Hunting Technique: Agguato
Article contributed by Fin + Forage’s Charlie Robinton
Other Hunting Techniques to Learn:
Aspetto (Ambushing), Hole Hunting, Interacting with Fish and Reef vs Blue Water
The agguato technique takes the concept of ambush from the aspetto technique and adds the dimension of movement. To review: a spearo practicing aspetto will stealthily swim down and conceal themselves on the bottom. Using the natural curiosity of the fish to their advantage, the spearo will wait until the fish swims close enough for a perfect shot. This method works wonderfully on many species of fish all over the world, but there are times when even flawless aspetto will fail to bring wary or uninterested fish into range. This is when agguato becomes the best option.
The basic principles that make aspetto such an effective hunting method still apply to agguato. It is important to enter the water smoothly, to descend quietly to the bottom and have a hiding spot picked out where you can conceal most of your body to survey the scene. From here is where things become more challenging. Let’s imagine that you are hiding amongst the rocks at the bottom, waiting for your target to come into range. You can see the fish drifting in and out at the edge of visibility, but they don’t seem to want to come closer. You have tried some different methods of attracting them to no avail. These fish are wary, and you know you need to close the gap between you and the fish if you want a shot. How do you do that?
There are different approaches to agguato and which one you use will mainly depend on the visibility. If you can see the structure and fish from the surface, you will be able to plan your route from there. In this case, you will still need to dive to the bottom far enough from the fish to avoid spooking them, but not so far that you will run out of air trying to get to them. While planning your approach on the bottom, look for structure that will hide you from the fish as you approach. Anything from rocks or coral heads, to seaweeds, low points and other structure will help you accomplish this. It is good to pick one or more “stops” on your approach where you can pause for a moment and scan to see where the fish are and how they are reacting.
Once you’ve planned a route, a very important aspect of the technique is how you move along the bottom. Kicking with your fins will cause vibrations that fish can feel with their sensitive lateral line. The way masterful spearos approach fish on the bottom is to use one hand to “crawl” slowly, maybe adding a faint kick of a fin here and there to assist or change position. Moving this way requires that you are perfectly weighted so that you are near neutral at the bottom, but it is without a doubt the most effective way to avoid spooking fish and will also help you stay down much longer, as it consumes less oxygen than kicking with the large muscles in your legs.
When there is less visibility and you cannot plan a route from the surface, you will need to be more dynamic with your approach. As you descend and once you are on the bottom, look for structure that you can put between you and the fish and proceed toward that structure before going further. Once you have arrived there, you can stop to scan and look for a good shot, or another structure that will bring you closer to the fish.
In either case, it pays to be flexible. Fish do not always behave predictably, and they may move further away or even come closer as you progress along the bottom. Stopping from time to time and surveying the area will help you decide what to do next. It may be that the route you planned from the surface will no longer work and you need to choose another, or maybe during one of your stops you see a fish that you didn’t notice before and you have a good shot. Being ready to adjust your plans in the moment will help you capture more fish with this technique.
Practice this method in your home waters and pay attention to how different species of fish react to your approach. Take care to move slowly and always be looking for objects that will conceal your movements from the fish. In time, these things will become inherent skills that you perform without thinking.
