Spearfishing

Part of Fishing

Active fish hunting using improvised spears — effective when traps are not yet built or when targeting large individual fish.

When to Spearfish

Spearfishing fills a different role than passive methods like trapping or weirs. It demands your full attention but produces immediate results with minimal preparation. Use it when:

• You need food today and have no traps set
• You spot a large fish worth targeting individually
• Water is too deep or fast for weir construction
• Fish are visible in shallow, clear water
• You are supplementing trap catches during lean periods

It is not a replacement for passive methods. A full day of spearfishing by an experienced person yields fewer total calories than a well-placed trap system running overnight. But on day one of a survival scenario, a sharpened stick and clear water can mean the difference between eating and not eating.

Spear Types

Single-Point Spear

The simplest option. One sharp point on a straight shaft.

Construction:

1. Select a straight hardwood shaft 2-2.5 meters long, 3-4 cm diameter
2. Carve the tip to a sharp point with a knife or sharp rock
3. Harden the tip by holding it over hot coals (not flames) for 2-3 minutes, rotating constantly
4. The tip should darken slightly without charring black

Limitations: A smooth point often deflects off fish scales. The fish slides off before you can pull it from the water. Add a barb by carving a small notch 2 cm back from the tip, angled toward the shaft, or lash a thorn or bone splinter as a barb.

Multi-Prong Gig

Far more effective than a single point. Multiple prongs increase your strike area and grip the fish between tines.

Construction:

1. Select a shaft 2-2.5 meters long
2. Split the working end into 3-4 prongs by driving a knife or sharp wedge into the end grain
3. Split 15-20 cm deep
4. Wedge small sticks or pebbles between the prongs at the base of the split to splay them outward
5. Bind tightly below the split with cordage to prevent further splitting
6. Sharpen each prong tip
7. Carve inward-facing barbs on each prong, 2 cm from the tip

Prong spacing: The tips should spread 8-12 cm apart. Too narrow and you lose the multi-prong advantage. Too wide and small fish slip between them.

Spear Safety

A sharpened gig is a dangerous weapon. Never walk with it point-forward. Plant it upright in the ground when not in use. When wading in water, carry it vertically. A stumble onto a sharpened prong can cause a life-threatening injury in a situation where medical care does not exist.

Bone or Metal-Tipped Spear

If you have access to bone, antler, or scavenged metal:

1. Shape the tip material into a point with barbs
2. Split the shaft end 5-8 cm
3. Insert the tip into the split
4. Bind tightly with wet cordage or sinew — it shrinks as it dries, tightening the fit
5. Seal the binding with pine resin if available

Understanding Refraction

This is the single most important skill in spearfishing, and the reason most beginners miss.

The problem: Light bends when it passes from water into air. This makes fish appear higher and closer to the surface than they actually are. If you aim at where the fish appears to be, you will strike above it every time.

The rule: Aim lower than the fish appears. How much lower depends on the angle you are looking from:

Your Viewing Angle	Aim Adjustment
Looking almost straight down (steep angle)	Aim slightly below the apparent position
Looking at 45 degrees	Aim roughly 1/3 of the apparent depth below the fish
Looking at a shallow angle	Aim at least 1/2 the apparent depth below the fish

Practice method: Drop a bright stone into clear, shallow water. Stand at the bank and thrust your spear at it repeatedly from different angles. You will quickly develop an instinct for the correction needed. Practice for 20 minutes before attempting a real fish.

The closer you are to directly above the fish, the less refraction distorts your aim. Whenever possible, position yourself directly over your target.

Technique

Wading

The most effective approach for streams and shallow water.

1. Enter the water slowly — fish sense vibrations through their lateral line before they see you
2. Stand still for 2-3 minutes after reaching your position; fish will resume normal behavior
3. Hold the spear at a 45-60 degree angle, tip submerged just below the surface
4. Keep the spear in the water — breaking the surface with a thrust creates splash that pushes fish away before the point arrives
5. When a fish is within range (1-1.5 meters), thrust downward with a fast, smooth motion
6. Pin the fish against the bottom — do not try to lift it on the spear tip
7. Slide your free hand down the shaft and grab the fish against the bottom before lifting

Bank Spearing

For deeper water or when wading is not safe.

1. Position yourself on a bank or rock overhanging clear water
2. Stay back from the edge — your shadow alerts fish
3. Wait motionless until fish move beneath you
4. Thrust straight down; gravity assists your strike
5. The steeper your angle, the less refraction affects your aim

Night Spearing

Fish are sluggish and less alert at night, particularly in warm shallow water.

1. Build a torch from a bundle of resinous pine sticks or birch bark
2. Hold the torch over the water — fish are attracted to and stunned by light
3. Spear the motionless, illuminated fish
4. This is dramatically more effective than daytime spearing for many species

Fire Safety Near Water

Torches drip burning material. Carry the torch over the water, not over dry grass on the bank. Have a way to extinguish it (dip in water) if you need both hands free.

Best Targets

Not all fish are equally spear-worthy:

Target	Difficulty	Notes
Carp	Easy	Large, slow, often in shallow water
Catfish	Easy	Bottom dwellers, slow to react, active at night
Suckers	Easy	Aggregate in shallows during spawning
Salmon (spawning)	Moderate	Large targets in shallow runs, but fast
Trout	Hard	Fast, spooky, prefer deep water
Pike/Pickerel	Moderate	Often motionless near weed edges, but explosive when spooked

Focus on easy targets first. Carp and catfish are the most calorie-efficient species to spear — they are large, slow, abundant, and tolerate poor water quality.

Processing Your Catch

Act fast. A speared fish should be killed immediately with a sharp blow to the head, then gutted within 30 minutes, especially in warm weather. The spear wound introduces bacteria into the flesh, so speared fish spoil faster than those caught by other methods.

1. Kill the fish — strike the top of the head firmly with a rock or the spear shaft
2. Cut from the vent to the gills and remove all organs
3. Rinse the body cavity in clean water
4. Cook or begin preservation immediately

Key Takeaways

• Spearfishing provides immediate food but is labor-intensive — use it to bridge the gap while setting up passive traps
• A multi-prong gig with barbs is far more effective than a single-point spear
• Always aim below the apparent position of the fish to account for refraction
• Keep the spear tip submerged before striking to avoid alerting fish with surface splash
• Night spearing with a torch is the most effective technique for beginners