first, shaft though the head and fish on the stringer.

Overall I was extremely impressed with the guns handling, accuracy and power (with the second band). It is safe to say that I will be bringing this gun with me on the remainder of my trips this year.

Price Point
I have shot a lot of guns, from cheep POS beaters to high priced custom jobs and this gun preformed as well as anything I have ever shot. That being said I was happy to learn about their retail price. The 90cm Aluminum is available for an introductory price of $235 and they go up $10 per size to 140cm.

FreeDivers also offers a reel which runs around $70 (with line).

Replacement shafts are offered at a very reasonable $35.

Other items available from FreeDivers include gear and gun bags as well as floats and carbon fin blades.

Newport Free Dive Co. is very excited to be represent the FreeDiver line in New England. If you would like to stop by and check out some gear please give us a call to make an appointment, 401-662-5618

Good Hunting,
Rob Marvelle
www.newportfreedive.com

June 28th report

The great news of the week came on Tuesday evening when we discovered that the Hannah Grace has a pretty significant leak somewhere in the hull. The problem revealed itself on the trip out to Chin Reef. The bilge pump seemed to be keeping up with the inflow so we risked the 7 mile trip out. While this may not have been the best decision in the end it all worked out.

Tuesday was shaping up to be a prim day for a dive with weather conditions changing from sunny to overcast in advance of an impending storm front. I have found that the best fishing is usually during that transition period prior to a front passing through and when the barometer reads around 29.95. Of course if you can get in on those crappy days the fish are usually out having a good old time.

We made it to Chin Reef just before 5:30pm. The sea state was calm and the water looked clear from the surface. We started the hunt on the shallow end of the reef and I made my first few drops down to about 17’. The water was not as clear as it appeared from the surface but visibility was still plenty good enough to hunt in at about 6’-7’. I noticed right away that the water temperature had made a significant jump from the last time I was in and my Immersion Prowler was reading 71.1 degrease. If it had not been for the changing weather no way would I be running into bass, good bass, this shallow.

It was on my fourth dive that I followed the slope at the edge of the reef down to 20’. I settled in behind a boulder and within seconds a nice bass came charging down the side of the reef right in front of me. I took the shot and laced the fish through its skull. She made a few rather impressive runs for where I hit her but in the end the sea provided once again for the HG.

After dispatching the fish and handing it up to Capitan Bob we moved out to a deeper spot on the reef. The good Capitan suggested that we grab another quick fish and head back as the engine compartment kept filling with water. Not knowing the significance of the problem heading in sounded like a good idea.

We quickly got located at the drop 50yds from our first location and I slipped into the water. Ok, it was more like a splash into the water but non-the-less I was ready to dive.

The desired depth at spot two was going to be about 25’ and I took a few minuets to relax and breathe up. The water seemed to be getting browner by the second so I knew I would have to be on high alert once I hit the bottom. Three deep breaths and I made my dive. I landed a little higher then I wanted on top of a rock at about 22’ but with the terrible vis. I did not want to be messing around trying to feel my way around the reef. Settling myself in I raised my gun 45 degrease in front of me. I could barley make out objects 5’ away at this point but convinced myself that fish would come in. Moments later from my left a school of nice bass appeared. Remembering the Capitan’s words I lined up on the closest fish and took the shot.

Nothing……what is going on…….my shooting line is straight out, not sinking, but nothing is pulling……I can hardly see the snap swivel that connects the reel line to the shooting mono. I must have hit the fish…I heard it hit the fish……maybe I stoned him, but the line is straight out…….Slowly I began to pull the line and I can feel some weight but it is still not moving…….I pull in more of the line and I can start to make out the shape of the bass. A few more feet and I can see that I have shot the fish right through the lower lip. The fish must be in shock or something…..does it not know it is even hit?

It is important to note at this point that trying to grab a bass that is hardly wounded can go drastically wrong if you are not paying close attention to things like where your shooting line is or which direction said fish is going to bolt off in once he comes to.

I pulled the fish in even closer and decided to tap him on the tail. That’s all it took and off he went like a rocket. Not hurt a bit, this bass fought like crazy making circles around me, stripping line off the reel and shaking its head. After a good battle he began to tire and I was able to corral him and end the fight.

Knowing where the slack shooting line was in the water was a key in avoiding any entanglements which could cause a dangerous situation. While this fish was not as big as the first he was still significant and could have caused some trouble. Always remember that even small fish have the strength to pull a diver thorough the water!

Fishing Report

With the water temps warming into the 70’s in some locations finding bass in the shallow water is going to become increasingly more difficult. Look for fish below the 25’ mark and do not over look rainy days as they tend to become more aggressive in the bad weather.

Aside from the fish I found on Tuesday there were schools of bass and blue fish running between Castle Hill and the tip of Fort Adams.

Everyone I spoke with this week reported lots of 3”-5” bait which is always a good sign of things to come.
Reports of trigger fish have stated to come in along with the bluefish and scup. Look for the trigger fish in calmer shallow water. I often find them in protected areas behind rocks or other structure. Keep in mind that any trigger fish that is not dead will try and bit you so watch your fingers when handling them. Also, a lot of times once you shoot a trigger you can grab them near the gills and they will grunt. This sound will often times call any other triggers in the area to your location.

IMO, triggers are the best tasting fish we have up here and they smell almost tropical when you clean them (which is a job in and of itself).

Larger bass were few and far between this week as was evident at the weigh-in of the RI Blue Water Tournament. The winning fish was a 53lb bass taken by Andrew Ford. Second and third place fish weighed in the mid 40’s and were taken by John Warnock and Dave Hochman. There were a few fish in the 20’s weighed in along with a slew of teens but over all the number of larger fish was down.

Tautog season opens back up in RI on Thursday and from all accounts there are a lot of them around.

This week’s picture is compliments of my buddy JimT. Last week I mentioned Jim took a personal best 50+lb bass. Congratulations JT!

We are always looking for reports and pictures so shoot me an e-mail if you have anything to share.

Good Hunting,
Rob Marvelle
rob@newportfreeedive.com
www.newportfreedive.com

June 20th Report

Let’s be honest, I can’t cook! One time I tried to make my wife a special dinner for her birthday and she ended up in tears. That being said I managed to make some killer fish-sticks last night for my kids. I have been experimenting with them for the last few weeks and I think I finally got it!

Turns out these bad boys are not just for youngsters either as my friend, who just happened to stop over at the right time, devoured the remaining sticks leaving me with NOTHING for dinner. Oh well, at least it was good for my self esteem seeing someone other than the dog enjoying my cooking.

So here is how it all came together, just in case you wanted to try them out. First you need the following items; Fresh Fish – we used striped bass cut into stripes about 3” long, graded Parmesan Cheese, bread Crumbs, two eggs, one cup of milk, garlic salt, scallions, canola oil, and a frying pan along with something to flip the fish over with.

I heated the canola oil (just enough to cover the bottom of the pan) over medium heat.

While the oil is heating (and in a separate container) combine the eggs with one cup of milk and beat it all together.

In another bowl add the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese (2 to 1 ratio) some finely chopped scallions and a little garlic salt.

Now you need to coat the fish with the egg and milk mix. Be sure to let the excess egg wash drain off before tossing them in the breadcrumb mixture.

Once the oil in the pan is properly heated (and I have no idea what temp that is) you put the coated fish in to fry. A few minuets on each side and they are done. Once removed from the pan, let them cool off and drain on a paper towel.
–
Without question the most important ingredient for any fish dish is the fish! Most of the time that is not a problem around here as we are blessed with some of the best fishing in the US –even if it is only six month season.

I have had a lot of discussions with people about the best way to care for a fish, from the water to the grill, in an effort achieve the best possible fillets and attain the highest quality of meat. After a discussion this week with – we can call him Mr.Williams- about why his scup ended up like mush, I though it might be a good time to write about how I handle my catch.

The proper handling of a fish- for me – starts from the time it is brought to the boat and the first step is to dispatch the fish. You want to kill your fish right away and not leave it to suffer in the cooler. For one it is the humane thing to do but it will also enhance the quality of meat.

The next step in my process is to gut the fish. As soon as a fish dies its organs begin to break down and I do not want decaying organs to be anywhere near the meat I am going to eat. I make a cut from the anus to the gills and remove all the internal organs. Removing the gills is also a good idea as they too will start to deteriorate.

Whenever I go out on the HG for a day I always bring a large cooler with ample ice. After the gutting process I will rinse the fish in salt water by hanging it over the side and rubbing the cavity with my hand to remove any remaining material.

From there I ice the fish. Icing the fish right away will help keep the flesh in the best possible condition.

Often times on the ride in from our fishing location I will add a few buckets of salt water to the cooler. Mixing the water with the ice will form a salt water slurry which is the ideal way to completely cool off all the fish in the box. This mixture will find its way into every cut and crack in the fish bringing the core temperature down to just above freezing. Once back at the dock I drain the water but leave the remaining ice.

When I get back to my house I remove the fish from the cooler and wash them down with fresh water (inside and out). Rinsing the fish will eliminate any remaining material from the cavity as well as any sea lice that may be attached to the skin. Aside from the fish I will give the cooler a quick flushing as well.

Finally I will re-ice the fish packing them with the stomach incision facing down. I do this so that no melting ice puddles up inside the cavity. Be sure to remove the plug from your cooler and prop up the opposite side allowing the melted water to drain.

Keeping the fish on ice for 24 hours allows the flesh to relax and firm up as well as allow any blood remaining in the meat to subside. Once filleted you should be left with a beautiful product.

This week’s fishing report is sponsored by Newport Free Dive Co. home of quality spear fishing products. Look us up on-line at www.newportfreedive.com

Did someone say Big Fish? Well they are here, or there, depending on where here or there is. In any event I had reports of fish to 60+ lbs this week taken from some of the more prolific areas around Rhode Island.

Local legend John Warnock stopped by the shop this afternoon to catch up and share some of his wonderful stories. John told me the visibility was really poor in southern RI today and he had a large fish, 50+lbs, actually rub against him on one dive. Mr. Warnock reported that the day before he took a 50+lb fish in the same area.

Fishing around Block has been pretty productive as NFC friend JimT took a personal best fish over 50lbs while the other people on the boat landed fish in the mid 30’s.

Principal Smith checked in this week with a report of low 20’s kicking around the Jamestown area while the Spanish Spear landed bass in the mid 20’s down in NY.

Bluefish are starting to thicken up as I had several reports of small fish schooling around the Lands End area.

Overall the bass fishing is pretty good but visibility continues to be spotty. Water temps in the high 60’s will start to force the fish a little deeper so if you are having trouble finding fish try adjusting your depth.

This week’s photo was sent in by Peter Correale who took his 30lb bass after 6 hours of not seeing a thing. Thanks for the photo Peter as well as the report!

Good Hunting,
Rob Marvelle
rob@newportfreedive.com

June 14th Report

I was asked a question this week that really made me stop and think. It wasn’t my answer that I had to think about but rather the answers other people may have to that same question. Why do I (we) hunt (spearfish)?

My eyes were opened to a different side of hunting this week, to a side where every life taken (be it fish or animal) should be done so with respect and not rejoice. Where a life is a life, and the size of the catch should be valued the same no matter what a scale or tape measure may say. This “other view” is shared by many people that so often go unheard from. By individuals and hunters who take animals not for the “sport” of the hunt, but for the necessity of survival. Like the Indians did so long ago, hunting is not a contest but a way of life. It is, in a way, refreshing to me to have had the opportunity to listen to the views of a fellow diver and to see things through a different lens.

****
Once in a while everything seems to come together. The perfect dive! These are the drops that will rip sleep from you the night before a day on the water as you anticipate what might come your way. Over the many years I have spent under the water there are a handful of these dives that will forever remain in my memory.

This past Saturday provided me one of those moments. We took the HG “out front” here in Newport and hit some of our regular bass spots. Visibility varied from 4’-5’ in some areas to 15’ in others. The water temp ranged from 61 to 65 degrease and my 5mm Beuchat suit was almost too warm.

One of my favorite locations is an area I call the Triangle. This is where I learned to hunt and it has provided for me year after year. Saturday was my first dive in the triangle in just over a year and I was excited for the return to familiar surroundings.

One of my favorite spots within the Triangle is a submerged reef which bottoms out at around 25 feet. I made several dives along side of the reef and had spotted a few schools of bass. The surface state was very calm with overcast skies. Below visibility was very good, espically for the area, topping out around 15 feet.

Floating on the surface I relaxed my body, took several deep breaths and decended to the bottom. My glide took me right along side of a large boulder 25’ down. A smaller rock next to the boulder formed a perfect notch and I settled in between the two.

Laying there I began to think that this is a great spot to be in. I always hear people like John Warnock talk about an ambush spot and to me this seemed to have all the makings of a good one. With plenty of cover from the surrounding rocks and facing out towards the open water I mentally prepared myself for something to happen.

Thirty seconds in and there is movement. From behind the large boulder appears a beautiful 10lb Chinner. The old Taug proceeds to have a staring contest with me and I swear he flipped me off in some kind of fish way. The taunting black fish continued to hang around the end of my spear as I focused my attention back to the edge of visibility.

Fifty seconds down and right in front of me, angling down from mid-water, I see a large head. This is a decent fish, much better then what I had been seeing. Eight feet out and the fish has yet to turn……What do I do???? I do not want to take a head on shot but I am not convinced she is going to turn. My Aimrite 90 is in perfect position and four feet from the end of my shaft the bass quarters slightly. There’s the break……I squeeze the trigger unloading the full force of the 9/32” shaft straight through its head. A clean kill ending a perfect dive!

With each dive there are lessons to be learned and this one was no different. If you want the opportunity to shoot Stripers you have to ignore the other fish. Had Tautog season been open I would have taken that beautiful male and missed out on the encounter with the bass. Just something to keep in mind…..

This week’s fishing report is brought to you by BC Power Bands. When your shaft needs some power there is nothing like a BC Rubber. Check them out at www.bcpowerbands.com

I have been hearing from a lot of R&R guys that there are very few bass in the upper bay. Thursday evening we tested that report as myself and CT Native KG headed up north of the Newport Bridge. There were bass, but with the poor visibility, in some places less than a foot, locating fish was difficult. The ones that did make it to the boat were in the low teens.

Diving just south of the bridge on the Jamestown side visibility was slightly better and there were more fish to be seen. We hit our spot about an hour before the high slack and right away had success but as the water flow began to subside the fish disappeared.

Saturday afternoon I had the chance to catch up with Justin Allen and his brother Scott. They had been shore diving over at Satchuest Pt. and found fish up to 30lbs.

NFC field reporter Greg reports plenty of fish in the 20lb class cruising the rocky south shore here in Newport and I would agree with that as Saturday I saw a good number of bass in that range.

Unfortunatly with the summer school break approaching I have not heard from the Pricipal but maybe he will find time to check in with me this week.

Scup have started to move into the area as have the blue fish. I noticed a ton of 3” bait fish all around Lands End on my Monday dive and the water is defiantly warming up quick.

Lastly, congrats to my friend Brandon for the 36” bass he took with his new Aimrite Venom. Was it the gun or the sweet Spetton Suit?

Good Hunting,
Rob Marvelle
rob@newportfreedive.com
www.newportfreedive.com

HG Meet info

So the depression of not getting out in almost 2 weeks is really starting to set in. I have no first hand report to type about and haven’t really had the time to speak with too many divers over the last 7 days either. The good news is work should start to calm down a little in the coming weeks and if I have any luck at all some decent diving should soon follow.
I figured I could take up some space on the blog this week and touch a little bit on the Hannah Grace Fundraising meet which is scheduled for Aug. 27-28.

WARNING: If tournaments make you angry this is a good time to stop reading and get back to your conservative “hunting”.

The preceding was directed to the guy at the boat ramp who wouldn’t even take the time to look at the flyer I tried to give him on our event. I believe your quote was “tournaments aren’t spearfishing, they are killing”.

I started the HG meet 7 years ago after losing my niece to an illness called Turner Syndrome. The reason for the event was simple I wanted to do something for my sister by which we could remember her loss and in turn help those who also are affected by illnesses such as Turners.

As far as I knew at the time there weren’t any real fundraising meets in the North East so I made it my goal to build this tournament until it was the largest event in the area. Many of the meets at the time were all very competitive so my thought was to design our event to attract both the competitors and the more recreational spearo’s.

The format we came up with was very simple. Competitors would compete in two categories, largest Striped Bass and largest Tautog. A diver may weigh in one fish for each category. Weighing-in one fish satisfied my conservative side and the two categories gave everyone a chance at winning.

The first few years we did not restrict the hunting area but have since amended that to allow hunting in Rhode Island waters only. We did this to align ourselves more with the local laws which currently do not allow the harvesting of Striped Bass in MA or CT waters. Striped Bass are also federally protected and may only be taken within a 3 mile limit to any Rhode Island coast line. Hunting for our tournament may take place from shore, kayak or boat anywhere in RI!

Our most recent change has been to expand the tournament from a single day to a two day meet. All the previous rules will remain the same and a diver may still only weigh-in one fish per category. In other words if a competitor were to weigh in a bass on day one, he/she would not be allowed to weigh an additional bass the second day. The reason for this is to expand the diving time of the event while keeping the playing field as even as possible for those of us who can only dive one day.

We are going to hold a weigh-in each day during specific times followed by the trophy presentation and gear raffle on the second day. Our raffle has really grown in the past few years thanks to generous donations from a variety of dedicated sponsors. So far for the 2010 tournament we have commitments from Spetton-USA, MARES Diving, Q-Power Line, Anchor Diving Services, FreeDiver Unlimited, Aimrite Spearguns, HammerHead Spearguns and Newport Free Dive Company. This list will surly grow in the coming weeks and we are grateful for the continued generosity of our sponsors. If anyone out there is interested in helping out with donations to our raffle please drop me an e-mail (rob@newportfreedive.com)

Over the last 6 years I have seen this event grow from 6 divers in 2004 to over 50 divers each of the past two years. We have donated more than $5000.00 to our benefactor in that time. The most important part of this event is that 100% of the profits we take in go directly to The MAGIC Foundation. MAGIC is a nationally recognized 401-c-3 non-profit organization dedicated to children with growth related disorders. We have our own fund, the Hannah Grace memorial fund, set up with MAGIC which goes to help children affected with Turners Syndrome. Events like our tournament are so vitally important to these children. I have done all I can to tailor this tournament to be fun for all spearos (not just the “killers”) in order to maximize our effort.

For more info on the Hannah Grace meet you can go to www.newportfreedive.com and click on the 2010 Hannah Grace tab at the top of the page. From there you can print out the waiver and registration form, both of which must be completed prior to the event. If more information is needed please let me know and I would be happy to answer your questions.

We need as much help as possible in spreading the word for this event!!! Please bring your friends so we can continue our effort in bettering the lives of the children of MAGIC.

Good Hunting,
Rob Marvelle
www.newportfreeidve.com
rob@newportfreedive.com

Memorial Day Report

Well I had high hopes for this week but things didn’t fall into place. I did make it out Monday evening however for a look around the bay. Conditions on top were really nice with flat calm water but underneath it was a filthy mess. For much of the week the seas out front were really rocking which pushed a bunch of dirty water up the passage. Vis was no more than 5’ which is plenty good enough to hunt but on this day there just wasn’t much for fish in the few spots we checked. It was a nice night none the less and at least I got to get in the water.

One thing that I wanted to touch on this week was how important it is to remain calm when you are in the water, especially if you find yourself in a potentially dangerous situation.

On one of my dives Monday I found myself in a spot I really wasn’t excited about. I had made a dive down to 27’ on the edge of a submerged reef. The visibility was very poor and the current had just started to pick up after the high slack tide. This particular reef was covered with long strands of Kelp which are great for hanging on to when you need to anchor yourself. I relaxed my body and sunk into the weed covered bottom. Nothing came in so as I tried to push myself up I found out that my leg had gotten entangled in the kelp. Now kelp is damn strong stuff and I had it wrapped around my fin all the way up past my knee. It took a few seconds but I was able to free my leg from the mess and kicked up towards the surface. Remaining calm helped in conserving vital oxygen and should I have had to use my knife (which was on my arm in a position where I could easily access it – not on my leg, namely the one entangled) I would have had the extra time to do so.

My next outing came on Sunday morning. I launched my kayak from Kings Park in Newport Harbor and made my way out towards the channel. I noticed a lot of bate in the harbor on the way out along with some sizeable swirls on the surface which had me pretty hopeful. I arrived at my dive spot and dropped the anchor. A few seconds later I lowered myself over the side and was ready to hunt. The water was really clean for the bay with viz close to 10’ on the bottom with temps near 60 degrease. The tide was coming in so I started my dive into the current which would allow me to glide back to the board when started to tire. I saw several fish but nothing worth pulling the trigger on. On the way back to the kayak I dropped in on a decent bass which I decided to take for the grill – my wife makes the best Asian Marinade! Before jumping back on my yak I gutted and gilled the fish and tossed him into the soft cooler I have in the back of my board.

While the dive wasn’t as productive as I had hoped I got to enjoy a beautiful morning on the water!

Product Review: Immersion Prowler Dive Watch

I have been using the Immersion Prowler for the last year or so as my primary diver computer. I really like the functions of this watch as they pertain to free diving. The Prowler features all of the important functions you need as a free diver to safely enjoy your time in the water such as water temp., actual depth (which constantly adjusts with you in the water), max depth –per dive, bottom time and your surface interval.

The prowler’s wrist band is extremely secure and easily fits around a 5mm suit. The watch itself comes with a 3yr warrantee along with a hard plastic storage case and DVD instructions. It is also important to note that the watch has both a free dive and scuba mode.

One of the only knocks I have heard about this particular watch is the size of the display. Immersion packs a lot of information on the screen so some of the readings are a little small. Over all I really love mine and the few times I had to dive without it over the last year I really missed it. While a dive computer is one of the last things most divers invest in, it is a very important piece to have once you start to become a more advanced diver.

All Products reviewed are available through Newport Free Dive Co. Visit www.newportfreedive.com or call 401-662-5618
So onto this week’s report…………….

On Wednesday the ocean finally decided to calm down and I got a visit from my good friend Greg who had snuck out before work for a dive along our south facing shore. Greg reported great visibility and lots of bass mulling around close to the surface. He ended up taking a beautiful 27lb fish with his 75cm single banded gun. Must have been the BC Power Band!!

My buddy Gabe headed out to Block this week and got into a lot of bass around the Island but reported nothing over 30lbs. Later in the week he dove in the MA Invitational tournament held at Sakonnett Pt. and took 1st place with a couple of Max. Bass and some good sized Togs. Nice Job Gabe!

The report from the tournament was plenty of fish but very few of any size.

Reports from several of my friends diving out of Jamestown have an abundance of bass to 40” cruising the coast with pretty good numbers of Tog as well.

Keep in mind that Black Fish season will be closed tomorrow (6-1-10) until July 1st. Time to start looking for some scup and blue fish to go along with the bass for the month of June!

That’s about all I have for this week. Keep sending me your pictures and updates throughout the week so I have something to put in here next Sunday!

Good Hunting,
Rob Marvelle
rob@newportfreedive.com
www.newportfreedive.com

May 23

Finally got to pull the trigger this week!! After much anticipation and some stressful preparation everything came together for a good evening out on the HG.

Thursday evening we motored out of Newport Harbor and headed up the bay. The wind was blowing 15knots from the SW and with the outgoing tide ripping we had to do a little scouting to find a decent dive location. It is on days like this that you can often find productive new spots. Prospecting has its rewards!!

One of the most frequently asked questions I get has to do with how to find a good spot to hunt. Everyone wants a “hand out” dive spot to shoot fish but very few people want to spend the time hunting for a productive location on their own. The people who do are often times rewarded.

The capitian and I discussed our options and settled on a little corner tucked away out of the wind. The out flow of current was not as strong here but there was still enough water moving to make it appealing to bass. While I will not disclose the exact location I can tell you it was N of the Newport Bridge and south of Prudence Island.

As soon as I entered the 54 degree water I could hear the bass banging around in the rocks. I made two drops to 20’ before I caught a glimpse of the first linesider. Each drop after resulted in fish passing my location. The visibility was next to nothing on the surface but below 15’ it opened up to about 10’. Satisfied that the average fish in this spot was in the 34” range it was time to test the Cyrano 970.

***Gear Report: MARES Cyrano 970

I think I mentioned this last week but loading this gun is a huge pain in the back side and something I would be very nervous about doing in the water. To me, this is a one and done gun. Now I am sure there is a technique to re-load but I am not interested in it at this point. Loading the gun on the boat, with the butt end wedged into the corner of the deck is task enough for me.

Once in the water you need to get the air out of the barrel. This is the air that is trapped in the cylinder when loading the shaft, not air leaking out of the piston. To do this, simply hold the gun vertically (submerged) with the muzzle facing the surface. A small stream of bubble will expel out of the muzzle. Once they stop you are ready to hunt.

This gun is extremely easy to move through the water. I noticed right away that swinging on a fish is far easier then with a band gun. I really like the safety on the Cyrano as well which is more like a trigger guard that folds down when engaged.
When it came to pulling the trigger I noticed that it required a little more force than a typical band gun. This is all well and good on clean broad side shots but is something I will have to get used to when taking quick shots in dirty water. My feeling is that I will have a tendency to jerk the gun while getting used to the pressure required to shoot.

As far as accuracy, the two fish I took on Thursday were both shot through the head. When I say through the head I mean the shaft went straight through the hardest part of the fish’s head leaving it on the shooting line. Un-real power from such a small gun! The 970 is about the size of a 75cm Euro gun but has the power of a 3-4 banded blue water gun.

Overall I was very impressed with the “in-water” performance but am still skeptical of its all around use. I would say it is an excellent situational gun with more than ample power for knocking down any fish in our area.

This week’s report……..

I dove exclusively in the bay this week and saw plenty of bass. The largest fish I saw was between 25-30lbs with the majority of them in the teens. The water temp ranged from 54 to 58 degrease with pretty poor visibility, depending on where you were. We dove a mussel bed way up the bay near Hope Island and had 15’ of horizontal visibility on the bottom. Closer to Fort Adams I had 3-4’ of visibility. The average vis was between 5-8’ which is plenty for hunting bass.

I love hunting bass in poor visibility because they will get so close to you. I had one almost take my mask off it got so close to me on Saturday. It is pretty cool to be looking out of your mask and all of a sudden see a large bass head inches from your eye.

A few of my friends dove the ocean side of Newport this week and reported poor visibility on Wednesday with very few fish but better conditions on Saturday. Saturdays report had visibility to 15’ with plenty of medium sized Tautog and decent numbers of 30”-34” bass.

With this coming weekend being Memorial Day I would expect to start seeing larger fish more frequently. Looking back on my notes from past years it always seems to be around this time when the bigger bass start to move in. We are off to a good start with last weeks’ 40lb and 55lb catches.

Till next week, please dive safe and stay within your limits.

Good Hunting,
Rob Marvelle
www.newportfreedive.com