Speargun Rigging - Shooting Line Options

Types of Spearfishing Shooting Line

There are many ways to rig a speargun's shooting line. Monofilament, Cable, and Spectra are the three types of materials commonly used.  Each type of material has its own benefits and disadvantages.  Each has its own best uses and the decision on the type of material you use should be based on your own needs and uses. Below, we will go through the pros and cons of each. 

 

Monofilament Shooting Line

Monofiliment is inexpensive and easily replaced.  It also has a wide variety of different options both in strength and color.  A challenge with monofilament, however, is that it has a memory when it is wrapped from your line release to your line anchor, and that memory impacts the distance your spear travels and the accuracy of your shots.  The thicker (stronger) the monofilament, the more it impacts your shaft’s travel through the water.

 

Spectra Shooting Line

Spectra is easy to work with, strong, and durable. The benefits of being able to rig a spear shaft with some solid knots on the boat should not be discounted.  The ability to just carry a couple dozen feet of spectra in your kit certainly beats having to carry a spool of monofilament, crimps, and a crimping tool in your gear bag.  Spectra also has significantly less line memory, which translates to longer and more accurate shots.  Many companies make different versions of this line, but its main drawback spectra is that from any company, it is more expensive than monofilament. 

 

Cable Shooting Line

Cable is very strong, but can be a challenge to work with.  Like monofilament, it has line memory, and requires crimps and crimping tools to rig.  It does also carry the inherent entanglement risk with the additional risk of being difficult to cut.  With all that being said, it is one of the strongest materials to rig your speargun with.  For large bluewater fish, like Tuna, Billfish, and Dogtooth, cable is regarded as the best option for ensuring your shooting line doesn't fail. 

 

Free Shafting

The last method of rigging a speargun is really just not rigging it.  Some scuba divers prefer to free shaft because it allows for the shaft to be quickly reloaded underwater (which is not something freedivers can do with or without the free shaft). It also allows for longer and more accurate shots to be taken on reef dwelling fish.  Freeshafting becomes problematic if you shoot through the fish, or the fish is large enough to swim away with your spearshaft.  If you are freediving you also run into the challenge of retrieving the spearshaft. Any fish mid-water become impractical to shoot when free shafting, as there is no reliable way to retain those fish without a line.