Spear Construction

Part of Fishing

Building effective fishing spears from natural materials is one of the fastest paths to reliable protein.

Choosing Your Wood

The shaft determines everything. You need wood that is straight, strong, and long enough to reach fish from a standing position.

Best species (in order):

Wood	Properties	Availability
Ash	Straight grain, flexible, shock-resistant	Temperate forests
Hazel	Naturally straight shoots, lightweight	Hedgerows, woodland edges
Willow	Very straight, easy to work, but soft	Riverbanks (convenient)
Bamboo	Hollow, light, extremely strong	Subtropical/tropical
Pine (young)	Straight saplings, resinous (resists rot)	Conifer forests

Ideal dimensions:

• Length: 2-2.5 meters (6-8 feet) for wading, 3-4 meters (10-13 feet) for bank spearing
• Diameter: 2.5-3.5 cm (1-1.5 inches) at the grip, tapering toward the tip
• Weight: light enough to thrust quickly with one hand

Cut green wood rather than dead wood. Green wood flexes instead of snapping. Strip the bark immediately — bark left on will loosen as it dries, creating a slippery grip.

Single-Point Spear

The simplest design. Effective for large, slow fish in shallow water.

Construction Steps

1. Select a straight shaft 2-2.5 meters long
2. Carve the tip using a knife or sharp stone flake. Whittle the last 15-20 cm into a gradual taper ending in a sharp point
3. Harden the tip by holding it 10-15 cm above hot coals (not in flames). Rotate slowly for 3-5 minutes until the wood darkens slightly and the surface becomes glossy. This drives out moisture and compresses the grain
4. Add a barb (optional but recommended): cut a notch 3-4 cm from the tip on one side, angled backward at roughly 30 degrees, about 5 mm deep. This prevents fish from sliding off

Fire Hardening

Do not char the wood black. You want a light brown toasting that dries and hardens the fibers. Charred wood is brittle and will snap on impact.

Limitations

A single point works but has a narrow margin for error. You must hit the fish precisely. In murky water or against fast-moving targets, you will miss more than you hit. This is why multi-prong designs exist.

Multi-Prong Spear (Split-Shaft Design)

This is the workhorse fishing spear. Three or four prongs cover a wider area, dramatically improving your hit rate.

Construction Steps

1. Start with a shaft at least 3 cm in diameter at the working end
2. Split the tip into prongs:
   • For a two-prong fork: make one split down the center, 15-20 cm deep
   • For a three-prong trident: make two perpendicular splits forming a cross pattern, then remove one quarter section
   • For a four-prong: make two perpendicular splits, keeping all four sections
3. Spread the prongs: wedge a small piece of wood or stone into the center of the split to force prongs apart. Bind tightly below the split with cordage (plant fiber, sinew, or strips of bark) to prevent further splitting
4. Shape each prong tip: carve to a point and fire-harden individually
5. Add barbs: notch each prong 3-4 cm from its tip

Spreading Distance

The prongs should spread to cover an area roughly 8-12 cm across. Too narrow and you lose the advantage. Too wide and each prong becomes too thin and weak.

Binding the split: Wrap cordage in tight, overlapping turns for at least 3-4 cm below where the split ends. Wet the cordage before wrapping — it will shrink as it dries, creating a tighter bind.

Lashed-Point Spear

When you have access to bone, antler, shell, or stone, you can create far more durable and sharper points than wood alone.

Materials for Points

• Bone: split long bones lengthwise, grind to a point on rough stone
• Antler tine: naturally pointed, extremely tough
• Flaked stone: obsidian or flint knapped to a point (sharpest option)
• Shell: large mussel or oyster shells ground to a point
• Metal scrap: any flat metal piece ground or bent to a point

Attachment Method

1. Prepare the shaft: split the tip 5-8 cm or carve a notch
2. Seat the point: insert the base of your point material into the split or notch
3. Bind: wrap with wet sinew, rawhide strips, or strong plant cordage in a figure-eight pattern around the shaft and over the point base
4. Seal: apply pine resin mixed with charcoal powder (about 3:1 ratio) over the binding. Heat gently to melt and seal. This waterproofs the joint

Maintenance and Care

• After each use: rinse in fresh water, especially if fishing in salt or brackish water
• Re-sharpen points daily by scraping with a rough stone
• Check bindings before each session. Wet-dry cycles loosen cordage
• Store vertically or hanging. Laying a spear on damp ground warps the shaft
• Replace fire-hardened tips when they chip or crack — re-carve and re-harden

Choosing Your Design

Situation	Best Design	Why
Large slow fish (carp, catfish)	Single point, lashed bone/stone	Penetration matters more than coverage
Small fast fish in shallows	Multi-prong (3-4 prongs)	Coverage compensates for speed
Night spearing with torch	Multi-prong	Fish hold still in light; wide prongs forgive aim errors
Deep water from bank	Long shaft, single heavy point	Need reach and momentum
Rocky streams	Multi-prong with barbs	Fish dart between rocks; barbs prevent escape

Key Takeaways

• Green wood for shafts, fire-hardened tips for durability — never char to black
• Multi-prong spears dramatically outperform single-point for most fishing scenarios
• Bind splits with wet cordage that shrinks tight as it dries
• Bone, antler, or stone points outlast wood points many times over
• Match your spear design to your target species and water conditions